William Langland’s poem Piers Plowman treats several important aspects of late fourteenth-century life: ideological conflict, social upheaval, and the changing role of religious thought. Vividly encapsulating the great debates of the day, it acts as a commentary on such historically significant events and ideas as the Peasants’ Revolt (1381) and medieval allegory. Its engagement with religion and politics aside, Piers Plowman stands as one of the greatest poems of the English Middle Ages, earning a place next to works by Dante and Chaucer. For this new and fully updated edition, Langland scholar Derek Pearsall has completely revised the C-text (part of an A-B-C textual chronology), adding helpful side-glosses for the student reader, revising and updating the explanatory notes, appending an up-to-date introduction and retaining the full glossary.
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Derek Pearsall is professor emeritus at Harvard University. He has published widely on Langland and Chaucer, among other authors.
“For the first time it is possible to see the C-text purged of scribal ineptitudes and arguably as Langland's maturest work ... The effect, at times, is that of the bright colours of a Renaissance painting emerging from under the dirt, varnish and academic pieties of generations.” –English
(English)“...Pearsall gives a great deal of aid with the social and political context of Piers, ranging from straightforward explanation of personal allusions or glosses on the detail of fourteenth-century ecclesiastical organization to fruitful comment on the largest questions about Langland's society.” –English Language Notes
(English Language Notes)“...a fine edition which will make the C Version more accessible and comprehensible, and, I hope, more widely read.” –Review of English Studies
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