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|b It is not easy, perhaps, to trace in the course of English literature such fundamental and apparently sudden change that took place in the period between 1343 and 1440. This period witnessed the birth of a giant in English literature who gave English literature its distinctive character and uniqueness. This giant is the great poet Geoffrey Chaucer who is often called the father of English poetry. In precedent arenas, English which was used from 1100 to about 1500 is called Middle English. As we should expect, the language had changed a great deal in the seven hundred years since the time of Beowulf, and it is much easier for contemporary readers to read Chaucer rather than other poetic texts in Old English. The importance of Chaucer in English literature stems from his originality and innovation. At his hands, English language has encountered a radical transition from the vernacular language into a universal one and ventures into its role with other languages in enriching the world human heritage. Chaucer is really one of the most literary highest statures in English literature who, with his unique genius, could Frenchify the vernacular language of his own time enough to make it English. In fact, he Europeanized English by bringing it into the current of culture, and by setting it to foreign tunes and mixing it with foreign terms (Chesterton, 81). Chaucer's poetry falls into three rather clearly marked periods; the first is that of the French influence, when, through writing in English, he was inspired by the rich French poetry of the period, which was produced partly in France, partly in England. His genius was nourished by French imagination. The most important fruit of this influence was The Book of Duchess. This study outlines an analogy of the French and Arabic influence, a field of study that has for long been kept untapped by scholars. Chaucer's second period, that of the Italian influence, dates from his first visit to Italy in 1372, where at Padua he might have met the affluent Italian poet Petrarch and where the Italian life and literature had aroused his intense enthusiasm (Tila, 1975: 3). The last period of Chaucer's poetic career extending from 1384 to 1390, is known as the English period or Chaucer's originality. Up till now he had merely followed old tradition, but in this period, he broke the shackles of the past. The greatest work of this period, The Canterbury Tales, which marks the dawn of a new era, and entitles Chaucer to the claim of being called the "father of English poetry" or "father of the English narrative" (ibid, 4). To enter the world of Chaucer in comprehensive understanding, one must go on a historical tour armed with critical views of many notable researchers to trace the first impact that triggered his creative powers and crystallized his own literary experience, pushing his talent to reach its peak. This study tries to sketch out the first fountains that Chaucer had drunk from. These fountains were the Arabic spring, and the other one was the French.
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