Geoffrey Chaucer in Context

Geoffrey Chaucer is widely acknowledged as the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages. His texts are studied extensively but, in order to be fully appreciated, they demand a nuanced understanding of the medieval period. This volume provides freshly illuminated access to Chaucer's writing through an unrivalled repertoire of contextual information and perspectives designed to enhance the independence and critical capacities of his modern readers. The featured essays are written not only by distinguished literary scholars but also by leading international historians. Geoffrey Chaucer in Context is an essential reference tool for anyone studying Chaucer and will help readers to identify his different voices and engage with the complexity and colour of his times with new awareness.

'This is a breathtaking collection of essays in terms of scope and content, and one not easy to review in so few words … For anyone teaching Chaucer for the first time, at any level, this collection will be an indispensable resource. Even those who have taught Chaucer before have much to gain from it.' A. L. Kaufman, Choice, '… many chapters are insightful and, especially, potentially quite useful for classroom teaching … Each piece contains a wealth of riches, and every Chaucerian will surely find something new to enjoy here, with the volume's myriad offerings allowing, as it were, diverse folk diversely to read.' Leah Schwebel, Studies in the Age of Chaucer

Ian Johnson is Reader in English at the University of St Andrews. He is co-editor of The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism: Volume II, The Middle Ages (Cambridge, 2005) and author of The Middle English Life of Christ: Academic Discourse, Translation, and Vernacular Theology (2013).