Chaucer 1340-1400

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

For the 600th anniversary of Chaucer's death, biographer West (Daniel Defoe: The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures) concentrates more on the times than the life. Chaucer's era, which encompassed the Hundred Years War, the Black Death, the Peasants' Revolt, John Wycliffe's proto-Protestantism and the end of the Plantagenet dynasty, is not without interest. Finding Chaucer often on the periphery of these events, West is left to argue that it was a pivotal era for England, in transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and between a French-dominated culture and a homegrown national identity. As for his treatment of Chaucer, about whom little is known, West relies on a discussion of translation of the French medieval bestseller Le Roman de la Rose to Canterbury Tales. Despite the chronological remoteness of the era, West colors in his subject matter with contemporary parallels, sometimes stretching the point, such as comparing the plot of Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde to that of Casablanca. More often than not, in West's presentation Chaucer was neither as forward-looking nor as reactionary as some other biographers, such as Terry Jones or G. K. Chesterton, would have it--he was simply a man of his time. Students of literature looking for a historical context in which to put Chaucer will find edification here, but the man still remains at a distance. 8 pages b&w photos not seen by PW. (Dec. 1) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Geoffrey Chaucer's life encompassed one of the most important eras in medieval English history. He survived the Black Death, fought in the Hundred Years' War, traveled as a diplomat, and served at court during the Peasant's Revolt and the murder of Richard II. He also happened to pen one of the greatest works of English literature, The Canterbury Tales. West (Daniel Defoe: The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures) has written a splendid biography that combines history and literary criticism. He places Chaucer within his historical context and examines his life and writings. Though West argues that modern attitudes color perceptions of Chaucer and his times, he does not back away from the thorny issues that modern scholars have raised, such as Chaucer's alleged anti-Semitism, his treatment of women, and his religious beliefs, to name a few. West's book intentionally avoids an academic approach and is thus a nice complement to Derek Pearsall's excellent and scholarly The Life of Geoffrey Chaucer: A Critical Biography (LJ 11/15/92). Readers wanting an informative and entertaining biography will find this study just the right thing. For public library literary collections.--Ron Ratliff, Kansas State Univ. Lib., Manhattan Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

From The Critics

Chaucer: 1340-1400, The Life And Times Of The First English Poet is an engaging new portrait of the life and times of Geoffrey Chaucer whose career included courtly offices situated him at the center of cultural activity in medieval London, and whose poetry became a primary force in the evolution of modern English. Richard West is a distinguished journalist who has meticulously researched Chaucer's life and blends biography with history and literary criticism into a coherent presentation of a literary genius who survived the Black Death as a child, fought in France during the Hundred Years War, was a diplomat to Italy, served in the English court during the Peasants' Revolt and murder of Richard II -- and whose central work, The Canterbury Tales, illuminated the nature of human life in the Middle Ages in such a way as to capture the respect and attention of readers for more than six hundred years. Highly recommended, essential reading for students of Chaucer and his writings.

Kirkus Reviews

A general overview of the author of The Canterbury Tales, his writing, and the times he lived in, by historian and biographer West (Daniel Defoe, 1998, etc.). It is startling to note that 600 years have passed since the death of the poet who gave us"Whan that the month of May / Is comen, and that I hear the fowles singe." Chaucer's place in literary history is obviously significant: a near contemporary to Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio, he was the first to introduce the word"tragedye" into the English language. And his private life was as variegated as his Tales: he lived through the end of the Black Plague, served as a soldier in the Hundred Years' War, was a successful civil servant, and even became a member of Parliament. West's examination raises some interesting questions. Why doesn't the Black Plague figure more prominently in Chaucer's writing? Did he share the anti-Semitism that was so widespread among his contemporaries? How did he react to the social unrest of the Peasants' Revolt? What were his religious opinions? West's approach is too broad and unfocused overall, and he jumps wildly from biography to social history to basic textual explication—frequently distracted even more by tangential digressions. Moreover, despite his hope of writing about Chaucer"for the general public," his account is neither accessible enough to interest a general reader nor deep enough to merit significant academic attention. Pass it by for Derek Pearsall's The Life of Geoffrey Chaucer (1992) and Lillian M. Bisson's Chaucer and the Late Medieval World (1998)—both superior alternatives.