Sentenced to hard labor: Vernacular transformations in the late fourteenth century

摘要: “This project re-characterizes the development of vernacular readership in late fourteenth century England. It offers a fresh heuristic for recognizing works that ostensibly limit their potential audiences through use recondite, Latinate, and otherwise hermetic discourses while, at same time, making labored interpretation performed by those readers center its textual purpose. focuses on two poems, William Langland's 'Piers Plowman' John Gower's 'Confessio Amantis,' as examples texts are neither open nor easy--on contrary, they deliberately difficult. Through them it examines relationship between difficulty, laborious reading, readerly transformation context medieval devotional culture. Each chapter pairs one aspect text with an external, Latinate discourse order to explore ways which author adapts re-calibrates purposes establishing new form reading. . Turning Gower, third discusses presentation alchemy poem idealized interpretive labor is simultaneously offered model reading rejected physical practice. The final problem producing accurate effective language confessional 'Confessio.' transmuted contributes 'hermeneutic narrative,' or path generate work way texts. dissertation shows historical importance these poems lies commitment construction this hermeneutic narrative, while critical usefulness ability highlight similar questions other contemporary