Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340–1400) was an English poet, author, and diplomat who lived during the late medieval period and is regarded as the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and the father of English literature. Born to a prosperous merchant family, Chaucer served as a page in a noble household, a soldier, a diplomat, and a civil servant to the English crown. His most celebrated work, 'The Canterbury Tales,' written in the last decade of his life, presents a diverse collection of stories told by pilgrims traveling to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury. Written primarily in Middle English vernacular rather than the more prestigious French or Latin, the work brought legitimacy to English as a literary language and established a blueprint for the novel form. His other major works include 'Troilus and Criseyde' and 'The Book of the Duchess.' Chaucer's masterful use of characterization, psychological depth, and narrative variety influenced English literature for centuries. His decision to write in English rather than French or Latin fundamentally shaped the development of English as a literary language, and his works remain studied in schools and universities worldwide as monuments of medieval literature and early English culture.