Scholarly research into his legacy did not start until the late 18th century

One of the most interesting facts about Geoffrey Chaucer is that scholarly research into his legacy did not start until the late 18th century. Although Chaucer's works had long been admired, substantial scholarly work on his legacy did not begin until the late 18th century, with the publication of The Canterbury Tales by Thomas Tyrwhitt, and it did not become an established academic topic until the 19th century.

Scholars like Frederick James Furnivall, who formed the Chaucer Society in 1868, were instrumental in establishing diplomatic editions of Chaucer's key texts, as well as thorough analyses of Chaucer's language and prosody. With his edition, published by Oxford University Press, Walter William Skeat, who, like Furnivall, was closely associated with the Oxford English Dictionary, established the basic text of all of Chaucer's works. Later editions, including critical commentary and bibliographies, were published by John H. Fisher and Larry D. Benson.

With the textual concerns substantially addressed, if not resolved, the focus shifted to Chaucer's themes, structure, and audience. The Chaucer Review was created in 1966 and has remained the preeminent publication of Chaucer studies ever since. Harold Bloom, a literary critic, named Geoffrey Chaucer one of the greatest Western writers of all time in 1994.