How many sonnets did Chaucer write?
2007-09-11 19:19:53 · 4 answers · asked by Luis C 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Trivia
http://faculty.goucher.edu/eng211/chaucer.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonnets
2007-09-11 19:54:32 · answer #1 · answered by Em 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As the sonnet was only introduced into English in the 16th century - more than 150 years after Chaucer's death.
Further, a sonnet is a fairly strictly defined format.
It seems probable that Chaucer wrote no sonnets.
2007-09-12 09:27:47 · answer #2 · answered by Beardo 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
All I can find out for sure is that there are 22 verse tales in "The Canterbury Tales," for which Chaucer is known; but I can't find out how many sonnets are in each of the verse tales. My source does say that there are 18,000 lines in "The Canterbury Tales."
Chaucer's other major work was "Troilus and Criseyde," a work of 8,000 lines written a couple of years or so before Canterbury Tales. Chaucer also wrote a piece called "The Knight's Tale," but I don't know how many lines are in that.
A sonnet has 14 lines, so if my calculator will behave (I'm mathphobic and faulty even with calculators...) Troilus and his love and their 8,000 line poem plus The Canterbury Tales at 18,000 lines equals a touch above 1,856 sonnets; we'd better say 1,857.
Chaucer wrote at least 1,857 sonnets in his most known works. Whew!
2007-09-12 04:36:52 · answer #3 · answered by LK 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
as many as he wanted to I guess ;-)
2007-09-12 03:35:55 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋