was probably begun about 1307; it was completed shortly before his death. The work is allegorical narrative, in verse of great precision and dramatic force, of the poet's imaginary journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven In each of the three realms the poet meets with mythological, historical, and contemporary personages. Each character is sy mbolic of a particular fault or virtue, either religious or political; and the punishment or rewards meted out to the characters further illustrate the larger meaning of their actions in the universal scheme Dante is guided through hell and purgatory by Virgil, who is, to Dante, the symbol of reason. The woman Dante loved. Beatrice. whom he regards as both a manifestation and an instrument of the divine will, is his guide through paradise 6. ARISTOTLE(384-322 BC One of the greatest thinkers of all time, an ancient Greek philosopher. His work in the natural and social sciences greatly influenced virtually every area of modern thinking Aristotle was born in 384 BC in Stagira, on the northwest coast of the Aegean Sea. his father was a friend and the physician of the king of Macedonia, and the lad spent most of his boyhood at the court. At 17, he went to Athens to study. He enrolled at the famous Academy directed by the philosopher Plato Aristotle threw himself wholeheartedly into Plato's pursuit of truth and goodness. Plato was soon calling him the "mind of the school. " In later years he renounced some of Plato's theories and went far beyond him in breadth of knowledge After his death, Aristotle's writings were scattered or lost. In the early Middle Ages the only works of his known in Western Europe were parts of his writings on logic. They became the basis of one of the three subjects of the med ieval trivium--logic, grammar, and rhetoric Early in the 13th century other books reached the West. Some came from Constantinople others were brought by the arabs to Spain. Medieval scholars translated them into Latin The best known of Aristotle's writings that have been preserved are Organon'(treatises on logic ) 'Rhetoric,, 'Poetics; 'History of Animals, 'Metaphysics, De Anima(on psychology ): Nicomachean Ethics; 'Politics; and'Constitution of Athens 7. Geoffrey Chaucer Called the Father of the English Language as well as the Morning Star of Song, centuries has retained his status as one of the three or four greatest English poets He was the first to commit to lines of universal and enduring appeal a vivid interest nature, books, and people. As many-sided as Shakespeare, he did for English narrative what Shakespeare did for drama. If he lacks the profundity of Shakespeare, he excels in playfulness of mood and simplicity of expression Though his language often seems quaint, he was essentially modern. Familiarity with the language and with the literature of his contemporaries persuades the most skeptical that he is nearer to the present than many writers born long after he died The Canterbury Tales The Tales is a collection of stories set within a framing story of a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral, the shrine of Saint Thomas a Becket. The poet joins a band of pilgrims, viv idly described in the General Prologue. who assemble at the Tabard Inn outside London for the4 was probably begun about 1307; it was completed shortly before his death. The work is an allegorical narrative, in verse of great precision and dramatic force, of the poet's imaginary journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven. In each of the three realms the poet meets with mythological, historical, and contemporary personages. Each character is symbolic of a particular fault or virtue, either religious or political; and the punishment or rewards meted out to the characters further illustrate the larger meaning of their actions in the universal scheme. Dante is guided through hell and purgatory by Virgil, who is, to Dante, the symbol of reason. The woman Dante loved, Beatrice, whom he regards as both a manifestation and an instrument of the divine will, is his guide through paradise. 6. ARISTOTLE (384-322 BC). One of the greatest thinkers of all time, an ancient Greek philosopher. His work in the natural and social sciences greatly influenced virtually every area of modern thinking. Aristotle was born in 384 BC in Stagira, on the northwest coast of the Aegean Sea. His father was a friend and the physician of the king of Macedonia, and the lad spent most of his boyhood at the court. At 17, he went to Athens to study. He enrolled at the famous Academy directed by the philosopher Plato. Aristotle threw himself wholeheartedly into Plato's pursuit of truth and goodness. Plato was soon calling him the "mind of the school." In later years he renounced some of Plato's theories and went far beyond him in breadth of knowledge After his death, Aristotle's writings were scattered or lost. In the early Middle Ages the only works of his known in Western Europe were parts of his writings on logic. They became the basis of one of the three subjects of the medieval trivium--logic, grammar, and rhetoric. Early in the 13th century other books reached the West. Some came from Constantinople; others were brought by the Arabs to Spain. Medieval scholars translated them into Latin. The best known of Aristotle's writings that have been preserved are 'Organon' (treatises on logic); 'Rhetoric'; 'Poetics'; 'History of Animals'; 'Metaphysics'; 'De Anima' (on psychology); 'Nicomachean Ethics'; 'Politics'; and 'Constitution of Athens'. 7. Geoffrey Chaucer Called the Father of the English Language as well as the Morning Star of Song, Geoffrey Chaucer, after six centuries, has retained his status as one of the three or four greatest English poets. He was the first to commit to lines of universal and enduring appeal a vivid interest in nature, books, and people. As many-sided as Shakespeare, he did for English narrative what Shakespeare did for drama. If he lacks the profundity of Shakespeare, he excels in playfulness of mood and simplicity of expression. Though his language often seems quaint, he was essentially modern. Familiarity with the language and with the literature of his contemporaries persuades the most skeptical that he is nearer to the present than many writers born long after he died. The Canterbury Tales The Tales is a collection of stories set within a framing story of a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral, the shrine of Saint Thomas à Becket. The poet joins a band of pilgrims, vividly described in the General Prologue, who assemble at the Tabard Inn outside London for the