Geoffrey Chaucer is usually acknowledged as the father, if not saviour, of English literature. He rescued the language from the French, and from the formula-writing of the Church and Court; he brought his people and places alive. Generations of university students continue to discover with relief that there's sex and swearing in The Canterbury Tales, but less known is another of Chaucer's poems, The Parliament of Fowls. It has been called "the finest occasional poem in the English language," and through it Chaucer may be able to claim another paternity: that of Valentine's Day. ... FULL STORY »
