Chaucer's contribution to British poetry

This comprehensive guide offers a structured breakdown of Geoffrey Chaucer’s foundational contributions to British poetry, grounded in The Routledge History of Literature in English. It covers his pivotal role as the "Father of English Poetry" who elevated the native language over French and Latin, his work in establishing the London East Midlands dialect as the basis for standard written English, and his introduction of revolutionary verse forms such as the heroic couplet and the rhyme-royal stanza. Additionally, it details his integration of European influences from Dante and Boccaccio, as well as his mastery of social realism, narrative irony, and multi-genre storytelling in The Canterbury Tales.