num_pages: 320
description: Older covers associated with this ISBN may be found here and here and here. Will the poet sets out to roam the world in search of marvels. Lying down to rest, he falls asleep and so begins a wondrous cycle of dreams in which he makes a strange and visionary pilgrimage in search of truth. On his travels he sees the Seven Deadly Sins mending their ways, encounters the spirit of the Soul, comes to the borders of Hell and witnesses the assaults of the Antichrist. At the heart of Will's dreams is the figure of Piers - Christ's ploughman, who alone can lead the way to Salvation. Blending highly imaginative symbolism, Christian prophecy and humour, William Langland's fourteenth-century poem is a beautiful allegory of man's life on earth in relation to his ultimate spiritual destiny.J.F. Goodridge's modern English prose translation is accompanied by an introduction, in which he discusses what is known of the life of William Langland, his use of allegory, and the structure and poetry of Piers the Ploughman. This edition also includes appendices and notes.
language: English
title: Piers the Ploughman
titlecomplete: Piers the Ploughman
characters: Piers the Ploughman, William
genres: Fiction, Religion, Poetry, British Literature, English Literature, 14th Century, Literature, Classics, Medieval, Christianity
ratings_count: 2958
publisher: Penguin Classics