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Chaucer`s works are grouped into first a French period, then an Italian period and finally an English period, with Chaucer being influenced by those countries` literatures in turn. Certainly Troilus and Criseyde is a middle period work with its reliance on the forms of Italian poetry, little known in England at the time, but to which Chaucer was probably exposed during his frequent trips abroad on court business. However it is “The Canterbury Tales,” where in he focuses on English subjects, with bawdy jokes and respected figures after being undercut with humour, that has cemented his reputation. One other significant work of Chaucer`s is his “Treatise on the Astrolable,” possibly for his own son, the first technical example of technical writing in the English Language. Another scientific work discovered in 1952, “Equatorie of the Planetis” has similar language and handwriting compared to some considered to be Chaucer. The large number of surviving manuscripts of Chaucer`s works is testimony to the enduring interest in his poetry prior to the arrival of the printing press. There are 83 surviving manuscripts of the “Canterbury Tales alone. John Urry produced the first edition of the complete works of Chaucer in a Latin font published in 1721.
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ISBN : 9789351285458
Pages : 837
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