Chaucer's Polyphony : The Modern in Medieval Poetry

Jonathan Fruoco

ISBN 10: 1501518496 / ISBN 13: 9781501518492

Published by De Gruyter, 2020

About this Item

Druck auf Anfrage Neuware - Printed after ordering - Geoffrey Chaucer has long been considered by the critics as the father of English poetry. However, this notion not only tends to forget a huge part of the history of Anglo-Saxon literature but also to ignore the specificities of Chaucer's style. Indeed, Chaucer's decision to write in Middle English, in a time when the hegemony of Latin and Old French was undisputed (especially at the court of Edward III and Richard II), was consistent with an intellectual movement that was trying to give back to European vernaculars the prestige necessary to a genuine cultural production, which eventually led to the emergence of romance and of the modern novel. As a result, if Chaucer cannot be thought of as the father of English poetry, he is, however, the father of English prose and one of the main artisans of what Mikhail Bakhtin called the polyphonic novel.

Seller Inventory # 9781501518492

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Chaucer's Polyphony : The Modern in Medieval Poetry
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1501518496
• ISBN 13: 9781501518492
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 236W x 160H x 21D millimeters 236 millimeters width by 160 millimeters height by 21 millimeters depth
• Weight: 563 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Geoffrey Chaucer has long been considered by the critics as the father of English poetry. However, this notion not only tends to forget a huge part of the history of Anglo-Saxon literature but also to ignore the specificities of Chaucer's style. Indeed, Chaucer's decision to write in Middle English, in a time when the hegemony of Latin and Old French was undisputed (especially at the court of Edward III and Richard II), was consistent with an intellectual movement that was trying to give back to European vernaculars the prestige necessary to a genuine cultural production, which eventually led to the emergence of romance and of the modern novel. As a result, if Chaucer cannot be thought of as the father of English poetry, he is, however, the father of English prose and one of the main artisans of what Mikhail Bakhtin called the polyphonic novel.

About the Author

Jonathan Fruoco is a medievalist associated with the CEMA, Sorbonne University.