History and Development of Poetry from Chaucer to the present time:

The Sixteenth century poets: Chaucer, Wyatt and Surrey, Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser

Introduction:

The period between medieval times and Chaucer is very important from the point of view of English language as well as literature. During this time English was slowly evolving out of the usage of different languages; Norman French and Anglo-Saxon English. The final outcome was a compound language .English was broken up into different dialects such as Northern English, Midland English and Southern English. It was that when Chaucer started writing, he chose Midland English as his medium of writing. We thus have Chaucer as our first of English poets, followed by Wyatt, Surrey, Sidney and Spenser. We also will be able to see their characteristic way of writing and their famous poetic works. Literary historians and critics feel that Chaucer is the father of English Literature.

Geoffrey Chaucer (1349-1400) was the greatest poet of the English literature of the 14th Century, born during the rule of Edward III, lived through the rule of Richard II. His life thus covers a period of social and political changes. It was also a period of English idea of a perfect life where everything around was perfect and a standard for imitation. Geoffrey Chaucer is by common consent the greatest English Medieval author. His popularity is timeless .He was different from his fellow poets in the sense he used rhyme.  There were a lot of English writings before English established itself strongly. Anglo-Saxon chronicles (record of events in order of occurrence) had many colorful passages in them which are of interest because of their story line. French and Latin verse chronicles were more popular.     

Chaucer began his poetic career by translating the popular French poem ‘Roman de la Rose’. This gave him the flexibility to use octosyllabic couplet, a language unit of eight syllables, usually a complete line of verse but occasionally just a word. He is also well versed in the art of story telling using allegory (narrative, using symbolic and abstract meaning) and psychology. The first of the poet’s gift is to feel, the second is to express. Chaucer possesses both of these gifts in equal measure. The point which the later poets note in him is not only his power of story telling, his tragedy, his humor, or his character drawing but also his language. Lydgate called him’’ The noble poet of Britain”

Chaucer is often hailed as ‘the morning star’ of English poetry .English did not enjoy a good status when compared with that of French and Italian poetry of the fourteenth century. Chaucer was inspired by the French and wrote in a language which was very intense. This English was the midland Dialect (form of speech special to particular region) of England which became fixed as literary language of England because of its vast artistic possibilities. He did not follow the earlier style of English versification which lacked the natural grace and music of English speech. This Midland dialect of English became the cultural language to correspond with the social and political developments of his country.

        

Chaucer also chose for his English poetry, subjects from common life around him and also characters from popular tales of his times .He did not take subjects from court life but chose those characters which were common such as carpenter, miller and prior who did not appeal to the fashionable audience of the court. His characters bring to life the ideals (the idea of what is supposed to be perfect) of his own age .His narrative poem the prologue to Canterbury Tales represents the cross section of English society. Here we have representatives from the clergy, the merchant and the warrior classes. Chaucer’s characters are types as well as individuals (we see them as imaginary characters but are also able to see them as people we can identify with in real life).Chaucer grew up among the last generations in England that used French as an official language. He has enriched English with borrowed words from any language that has come in his way.

It was from Italy that Renaissance came to England. Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-42) let the renaissance into the English verse (poetry). He was a diplomat and was sent on many important missions to Italy and France. He brought from Italy  new poetic patterns popularized by Dante and Petrarch, the Italian poets. He introduced sonnets into English language. Sonnet is a poem of 14 lines He is called the father of English sonnets. He has written 32 sonnets which deal with Petrarchan love themes and are full of lyric grace and passion. Wyatt began the task of enlarging the scope (range) of English poetry. It was continued by his contemporary (the poet of his own time) Henry Howard, the Earl of Surrey. With Wyatt he was the co-founder of the English sonnet.

   

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517-47) is not such a prolific (producing large amounts of literary output) writer as Wyatt but his work is more varied in character. He wrote sonnets, lyrics, elegies, translations from the classics and other small poems in different measures. Though he uses sonnets he uses them in more natural style than Wyatt. In Surrey’s poems we find a love of nature which we do not easily find in Wyatt’s poems. His most important contribution to poetry apart from introduction of blank verse (unrhymed verse) and pastoral elegy (song of sorrow in a rural background) is the manner in which he has harmonized the measures introduced by Wyatt. The poetic effect of Wyatt and Surrey was felt only after their famous collection called ‘Tottel’s miscellany’ was brought out by a printer Richard Tottel in June 1557.This collection marks the beginning of modern English poetry. Renaissance attitudes influenced the literature of the Elizabethan period. Elizabeth came to the throne at a time when England was poor economically. She became a legend and won the hearts of the people. She encouraged art and Literature. The characteristic features of Elizabethan poetry are passion and an eye for beauty. Two poets who represent the best of Early Elizabethan poetry are Edmund Spenser (1552-1597) and his friend and patron Sir Philip Sidney. Sir Philip Sidney came from an aristocratic class and symbolized its values-taste, courtesy and culture. His poems are simple and delicate. His poems, sonnets do not contain any profound thoughts. Sometimes the poet’s expression is exaggerated but the emotion in it is genuine. He used sonnet as a medium to express his love. Sidney uses in his sonnets many expressions, metaphors, antitheses and much verbal elaboration. The structure is very compact. It is also noted for its note of simplicity. The poet’s passion is genuine but its expression is often exaggerated. Edmund Spenser symbolizes the beauty of renaissance. His period is filled with new learning of renaissance period. His poems are musical and filled with pictorial (words capable of evoking picture in the mind) quality. Spenser’s poems influenced other poems of the Elizabethan period. He influenced the poetry of Keats, Tennyson and W.B. Yeats .They followed his pictorial language. By now Elizabethan inspiration was declining. The subject matter of love was getting exhausted. There was a huge tendency to imitate the poets of their own age.  In such circumstances a new kind of poetry made its mark in a period when James ruled England after the death of Elizabeth.

Summary: Chaucer is considered the greatest poet of the 14th century. His appeal is not restricted only to the 14th century .His literary creations still retain their freshness as his characters are ordinary people from common life.  He used rhyming style in his poems. He made English language rich by adding new words that came his way. He popularized English language and made it the cultural language of England .He brought flexibility and conversational ease into his English poetry. Chaucer is praised as the morning star of English poetry. Sir Thomas Wyatt brought new verse techniques into English poetry from his travels abroad to Italy. He introduced sonnet, the 14 line poem into English language. He is called the father of English sonnets. Henry Howard the Earl of Surrey is the co-founder of sonnets with Thomas Wyatt. Their famous literary collection is brought out in the collection called Tottel’s Miscellany. The Elizabethan period was influenced by the attitudes of the Renaissance period. The two famous poets of the Elizabethan period are Edmund Spenser and his patron Sir Philip Sidney. Philip’s poems are simple and delicate without any deep thoughts in them .He uses sonnets to express his genuine feelings of love which seems exaggerated on the surface .Edmund Spenser brings out the beauty of Renaissance in his poems .His language is capable of creating images in our mind. His poems are full of music. His poems have influenced other poets of his time. So he deserves to be called a poet’s poet .Spenser was different from other poets in his treatment of love .He was greatly influenced by Chaucer and deserves to be called as the greatest poet next to Chaucer.