Piers Plowman: An Introduction

Preface to the Second Edition

Introduction

   Approaching Piers Plowman

   The poem and its author

   Langland’s immediate poetic context

   ‘Discourse’

   Schematic structure of the poem

1 The First Vision: Prologue and Passus I

   Introduction

   Literary ‘truthe’

   Theological ‘truthe’

   Social ‘truthe’

   Conclusion

2 The First Vision: Passus II-IV

   Introduction

   Personification allegory

   Mede and social ‘truthe’

   Mede and legal ‘truthe’

   Conclusion

3 The Second Vision: Passus V-VII

   Introduction

   Ecclesiastical satire

   Theological themes: the reward of works—a wage or a gift?

   Conclusion—the crisis of justice

4 The Third Vision: Passus VIII-XII

   Introduction

   Structure as determined by psychology

   Style

   Theme

   The inner-dream (XI. 5—402): Fortune, Lewtee,

   Imaginatif

   Conclusion

5 The Fourth Vision: Passus XIII-XIV

   Introduction

   Educational transitions

   Poetic transitions

   Social transitions

  Conclusion

6 The Vision: Passus XV-XVII

   Introduction

   Anima—the whole soul

   Anima and the Church

   Anima and charity

   Conclusion

7 Visions Six, Seven and Eight: Passus XVIII-XX

   Introduction

   The sixth vision: Passus XVIII

   The seventh vision: Passus XIX

   The eighth vision: Passus XX

   Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography