What are the features or characteristics of Chaucer's poetry?

Chaucer, considered the first poet of English literature, brings many changes to the table in regard to English literature. His prose is realistic, simple, clear, and harmonious. He is also humorous, detailed (sometimes too detailed for modern readers) and well researched. His works are both romantic and dramatic.

English prose begins with Chaucer and descriptions of life in Medieval England are prominant. Chivalry, war, and religion are highlighted, applauded, and criticized. In the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer details the socio-political conditions that permeate English life during his lifetime, and though the tales are witty and humorous, they are also starkly real.