Late-Medieval Prison Writing and the Politics of Autobiography

by Joanna Summers

Overview

Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy has long been taken as one of the seminal works of the Middle Ages, yet despite the study of many aspects of the Consolation's influence, the legacy of the figure of the writer in prison has not been explored. A group of late-medieval authors, Thomas Usk, James I of Scotland, Charles d'Orl?ans, George Ashby, William Thorpe, Richard Wyche, and Sir Thomas Malory, demonstrate the ways in which the imprisoned writer is presented, both within and outside the Boethian tradition. The presentation of an imprisoned autobiographical identity in each of these authors' texts, and the political motives behind such self-presentation are examined in this study, which also questions whether the texts should be considered to from a genre of early autobiographical prison literature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191515095
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	07/01/2004
Series:	Oxford English Monographs
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	401 KB

About the Author

Formerly of University College, and Harris Manchester College, Oxford

Table of Contents

Introduction1. Thomas Usk and 'The Testament of Love'2. James I and 'The Kingis Quair'3. Charles d'Orléans and his 'English Book of Love'4. The 'Testimony' of William Thorpe and the 'Trial' of Richard Wyche5. George Ashby and 'A Prisoners Reflections'EpilogueAppendixBibliography

Editorial Reviews

"This book's rhetorical approacheffectively established a genre, which it opens to a new kind of inquiry."—Speculum

From the Publisher