Geoffrey Chaucer 
The Canterbury Tales 

The Canterbury Tales are the unfinished magnum opus of the great English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Written in Middle English between 1387 and 1400, the tales are a collection of stories told by pilgrims en route from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. The stories, told as part of a competition amongst the travelers are frequently bawdy, violent and humorous, painting a critical portrait of English life in the middle ages. This epic poem is thought to be an important contribution to vernacular English as a legitimate literary language, as opposed to the prevailing French and Latin of the times.

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Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) was an English poet of the late Middle Ages, best known for his unfinished work The Canterbury Tales. Writing mainly in vernacular English, as opposed to French or Latin, he is considered the father of English literature. Born in London, he became a servant in the court of Countess Elizabeth of Ulster and was a courtier, diplomat and bureaucrat throughout his lifetime, during which he received acclaim for his writings. Chaucer was the first person to be buried in Westminster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner when he died in 1400.