Chaucer’s Parliament of Fowls; The Influence of the Courtly and Bourgeois Traditions

Abstract

Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400) is considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages. Being a member of the English and French royal courts, as well as being a keen observer of human nature, he gave us extraordinary works of art depicting the life and character of the courtiers and commoners alike. In the Parliament of Fowls, which is the focus of this study, he merged two French literary traditions; namely the courtly and the bourgeois. The aim of this paper is to examine this influence through the poem and point at the main themes and character depictions in it.