Product Description

This is a new translation into contemporary English of one of the greatest poems of the English Middle Ages. Piers Plowman remains of enduring interest for its vivid picture of the whole life of medieval society, for its deeply imaginative religious vision, and for its passionate concern to see justice and truth prevail in our world. A. V. C. Schmidt's translation of the B-text is provided with an Introduction and extensive Notes which place the work in its contemporary setting and offer a full interpretative commentary on the poem.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #112971 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 404 pages

Dr. Anita O'Connell, University of Sunderland.
"Excellent tanslation, excellent notes."

Review
Excellent tanslation, excellent notes. (Dr. Anita O'Connell, University of Sunderland. )

Customer Reviews

Piers the Plowman: Comedy Classic
This is a translation of the medieval poem 'Piers Plowman', by William Langland; though a clerk by day at night Langland worked on his masterpiece of comic farce with a view to eventually rivalling Chaucer as the King of Farce in literary England. He succeeds admirably, and this is brought out in Schmidt's rollicking rendition (as announced in the introduction, this is a work "to be read aloud") which really enhances the comedy of such lines as "Thou'rt too slow, my simple donkey/ I would thou were become a monkey!", where the off-rhyme only adds to our appreciation of this comic genius.

Schmidt should be applauded for his daring in tackling such a popular poem, and choosing to enhance the readability of such an old text with his ear for modern english: I would recommend this book to anyone interested in bar brawls, loose women and simple good fun (though not always clean!). Another classic from the Master.