"Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote"

Any scholar who goes in depth about Chaucer has to be a good one. Why is that, you might well wonder? Because Chaucer is the poet to turn to when Shakespeare gets too easy. Also, because he's one of the Bard's inspirations. The biggest problem with Chaucer, though, is that his English is 200 years older than Shakespeare's. Because of this difference, Chaucer's spelling, vocabulary, and diction are all much more foreign than even Shakespeare's can be. 

But the rewards of reading Chaucer are sweet indeed. Especially if you're drawn to simply the sound of language. Middle English, unlike the Norman French that heavily influenced it, doesn't have silent letters, so reading it isn't tough to pick up. Though, you still need to learn some different vowel sounds to be able to fully appreciate his works.

Along for the ride in chapter three is how dreams relate to poetry and vice versa. Reading it makes me wonder what Hollander has to say about Blake's "The Angel," though.