From Literacy to Literature: England, 1300–1400.
- Author / Editor
- Cannon, Christopher.
From Literacy to Literature: England, 1300–1400.
- Published
- Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
- Physical Description
- xv, 297 pp.
- Description
- Examines the textbook practices of the medieval primary schools--the "grammar schools" or "grammatica"--as underlying the transition from Latin to English as the primary language of "literary" composition in England during the fourteenth century. Identifies Gower, Langland, and Chaucer as describing rather than reacting to the shift to English vernacular "literary" work. Explicates diversity in instructional practices during the period and argues that the classroom interplay in poetry between English and Latin led to acceptance of English as a "literary" language, noting the prevalence of Latin textbook passages rendered in English verse as supporting evidence.
- Chaucer Subjects
- Background and General Criticism
Language and Word Studies