Chaucer: Father of English or Medieval People’s Poet

Chaucer Exhibit at the Weston Library.

I recommend you visit the exhibition on Chaucer at the Weston Library, Oxford. Marion Turner, J.R.R. Tolkien Professor of English Literature and Language, has created a fascinating journey through manuscripts and printed versions of Chaucer’s verse. The interpretations of Chaucer and his influence through different periods of history are brought to life by the artefacts and narrative.

Last week group of Oxford Green Badge Guides were enthralled by Professor Turner’s enthusiastic and deeply knowledgable introduction to the exhibit. It is rare to have the creator of an exhibit share with you the thinking and research that sits behind the design. We are so privileged as guides to have opportunities to find out more about the people linked to Oxford’s rich history.

Professor Turner described how this cosmopolitan man, who spoke four languages, had once been a prisoner of war in the Hundred Years’ War, and was influenced by the writing of Dante and Boccaccio. His writing marks a turning point in literature, as he chose to write in English rather than Latin or French. This invited a much wider audience and marks him as an inclusive author. Chaucer wrote for the people he spent time with. The courtiers, merchants and knights.

The exhibit is open from 8th December 2023 to 28th April 2024. Don’t miss this chance to see some of the finest examples of Chaucer’s writing. Engage with his global appeal and the influence of European writers on the man described as the ‘Father of English’.