Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales, is best known
for writing his works in vernacular English, rather than French
or Latin, the languages used for most literary writing in the
1300s. Book lovers across the English-speaking world have
Chaucer to thank for the widespread availability of all manner
of literature in our native English. Here’s a few things you
might not know about Chaucer: 1) Chaucer had at least nine other
major works besides the Canterbury Tales, and wrote a number of
short poems as well. 2) There’s a crater on the far side of the
moon named for Chaucer. 3) Chaucer had a part-time government
job collecting scrap metal for reuse and also worked as a
diplomat. 4) He was a POW during the Hundred Years’ War,
captured by France and later released after ransom was paid. 5)
Though Chaucer died in 1400, more than 600 years ago, he has
more than 2,100 fans on Facebook. Chaucer’s most famous work,
the Canterbury Tales, is a fictional collection of stories told
by pilgrims traveling to the Sh