Title: Lay piety and religious discipline in Middle English literature
First published: 2008
Description: "In late-fourteenth-century England, the persistent question of how to live the best life preoccupied many pious Christians. One answer was provided by a new genre of prose guides that adapted professional religious rules and routines for lay audiences. These texts engaged with many of the same cultural questions as poets like Langland and Chaucer; however, they have not received the critical attention they deserve until now. Nicole Rice analyses how the idea of religious discipline was translated into varied literary forms in an atmosphere of religious change and controversy. By considering the themes of spiritual discipline, religious identity, and orthodoxy in Langland and Chaucer, the study also brings fresh perspectives to bear on Piers Plowman and The Canterbury Tales. This new juxtaposition of spiritual guidance and poetry will form an important contribution to our understanding of both authors and of late medieval religious practice and thought."--Jacket.
Subjects: History and criticism, English prose literature, Religion and literature, Christianity, Spiritual life, English poetry, History of doctrines, History, Religious thought, Spiritual life in literature, English prose literature, history and criticism, English poetry, history and criticism, middle english, 1100-1500, Spiritual life, christianity, Spiritual life, history of doctrines
Places: England
Time periods: Middle English, 1100-1500, Middle Ages, 600-1500, To 1500
LC classification: PR275.R4 R53 2008