William Langland

WILLIAM LANGLAND:

§ His major work is Piers Plowman, an alliterative poem that has a series of dreams.

§ Characters are Long Will and Piers (an alter ego of Long Will)

§ The work speaks on the corruption of Church just like The Canterbury Tales (The Friar- weak and corrupt).

§ Though the poem is allegorical it does not forcibly emphasis on a moral or lead to an ideal solution.

§ There are 3 version of Langland’s Piers Plowman.

§ George Puttenham calls it a satire.