Category: Author Bio

Geoffrey Chaucer
(c.1340-c.1400)

Geoffrey Chaucer was born into the middle class in London around 1340. Geoffrey spent his childhood around his father who was a wine merchant.  Being in this environment, Chaucer picked up on many languages that were spoken around him, where he became fluent in French, Italian and Latin. Shortly after his father was able to get him a position as a page to the court of the Countess of Ulster which was a milestone for him. Chaucer was married to a woman named Philippa. After working for multiple members of the nobility, Chaucer then enlisted into the English Army. Aside from his life in the Army where he was captured by the French, Chaucer enjoyed traveling the world to interact with people. Many of his social engagements influenced his writings, one of which being The Canterbury Tales. Another well known poem of Chaucer’s was The Knight’s Tale. He was very passionate about his work and he didn’t even consider his work a career nor himself a poet. This satirist died on October 25th, 1400. Geoffrey Chaucer is known to be one of the most important figures in English literature.

Fun Facts:
1. Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” was originally supposed to be 120 stories long, but was finished in 24.
2. Chaucer was employed by the government part-time as a diplomat, and he also collected scrap metal to recycle.
3. Geoffrey was left in charge to collect and audit the towns main source of revenue by recording all of the information on the taxes, and incoming products to the ports.

Geoffrey Chaucer's Grave

Work Cited

“The Canterbury Tales.” Geoffrey Chaucer Biography, www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/c/the-canterbury-tales/geoffrey-chaucer-biography.

“Geoffrey Chaucer: Some Background to the Poet and His Times.” Masterworks of British Literature, 6 Feb. 2009, masterworksbritlit.wordpress.com/2009/02/06/geoffrey-chaucer-some-background-to-the-poet-and-his-times/.

Ibraheem, Leah. “Little Known Facts about Geoffrey Chaucer.” Smithsonian Journeys, www.smithsonianjourneys.org/blog/little-known-facts-about-geoffrey-chaucer-180950908/

English Anchoress: Julian of Norwich (c.1342-c.1416)

Born “Dame Juliana”, not much is known about her personal life except through her sixteen visions/showings in which scholars and peers unraveled her true passion for Christ. It has been said, that her major works written in the English language were some of the first to survive during this time period from a woman. Taken from St. Julian’s church in Norwich, United Kingdom, is the underlying history behind her name and the discovery of her birth and death place as far as researchers may believe. Most areas of Norwich land were or extreme poverty and famine, which lead the way for Julian to become a mentor and spiritual counselor during the times of negativity and plague (Juliancentre.org, 2017). Unfortunately, at about 33 years old, Julian had become extremely ill and was expected to die, and upon her coming of death she developed a plethora of religious visions which were, according to the Norton Anthology of English Literature, were created at the precise age “of thirty and a half on May 13, 1373” (412). A compilation of Julian’s visions thus paved the way for a collection of surviving texts called the Book of Showings, which is revised into two separate versions (short and long) and uneven chapters within the chapters that create mediations of each chapter (412-413). With poise and optimism from numbers/chapters I-XVI in her showings, Julian expresses the relationship between her physical of sickness as compared to Christ and ending with the sixteenth vision which ties in humanity and her own theories to  uncover “‘the ground of our kind [natural/kind] making'” (413). Julian lived on another 30+ years after her “spiritual awakening” and continued to offer wisdom, optimism, and love for the people of Norwich. As readers, we can also better understand the visitations through Margery Kempe’s writings in The Book of Margery Kemp.

Fun Facts:

• It is believed she took the name of St. Julian after whom the church was named.
• Lived during the reign of English Kings Edward III, Richard II, Henry IV.
• Famous quote: “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”

(Information from: http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-women/julian-of-norwich.htm)

“We are all one , and I am sure I saw it for the profit of many other”
-Julian of Norwich

Works Cited:

Greenblatt, Stephen, gen. ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. A. New York: Norton, 2012. Print.

Juliancentre.org. (2017). About Julian of Norwich – Available at: http://juliancentre.org/about/about-julian-of-norwich.html [Accessed 19 Sep. 2017].

Medieval-life-and-times.info. (2017). Julian of Norwich – Available at: http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-women/julian-of-norwich.htm [Accessed 19 Sep. 2017].

Pathguy.com. (2017). Introducing “A Book of Showings” by Julian of Norwich – Available at: http://www.pathguy.com/julian.htm

TheFreeDictionary.com. (2017). mediation – Available at: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mediation