English Literature in the 14th century

                  The 14th and 15th centuries were characterized by conflict in the political and military fields both at home and abroad, and also in the daily life of villages. War with France continued intermittently throughout the period, and included the Hundred Years' War from 1337 to 1453.
Chivalry ideals were cultivated by the King and his courtiers as a useful way of persuading men to fight, by creating the idea that war was a noble and glorious thing. The 14th century in England did not mean political and government problems only. The outbreak of the Black Death in 1348 brought about profound social and economic changes. The disease killed between one third and one half of the population, and was followed by further outbreaks in 1361 and 1369. This population decline resulted in severe labour shortages and in the abandonment of a large number of villages.

                 Towards the end of the 14th century, there appeared some other revolutionary movements, and the beginning of the war between England and France (1337 – 1453) brought its contribution to the development of social contradictions as well.The 15th century was a period of transition: the Middle Ages were coming to an end, and the foundations of modern society were being laid. 

It is surprising to observe that under the given circumstances, the second half of the 14th century marked a great developement of literature. Wonderful artistic works appeared, describing in a more or less explicit way, life in that eventful period. Four important writers defined the spirit of the time in their literary creations: 

William Langland

John Gower

Geoffrey Chaucer 

Geoffrey Chaucer is regarded as England's first poet of world importance who deserves to be called „the morning star of English poetry”.The novelty of his poetic artistry and his deep interest in the aspects of his society prove that a new spirit was already at work in the 14th   century English literature.Chaucer was born in 1343 in London, although the exact date and location of his birth are not known. His father and grandfather were both London vintners and before that, for several generations, the family were merchants in Ipswich. His name is derived from the French chausseur, meaning shoemaker. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales appeared quite naturally, as to tell stories or to go on pilgrimages was in the air of the time. Somewhere about 1386, the poet planned to collect about 120 to 124 tales and to put them together in one single work, as told by a number of about 30 pilgrims on their way to the tomb of Thomas-à-Becket in Canterbury. The „General Prologue” in itself is the splendid creation of a genius. It begins with a brief description of nature in spring time, not extremely ornamented, but very suggestive. It is April, everything exhales an air of joy, the birds are singing, the sun is shining and the flowers are in bloom. The relationship between man and nature is observed, even if in a rather mocking tone.

The tales present varied themes, as their sources of inspiration were also varied, and the characters only retell them. They belong to all types of medieval literature. They were inspired from:

the chivalry romances (e.g. the Knight’s tale, the Squire’s tale);

the burlesque of chivalry romance (e.g. Chaucer’s tale of Sir Thopaz)

adaptations of the Arthurian cycle that have become folk fairy tales (e.g. the Wife of Bath’s tale)

stories based on medieval scriptural stories which have a moralizing tendency (the Sergeant of Law’s Tale, the Monk’s Tale. The Nun’s tale)

the French fabliaux (the Miller’s tale, The tales of the Reeve, Merchant, Friar, Summoner, Cook, Shipman)

one tale sugessted by the French romance Le Roman de Renard ( the Nun’s story of the cock Chanticleer, who managed to cheat on Russel, the fox).