Chaucer's Scribes: London Textual Production, 1384-1432

The discovery of Chaucer's scribe in 2004 sparked a paradigm shift in medieval studies, but Lawrence Warner's study challenges the accepted narrative and presents a more nuanced view of scribes and their work in the fifteenth century. Warner's research reveals new information, including hundreds of documents in the hand of one of Chaucer's and Langland's most important scribes, and represents an important intervention in Middle English studies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 244 pages
Publication date: 19 August 2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The discovery of Chaucer's scribe in 2004 marked a significant turning point in medieval studies, and it was a period that was dominated by the influential figure of Adam Pynkhurst. Pynkhurst's dominance in the classroom led to the suggestion that this identification should prompt the abandonment of our understanding of the development of London English and the acceptance that the clerks of the Guildhall were actively promoting vernacular literature as part of a concerted political program. In response to this, Lawrence Warner has undertaken a meticulous research project that challenges the narratives and conclusions of recent scholarship. Warner presents a fresh and more nuanced perspective, one that recognizes the involvement of many more scribes, both anonymous and known, in the production of manuscripts during the fifteenth century. This book represents a significant intervention in the field of Middle English studies, as it brings to light new information, particularly hundreds of documents in the hand of one of the most important fifteenth-century scribes of Chaucer and Langland.

The discovery of Chaucer's scribe in 2004 marked a significant turning point in medieval studies, and it was a period that was dominated by the influential figure of Adam Pynkhurst. Pynkhurst's dominance in the classroom led to the suggestion that this identification should prompt the abandonment of our understanding of the development of London English and the acceptance that the clerks of the Guildhall were actively promoting vernacular literature as part of a concerted political program. In response to this, Lawrence Warner has undertaken a meticulous research project that challenges the narratives and conclusions of recent scholarship. Warner presents a fresh and more nuanced perspective, one that recognizes the involvement of many more scribes, both anonymous and known, in the production of manuscripts during the fifteenth century. This book represents a significant intervention in the field of Middle English studies, as it brings to light new information, particularly hundreds of documents in the hand of one of the most important fifteenth-century scribes of Chaucer and Langland.

The discovery of Chaucer's scribe in 2004 marked a significant turning point in medieval studies, and it was a period that was dominated by the influential figure of Adam Pynkhurst. Pynkhurst's dominance in the classroom led to the suggestion that this identification should prompt the abandonment of our understanding of the development of London English and the acceptance that the clerks of the Guildhall were actively promoting vernacular literature as part of a concerted political program. In response to this, Lawrence Warner has undertaken a meticulous research project that challenges the narratives and conclusions of recent scholarship. Warner presents a fresh and more nuanced perspective, one that recognizes the involvement of many more scribes, both anonymous and known, in the production of manuscripts during the fifteenth century. This book represents a significant intervention in the field of Middle English studies, as it brings to light new information, particularly hundreds of documents in the hand of one of the most important fifteenth-century scribes of Chaucer and Langland.

The discovery of Chaucer's scribe in 2004 marked a significant turning point in medieval studies, and it was a period that was dominated by the influential figure of Adam Pynkhurst. Pynkhurst's dominance in the classroom led to the suggestion that this identification should prompt the abandonment of our understanding of the development of London English and the acceptance that the clerks of the Guildhall were actively promoting vernacular literature as part of a concerted political program. In response to this, Lawrence Warner has undertaken a meticulous research project that challenges the narratives and conclusions of recent scholarship. Warner presents a fresh and more nuanced perspective, one that recognizes the involvement of many more scribes, both anonymous and known, in the production of manuscripts during the fifteenth century. This book represents a significant intervention in the field of Middle English studies, as it brings to light new information, particularly hundreds of documents in the hand of one of the most important fifteenth-century scribes of Chaucer and Langland.

Weight: 352g
Dimension: 151 x 228 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108444996