{"product_id":"chaucer-richard-west-9798685558602","title":"Chaucer: The Life and Times of the First English Poet","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A genuinely fascinating book, the best kind of popular history' Literary Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis first, and some would say greatest, poet of the English language stands before the gateway of the early modern age.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChaucer lived at a time when the elite languages of former conquerors, French and Latin, were both giving way to English - no longer just the vernacular of the common people, but increasingly the language of the court, the law, and of literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRichard West weaves a fascinating picture of this extraordinary man - spy and poet - whose character has intrigued and puzzled lovers of his comic masterpiece, \"The Canterbury Tales\".\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow did Chaucer remain so apparently cheerful and serene, through one of the cruellest eras of history? As a child he survived the Black Death, later he fought in France during the Hundred Years War, served as a diplomat in Italy, and became an MP at the angry beginnings of the Protestant Reformation, the Peasants' Revolt and the overthrow of Richard II.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow much was Chaucer shaped by the age, and how much did Chaucer shape his era?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis acclaimed biography and history book will appeal to both the general reader and medievalist.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRichard West\u003c\/b\u003e was a celebrated journalist and much admired biographer. He is also the author of 'The Life and Strange Surprising Adventure of Daniel Defoe.'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Richard West\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 8685558603\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798685558602\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/12\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 254\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.56lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.00w x 0.53d\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Richard West","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43943506051327,"sku":"9798685558602","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_dcc272f7-9ee6-45ea-8314-ef7d3c59f272.jpg?v=1681498497","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/chaucer-richard-west-9798685558602","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}