"This is the story of England's birth. A great story, beautifully told." (Bernard Cornwell, author of The Pale Horseman)Alfred was England's first kin, and his rule spanned troubled times. As his shores sat under constant threat from Viking marauders, his life was similarly imperiled by conspiracies in his own court. He was an extraordinary character - a soldier, scholar, and statesman like no other in English history - and out of adversity he forged a new kind of nation. Justin Pollard's enthralling account strips back centuries of myth to reveal the individual behind the legend. He offers a radical new interpretation of what inspired Alfred to create England and how it how it has colored the nation's history to the present day.

    His creative style and use of language served as one of the primary foundations on which later writers built. Through his writing, Chaucer's wit, charm, and eloquence give us a deeper understanding of not only the time in which he lived, but of how human emotion, fraility, and fortitude are the base elements of human existence. There are 14 lectures on 7 tapes with a manual included which are:Lecture 1- Chaucer's Life, times, and importanceLecture 2- Language, style, and literary backgroundLecture 3- The Book of the Duchess, the Romance of the Rose, and the Minor PoemsLecture 4- The House of Fame, Anelida and Arcite, The Parliament of Fowls, and BeothiusLecture 5- Troilus and Criseyde, Books I-IILecture 6- Troilus and Criseyde, Books III-VLecture 7 The Legend of Good WomenLecture 8- The Canterbury Tales : "The General Prologue"Lecture 9- The Canterbury Tales: "The Knights Tale" "The Miller's Tale" "The Reeve's Tale" and "The Cook's Tale"Lecture 10- The Canterbury Tales: "The Tales of Law's Tale" "The Wife of Bath's Tale" "The Friar's Tale" and "The Summoner's TaleLecture 11- The Canterbury Tales: "The Clerks Tale" "The Merchant's Tale" "The Squire's Tale" and "The Franklin's Tale"Lecture 12- The Canterbury Tales: "The Physician's Tale" "The Pardoner's Tale" "The Shipman's Tale" and "The Prioress's Tale"Lecture 13- The Canterbury Tales: "Sir Thopas" The Tale of Melibee" "The Monk's Tale" "The Nun's Priest's Tale" and "The Second Nun's Tale"Lecture 14- The Canterbury Tales: "The Canon's Yeoman's Tale" "TheManciple's Tale" The Retraction" and Our conclusions

    It shaped culture and ideas, social and economic behaviour, and the organization of landscape and settlement. This book traces how the widespread foundation of monastic sites ('minsters') during c.670 - 730 gave the recently pagan English new ways of living, of exploiting their resources, and of absorbing European culture, as well as opening new spiritual and intellectual horizons.