Chaucer: Ackroyd's Brief Lives (ACKROYD BRIEF LIVES)

This relatively short biography is very readable and interesting. Chaucer was a diplomat as well as poet, and this many journeys to France and Italy broadened his experiences and also informed the structure of his poetry, which in turn influenced English poetry for another 400 years. The history of England in the 14th century is intertwined with the Chaucer family. Chaucer began his career working for Edward II and then for Edward III, while his wife became a lady-in-waiting for Edward II’s wife Philippa of Hainault. He also worked for two of the sons of Edward II, Lionel Duke of Clarence and John of Gaunt. He also worked for Richard II until Richard was overthrown by his first cousin, Henry Bolingbroke. Ackroyd keeps speculation around extramarital affairs to a minimum and sticks to the historic facts rather than speculation around the career of Katherine Swynford, the sister of Phillipa Chaucer and thus Chaucer’s sister in law. Katherine became the mistress and later the wife of John of Galt. Chaucer is thought to have taken a mistress, Cecily Chaumpaigne, and there is some discussion of their life together in the book.Because we know so little of the day to day life of Geoffrey Chaucer, Ackroyd rightfully spends a good portion of the book on the manner in which Chaucer’s writings helped shape the national consciousness and national writing style of 14th Century England and how this influence lasted for 400 years. However, due to his position in the courts of multiple English monarchs, his writing style allowed him to write ‘around’ a topic since it was easy to offend these absolute monarchs. While in Florence Italy, Chaucer studied Italian poetry and decided to use some of the Italian poetic structure in his English poems. This strengthened the work and further influenced poetry in the English language. The book is a bit dry, as if Ackroyd does not wish to over-speak or speculate too much and too far. For a scholarly audience, this is welcome. For the everyday reader, the book was a bit to academic.

Peter Ackroyd, a prolific writer about English history, has written a brief life of Chaucer, which was a good basic intro. Ackroyd explains that Chaucer was born a Londoner,and as a boy lived near the Thames. As an adult he took rooms over Aldgate, at the eastern entrance through the wall of London. This is where the peasants' revolt took place.But for a better understanding of the historical context, I read Donald Howard's Chaucer: His Life, His Works, His World, about the 12th-century beginning of the European Renaissance, including the founding of universities like Oxford, where I used to live. We learn about the plague of 1348-50, which killed half the population of London. Chaucer would have been about 8 years old, and escaped, thanks to his parents taking the family to Southampton.

A very good introduction by a great English historian.I would have preferred to have more of it devoted to the Canterbury Tales, but this is a general biography and spends much of the time on his earlier works and translations.

Short but covered it all.

Peter Ackroyd is the one to turn to if you want to get a great historial sense of anything English. His bio's are researched in great detail and when you're done you feel as if you actually know the person Ackroyd has written about.

I knew very little about Chaucer and wished to broaden my knowledge on the topic.This book fit the bill. Chaucer was an impressive diplomat for the crown whose service was appreciated by a number of monarchs of the day. The book also discusses his poetry and writing in an interesting and clear manner.

This is a very informative book. I knew very little about Geoffery Chaucer before reading this book. I was surprise to find out the he was more than just a poet. Overall, I was pleased.

The book came in excellent condition in good time. It's fascinating, as is everything by Peter Ackroyd. Who knew Chaucer had such a colorful life?

Small but delicious