Literature

English Poetry

haucer

Hailed as "The Father of English Poetry", Chaucer was one of the most important and influencial poets of the Renaissance. He was born in London in 1340, son of a wine merchant. The facts of Chaucer's life are uncertain, yet it is known that he as a boy he served as a page in the house of Elizabeth, wife of Duke of Clarence. He also served in their army during a war with France, and was taken prisoner there. Throughout his life, Chaucer was constantly in the service of the English royalty. At one time, he was customs collector at London port for some years. At another, he was in France on diplomatic business. These visits to the European continent exposed him to French and Italian literature, and this helped further develop his talent. From these sources he drew inspiration for subject matter and structure. His first few long poems imitated the French and Italian pieces he had come across. In his poetry, we discover Chaucer's great love of nature and we see vivid descriptions of Medieval Catholic England.

Chaucer's most famous piece of poetry is his "Canterbury Tales", which is an account of the travels of ordinary and varied characters making their way on a Pilgrimage to Canterbury. Written in the Midland dialect (spoken in the vicinity of London), the popularity of these "Tales" helped the dialect become the dominating English speech.

Other Poets

Two other well-known poets that were active at the time of Chaucer were William Langland and John Gower. Langland wrote a poem, possibly very in its day, entitled "Vision of William Concerning Piers, the Plowman". It is an objection to the evils of society at the time (e.g. ostentatious luxury, selfishness and covetousness). Gower, quite a copious writer, was an educated man; and was aptly given the nickname "Moral Gower" in one of Chaucer's works due to his poetry's teaching and educational nature.

Ballads

During the 15th century, these short verse tales were very popular. All are anonymous, and despite their origin being somewhat unknown, one theory suggests they were intended to be sung as an accompaniment to folk dances. Their subject matter greatly appeals to the imagination, and often tells of noteworthy deeds and feats of the day. These include acts of violence, stealing lovers, heroic acts of bravery and battles and wars. Often, these happenings deal with a legendary, courageous fictional character, Robin Hood, who was seen as the helper of the poor and who brought about social justice during the reign of a corrupt King.

The most well known Ballads are Bonny Barbara Allen, Sir Patrick Spens, Robin Hood and the Nut-Browne Mayde.

Renaissance Poetry

The English started turning to the European continent for inspiration for literary works to improve their country's cultural state. The early 16th century saw the rise of Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard (Earl of Surrey) and they began attempting to write verse in imitation of Italian verse. These two introduced the sonnet to English literature. Howard, in a translation of Vergil's Aeneid, used blank verse for the first time in literary history. Wyatt and Howard were followed by numerous writers, the most important being Thomas Sackville and George Gascoigne, who, using new verse forms, further developed English poetry.