An exploration of the influence of Italy and Italians on Chaucerâs life and writing. Geoffrey Chaucer might be considered the quintessential English writer, but he drew much of his inspiration and material from Italy. In fact, without the tremendous influence of Francesco Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio (among others), the author of The Canterbury Tales might never have assumed his place as the âfatherâ of English literature. Nevertheless, Richard Owenâs Chaucerâs Italy begins in London, where the poet dealt with Italian merchants in his roles as court diplomat and customs official. Next Owen takes us, via Chaucerâs capture at the siege of Rheims, to his involvement in arranging the marriage of King Edward IIIâs son Lionel in Milan and his missions to Genoa and Florence. By scrutinizing his encounters with Petrarch, Boccaccio, and the mercenary knight John Hawkwoodâand with vividly evocative descriptions of the Arezzo, Padua, Florence, Certaldo, and Milan that Chaucer would have encounteredâOwen reveals the deep influence of Italyâs people and towns on Chaucerâs poems and stories. Much writing on Chaucer depicts a misleadingly parochial figure, but as Owenâs enlightening short study of Chaucerâs Italian years makes clear, the poetâs life was internationally eventful. The consequences have made the English canon what it is today.
Price history
Sep 27, 2022
€22.09