ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -He is credited as legitimising the literary use of Middle English when the dominant languages in England were still French and Latin, and his poetry went on to shape future of English literature. Chaucer was the first writer to be buried in what has since come to be called Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.

Detailed explanation-2: -Chaucer wrote during the final decades of the fourteenth century; hence, his language belongs to the later Middle English period. An important feature of the division between the Middle and the Early Modern periods was the emergence of a standard written variety of English.

Detailed explanation-3: -More than any of Chaucer’s other works, the Tales validated the use of Middle English in vernacular writing as it brought the characters and their stories to life. Popular fiction of the Middle Ages was written in French verse before Chaucer elevated Middle English poetry to the same height of popularity.

Detailed explanation-4: -Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in vernacular, Middle English, because that was the type of English spoken by the English people at the time. Since many works were written in French and Latin, there was a dearth of works in English.

Detailed explanation-5: -His use of English in his poetry helped to establish Middle English vernacular as the mainstream language of the day, replacing Latin and French and in doing so, paving the way for other literary greats such as Shakespeare.