The England of Piers Plowman: William Langland and His Vision of the Fourteenth Century

Author / Editor
Du Boulay, F. R. H.

Title
The England of Piers Plowman: William Langland and His Vision of the Fourteenth Century

Published
Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1991.

Physical Description
vii, 147 pp.; map, 10 bl. & w. illus.

Description
Introduction to Piers Plowman as a lively mirror of fourteenth-century English society, directed to a nonspecialist audience. Includes a synopsis, derives Langland's biography from the poem, and reads it in light of contemporary social and religious institutions, ethics and ideals, trends and practices. Du Boulay assesses the poem's notions of truth, virtuous action, and eschatology.
Throughout, the historical context of the poem is a major concern. Comparisons with Chaucer's works occur occasionally.

Chaucer Subjects
Background and General Criticism.