Arnold praises Chaucer’s geniality and narrative skill but finds his work lacking in moral seriousness.
Chaucer who was much influenced by French and Italian poetry.
Arnold says that Chaucer‟s poetic importance is a result of the real estimate and not the historic estimate.
The superiority of Chaucer‟s verse lies both in his subject matter and his style.
He writes about human life and nature as he sees it.
Arnold speaks highly of Chaucer‟s diction and calls it „liquid diction‟ to emphasise the fluidity in the manner of Chaucer‟s writing which he considers to be an irresistible virtue.
Arnold however says that Chaucer is not a classic.
He compares Chaucer to Dante and points out that Chaucer lacks the high seriousness of the classics thereby depriving him of the high honour
