Influence of Italian humanism on Chaucer

Contact between Geoffrey Chaucer and the Italian humanists Petrarch or Boccaccio has been proposed by scholars for centuries.^[1] More recent scholarship tends to discount these earlier speculations because of lack of evidence. As Leonard Koff remarks, the story of their meeting is "a 'tydying' worthy of Chaucer himself".^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Petrarch's Arquà house near Padua in 1831 (artist's depiction with a tourist).

Petrarch's Arquà house near Padua where he retired (picture taken 2009).

Chaucer's trips to mainland Europe

The last tale of Boccaccio's Decameron became Petrarch's "De Patientia Griseldis", which later became Chaucer's Clerk's Tale.

There are government records that show Chaucer was absent from England visiting Genoa and Florence from December 1372 until the middle of 1373.^[5][7] He went with Sir James de Provan and John de Mari, eminent merchants hired by the king, and some soldiers and servants.^[7][8] During this Italian business trip for the king to arrange for a settlement of Genoese merchants these scholars say it is likely that sometime in 1373 Chaucer made contact with Petrarch or Boccaccio.^{[5][9][10][11][12][13][14]}

Milan 1368: The wedding of the Duke of Clarence and Violante Visconti

They believe it plausible that Chaucer not only met Petrarch at this wedding but also Boccaccio.^[7][11] This view today, however, is far from universally accepted. William T. Rossiter, in his 2010 book on Chaucer and Petrarch argues that the key evidence supporting a visit to the continent in this year is a warrant permitting Chaucer to pass at Dover, dated 17 July. No destination is given, but even if this does represent a trip to Milan, he would have missed not only the wedding, but also Petrarch, who had returned to Pavia on 3 July.^{[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]}

Canterbury Tales

The Clerk's Tale

The Clerk's Tale – story of "Griselda"

Zenobia in Chaucer's Good Women and The Monk's Tale is taken directly from Boccaccio's De mulieribus claris^[27]

However, this does not mean necessarily that Chaucer himself met Petrarch.^{[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]}

Other works

The Legend of Good Women

Chaucer followed the general plan of Boccaccio's work On Famous Women in The Legend of Good Women.^{[29][35][37][38][39][22][40][41][42][43][44][45]}

Alternative viewpoints

Masterpieces with Canterbury Tales

The Knight's Tale uses Boccaccio's Teseida and the Filostrato is the major source of Troilus and Creseyde.