William Langland: 1332 – 1400

 

Detail from Corpus Christi MS 201 f.1r.

     William Langland: 1332 – 1400

·                Son of a poor man.

·                Was born in Malvern, Worcestershire.

·                 Date of death is undefined.

                       He had the reputation of a man who did not bow to his         superiors,  a man "loathe to reverence lords or ladies, or any soul else."

·                Wrote one work in his lifetime

o                The Vision of Piers the Plowman (1377)

·        Begins with Will, looking for Piers to teach him the Ideal Christian life, and falls asleep on Malvern Hill.

·         He has two dreams:

o   First of Piers (Visio)

o   Second, a series of dreams (Vita) called “The Search of Dowell, Dobet, and Dobest.”

·         Social commentary on the social hierarchy in the 14^th Century:

o   Nobility at the top.

o   Clergy in the middle.

o   Common in the lowest class.

·         It’s a dream allegory where human values are personified.

·         Mentions the 7 deadly sins:

o   Greed, lust avarice, sloth, wrath, gluttony, and pride.

·         First published in 1362 of 1800 lines, later revised version published in 1377 of 1500 lines.

·         Langland was an important part of the 15^th Century Alliterative Revival.

·         Its stanzas are called as Passus.

·  

Sources:

•       https://www.luminarium.org/medlit/langlandbio.htm
•   World Literature in Your Fist by Prem Shankar Pandey