Essays in this volume argue that it is time for a powerful reassessment
of John Lydgate's poetic projects. The pre-eminent poet of his own
century, Lydgate (c. 1370-1449) addressed the historical challenges of
war with France, of looming civil war, and of new theological forces in
the vernacular. He wrote for household, parish, city, monastery, Church,
and state. Although an official poet of sorts--perhaps the first major
official poet in the English poetic tradition--he was not by any means a
merely celebratory or sycophantic writer. Instead, he drew on his
authority as monk to shape a contestative poetic space, underlining the
grief and treacherousness of power. Despite his exceptional cultural
significance, Lydgate has, for different reasons, been marginalized by
many literary historical movements since the sixteenth century. John
Lydgate is energized by the challenge of an oeuvre so large and so ripe
for reevaluation. Each essay here makes a decisive contribution to an
area of Lydgate's corpus, and opens fresh perspectives for further
investigation.
Contributors write about Lydgate from a variety of critical perspectives
and underscore the poet's diverse writings, which included beast fables,
mummings, hagiographical and devotional poetry, and civic pageants. The
essays also reassess better-known works and themes in the field of
Lydgate studies, including Lydgate's unofficial laureateship, his
relations to his patrons, and his relationship to Chaucer. This book
makes an important contribution to medieval scholarship and it will be
welcomed by scholars and students alike.
