艺海秦声
就像他家族中其他几代人都在皇室服役一样，乔叟是一个职业的朝臣。在13世纪60年代，他参与了百年战争期间的和平谈判。他的职责使他来到欧洲许多大城市，包括佛罗伦萨。在那里，他发现了作者博卡乔的故事，博卡乔用意大利语，而不是拉丁语，写的是绅士的语言。
乔叟喜欢这个想法，并开始写“坎特伯雷故事”，从中世纪英国社会不同阶层、从贵族到工蜂的不同角度讲述的土故事。人物们正在坎特伯雷向圣托马斯神殿朝圣。他们各自的故事反映了他们在生活中的地位——骑士、牧师、办事员等等，无论好坏。
在乔叟的时代，阅读通常是在社交环境中进行的一项集体活动。一个演说家会大声朗读给观众听，就像一组人坐下来看电影一样。
人们相信乔叟曾希望用英语写坎特伯雷故事有助于它成为一种高雅的语言。从1397年4月他读这本书的那一刻起，英语的使用开始增长。朝臣在与国王交流时开始使用它。在法律体系中，英语也比诺曼法语更受欢迎。
英法交战的事实也使天平稍微倾斜了一点。法兰西国王命令那些在他国家有地产的英国贵族，把这条船驶过英吉利海峡，返回法国，或者没收他们在那里的财产。任何一个选择留在英国的贵族在那之后自然会认为自己是英国人。
当亨利四世于1399年登上英国王位时，英语已经变得非常普遍，以至于当他成为第一个用自己的人民语言宣誓加冕的国王时，没有人注意到。
杰弗里·乔叟，一年后的1400年10月25日，他去世了，这对他国家的方言的变化负有部分责任。他的葬礼标志着英国最著名的作家在威斯敏斯特教堂安息的传统。乔叟是第一个被埋葬在现在被称为“诗人的角落”的人。
百度钱包丶
历史上的今天:02月22日Today's Highlight in History:Twenty years ago, on February 22nd, 1980, the United States Olympic hockey team upset the Soviets at Lake Placid, New York, 4-to-3. (The US team went on to win the gold medal.)On this date:In 1732, the first president of the United States, George Washington, was born at his parents' plantation in the Virginia Colony.In 1819, Spain ceded Florida to the United States.In 1865, Tennessee adopted a new constitution abolishing slavery.In 1879, Frank Winfield Woolworth opened a five-cent store in Utica, New York.In 1889, President Cleveland signed a bill to admit the Dakotas, Montana and Washington state to the Union.In 1892, "Lady Windermere's Fan," by Oscar Wilde, was first performed, at London's St. James's Theater.In 1924, Calvin Coolidge delivered the first presidential radio broadcast from the White House.In 1934, the romantic comedy "It Happened One Night," starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, opened at New York's Radio City Music Hall.In 1973, the United States and Communist China agreed to establish liaison offices.In 1987, pop artist Andy Warhol died at a New York City hospital at age 58.Ten years ago: Former President Reagan's videotaped testimony for the trial of former national security adviser John Poindexter was released in Washington; in his deposition, Reagan said he never had "any inkling" his aides were secretly arming the Nicaraguan Contras.Five years ago: France accused four American diplomats and a fifth US citizen of spying, and asked them to leave the country. Security forces in Algiers crushed a prison uprising by Islamic extremists, resulting in 96 deaths by official count.One year ago: Levi Strauss, falling victim to a fashion generation gap, announced it was closing eleven plants.
