Letter 97b

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 97b
Recipient	E.H. Connor
Date	23 February 1945
Subject(s)	Chaucer

Letter 97b is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded edition.

Summary

Tolkien states that Geoffrey Chaucer was a gifted narrative poet, but had a limited command of Latin and no talent for prose, as demonstrated by his translation of Boethius. Even Chaucer's vanity would not have been enough to make him think himself up to the task of translating the Bible. Chaucer was one of many, including King Alfred and Queen Elizabeth, who "tried their hands on old Boece" but would not have attempted Scripture.