The Serpent of Division: Edited, with Introduction, Notes and a Glossary (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

John Lydgate

9780666368812: The Serpent of Division: Edited, with Introduction, Notes and a Glossary (Classic Reprint)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0666368813 ISBN 13: 9780666368812

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

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Explore one of the earliest English political pamphlets, told through Caesar’s life and the dangers of civil strife.

This edition presents The Serpent of Division with a scholarly introduction, notes, and a glossary to help modern readers understand a 15th‑century work that shaped English political writing. The tract is framed by its origin in a period of royal succession and crisis, offering insight into how medieval editors turned history into a moral tale.

The introduction explains how the monk John Lydgate drew on a range of sources to present Julius Caesar in English for the first time, and how the work fits into a broader tradition of political writing in medieval England. It also discusses the tract’s strengths and its distinctive prose style, including moments of uneven structure alongside clear meaning.

Readers will encounter careful transcription, commentary on textual variants, and a discussion of why the Serpent of Division remained influential through later centuries. The edition clarifies manuscript evidence and the boundaries between history, moral instruction, and literary form.

Context: why this early English tract appeared during a time of political anxiety.
Editorial notes: how sources were used and where the text diverges from others.
Style and structure: the prose rhythm and its modern readability, with historical commentary.
Glossary and abbreviations: help with difficult terms and place names.

Ideal for readers of medieval prose, literary history, and early political writing, as well as students studying the development of English historiography.

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