Скачать или смотреть Plot summary, “Chaucer: His Life, His Works, His World” by Donald R. Howard in 5 Minutes - Book

Chaucer, His Life, His Works, His World (1987), by Stanford Professor Donald R. Howard, is an award-winning literary biography of Geoffrey Chaucer. Blending history, politics, and literary analysis, the book traces Chaucer’s life as courtier, soldier, diplomat, and poet, while situating him in the turbulent fourteenth century. Howard emphasizes both the scarcity and uncertainty of biographical facts, weaving in cultural context to illuminate works such as The House of Fame, Troilus and Criseyde, and The Canterbury Tales. Structured in three chronological parts, the biography shows Chaucer as both a product and observer of his world—shaped by the Black Death, royal service, marriage, war, and exposure to Italian literature. More than a conventional life story, Howard’s study offers an engaging portrait of medieval society and its influences on England’s first great poet.