11/12/2023
Statue of Geoffrey Chaucer, dressed as a Canterbury pilgrim, on the Christmas-clad corner of Best Lane and the High Street, Canterbury.
Geoffrey Chaucer (c 1340s - 1400) was poet, author, civil servant, courtier, diplomat, a member of parliament, philosopher, astronomer and French POW in the 100 Years War.
He is known as the "father of English literature" and he was the first writer to be buried in Poets' Corner, at Westminster Abbey.
No surprises there, given his literary significance and innovative writing style (eg the accentual-syllabic metre and five stress lines, his 'rhyme royal', realism in character and language, blending b***y humour with serious topics).
We're also not surprised that there's a crater on the far side of the moon named after him, and despite dying more than 620 years ago, he has a solid Facebook fan base.
📷 Tanya Firth https://britainsbestguides.org/guides/tanya-firth/
