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Piers the Ploughman
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Piers the Ploughman Paperback - 1959

by William Langland; J. F. Goodridge (Translator); Introduction by J. F. Goodridge


Summary

Piers the Ploughman, a blending of prophecy and satirical comedy, is the great representative English poem of the late Middle Ages.

The work of an obscure fourteenth-century cleric, Piers the Ploughman is concerned with the largest of all poetic themes, the meaning of man's life in relation to his ultimate destiny. This spiritual allegory is set against a colorful background of teeming medieval life between the 'Tower of Truth' and the 'Dungeon of Falsehood'. With an Introduction, Notes and a book-by-book Commentary on the allegory, J.F. Goodridge's modern translation of the poem captures the flavour of Langland's vivid pictures and vernacular expressions.

From the publisher

Nothing is known for certain about the life of William Langland, an obscure fourteenth-century cleric, but a tentative outline can be made from the supposedly autobiographical elements in the manuscrips of his poem. Born in about 1332 at Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire, the son of a small Oxfordshire landholder, he was probably educated at the monastery of Great Malvern; he trained to be a priest but due to the death of his patrons he only took Minor Orders and was unable to advance in the Church. He wandered a good deal in England and was clearly familiar with London; he also lived for some while in a cottage on Cornhill with his wife Kit and his daughter Colette, making a meagre living by singing the Office of the Dead for wealthy patrons. Langland lived an unvonventional life, constantly writing verse, and was thought by some to be crazed. Tall and thin, he was nicknamed 'Long Will'. He died at the end of the century.

First line

THE STORY. Langland dreams that the Lady Holy Church comes to explain his vision.

Details

  • Title Piers the Ploughman
  • Author William Langland; J. F. Goodridge (Translator); Introduction by J. F. Goodridge
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition First edition &
  • Pages 320
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Group, New York, New York, U.S.A.
  • Date June 30, 1959
  • ISBN 9780140440874 / 0140440879
  • Weight 0.58 lbs (0.26 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.7 x 5.32 x 0.8 in (19.56 x 13.51 x 2.03 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Library of Congress subjects Christian poetry, English (Middle)
  • Dewey Decimal Code 821.1

About the author

Born in about 1332 in Shropshire, the son of a small Oxfordshire landholder, William Langland trained to be a priest but due to the death of his patrons he only took Minor Orders and was unable to advance in the Church. He wandered a good deal in England and lived an unconventional life, constantly writing verse. He died at the end of the century.
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Piers the Ploughman (Penguin Classics)

by William Langland

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Piers the Ploughman
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Piers the Ploughman

by William Langland; J.F. Goodridge [Translator]

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Piers the Ploughman
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Piers the Ploughman

by William Langland; J.F. Goodridge [Translator]

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Piers the Ploughman
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Piers the Ploughman

by William Langland

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Piers the Ploughman

Piers the Ploughman

by William Langland

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Piers the Ploughman
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Piers the Ploughman

by William Langland

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Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140440874 / 0140440879
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Piers the Ploughman
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Piers the Ploughman

by William Langland

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140440874 / 0140440879
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Piers the Ploughman

Piers the Ploughman

by William Langland

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140440874 / 0140440879
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Piers the Ploughman (Penguin Classics)
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Piers the Ploughman (Penguin Classics)

by William Langland; Translator-J. F. Goodridge; Introduction-J. F. Goodridge

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  • Paperback
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Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140440874 / 0140440879
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