Geoffrey Chaucer lived through a period of extraordinary upheaval: a protracted war with France, a devastating plague, the peasants' revolt, religious controversy, and the overthrow of the king. This compact and comprehensive volume--a new work in Oxford's Authors in Context series--offers a wide-ranging account of the medieval society from which works such as <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> and <em>Troilus and Criseyde</em> sprang, and shows how these and other works capture that society in fictional form. Peter Brown examines significant aspects of the literary scene, such as patronage, audience, and performance, helping to place Chaucer's practices in their historical framework, and Brown frames Chaucer's treatment of love, paganism, and reality within their intellectual and philosophical contexts. The book also examines the modern reception of Chaucer in film and television adaptations. By placing this great medieval writer's work in the context of his cultural experience, this volume provides the perfect critical companion to Chaucer's life and poetry. The book also includes a chronology of Chaucer's life, suggestions for further reading, websites, illustrations, and a comprehensive index.