Chaucer is widely understood to be the father of English literature; though before he composed the Canterbury Tales (his most famous work), he was best known as a writer of poems of love. The Geoffrey Chaucer Web site maintained by Jane Tolmier and her colleagues at Harvard University will be quite helpful to students looking to learn more about the life and work of Chaucer, or even those with a more casual interest in his writings and times. Of course, visitors will find the complete text of the Canterbury Tales, divided into its familiar sections, along with interlinear translations that juxtapose the original Middle English text with its modern English counterpart. Along with this feature, the site also includes background essays on the Canterbury Tales, the life and manners of Chaucer's England, and an extensive bibliography of scholarship that deals with Chaucer and his writings.
Comments