Geoffrey Chaucer, The House of Fame

Nathanial B. Smith (Central Michigan University)

Ed. by Kate Ash-Irisarri, University of Edinburgh
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1370

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

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Recommended Reading

Likely the second of four poems Geoffrey Chaucer composed in the form of a dream,

The House of Fame

has delighted readers with its experimental, funny, but ultimately oblique reflections on the art of poetry. Divided into three books, it recounts the dream journey of a narrator pointedly named “Geffrey” (729) as he travels in search of stories (“tydynges”) to use in his poetry. Chaucer’s most bookish poem raises questions about the “truth” of history, the value of poetry, the accuracy of interpretation, and the vicissitudes of fame and textual transmission without offering any clear answers.

Genre, History, and Manuscripts

The House of Fame, a philosophical dream vision, borrows, and bends, conventions from an array of medieval literary

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3992 words

Citation: Smith, Nathanial B.. "The House of Fame". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 February 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=520, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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