Geoffrey Chaucher's The House of Fame begins with a poem during which he speculates on dreams and their causes. Chaucer tells readers that he will inform them about a "wonderful" dream that he had totally and in full. Chaucer implores readers, however, not misjudge the meaning of his dream.
The story begins with the dream of a poet - likely Chaucer himself - in which he wakes up in a temple made completely of glass. In that temple, great works of art adorn the walls - including images of Venus, Vulcan, and Cupid. From those images, the poet determines that he is in the temple of Venus. And that temple, naturally, has other beautiful things within it, like a brass copy of the Aeneid, which Chaucer recounts in great detail.
After recounting the Aeneid, the poet ventures outside in hopes that he can find someone who can tell him where he is. The poet sees a golden eagle, who descends towards him. The poet attempts to escape the eagle but is unable to and is brought up into the sky. The poet promptly faints but is awoken by the eagle calling his name out loud.
The eagle explains to the poet that he exists to reward the poet for his devotion to the gods by sending him to the house of fame. After the eagle explains what the house of fame is to the poet, he is skeptical. The eagle explains more, but the poet stops the eagle after a while, saying that he is "too old."
Eventually, the two arrive at the house of fame, at which point the poet describes what the house looks like. They enter the house, and the poet is intrigued by what he sees. They ultimately leave the house of fame and the poet comes into contact with a man of "great authority," at which point the poem abruptly ends.
