Chaucer's Lack of High Seriousness

LACK OF HIGH SERIOUSNESS It has been observed that critics and readers have ever praised, liked and appreciated Chaucer’s grand and magnificent works throughout the ages. But some charges have also been levelled against him on the basis of lack of high seriousness in his poetic work ‘Prologue to the Canterbury Tales’. It was Mathew Arnold who was of the view that Chaucer should not be regarded as a great classic because his poetry lacks in observing high seriousness which is one of the salient features of great classics. However, Dante, Homer and Shakespeare were such classics who possessed high seriousness in their masterpieces. Before proceeding the discussion, it seems to be in the fitness of things to extract an exact and accurate definition of the term ‘High Seriousness’. According to Mathew Arnold, high seriousness means;   “Artistic treatment in a very serious and solemn way”.   Now, let us acquaint ourselves with three ingredients or components of high seriousness. Firstly, mor