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Reviewed by:
  • John Gower: Poems on Contemporary Events: The Visio Anglie (1381) and Cronica tripertita (1400) ed. by David R. Carlson and trans. by A.G. Rigg
  • Misty Schieberle (bio)
David R. Carlson , editor, and A.G. Rigg , translator. John Gower: Poems on Contemporary Events: The Visio Anglie (1381) and Cronica tripertita (1400). Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies. viii, 420. $150.00

In this new edition and translation of the Visio Anglie and Cronica tripertita, David R. Carlson and A.G. Rigg have made an invaluable contribution to studies of John Gower’s profound engagement with the most important social and political upheavals of his era. As Carlson argues in the introduction, these poems represent Gower’s foray into writing contemporary history, and he proposes that they may have circulated individually before Gower appended them to the Vox Clamantis. As Book 1 and the conclusion to the Vox, respectively, they transform the treatise on morality into a deeply satirical piece. The Visio depicts the peasants’ uprising of 1381 and its aftermath; the poem is both an ostensible first-hand account and an apocalyptic vision in which the peasants are allegorized as monstrous beasts that threaten the state. The Cronica, written after the Lancastrian usurpation, addresses the events that led up to Richard II’s deposition; throughout, Gower harshly criticizes the king as devious, unjust, and bent on the nation’s ruin, while depicting Henry IV as the state’s salvation. Together these two ‘verse-essays’ underscore how Gower uses poetry to critique historical events.

Because the volume’s focus is on Gower’s contemporary response to events, Carlson has newly re-edited the poems from the earliest extant manuscripts (the previous edition by G.C. Macaulay used the latest manuscripts). Carlson’s annotations provide variant manuscript readings, and his exhaustive explanatory notes are a veritable treasure trove for scholars. He presents valuable commentary on Gower’s borrowings and adaptations from both classical literature and historical accounts, with direct quotations of relevant source material; he clarifies grammatically difficult Latin passages, with commentary on metre, style, and poetics; and he explains Gower’s complex allegories, rich puns, and original passages, including identifying minor misrepresentations of events that likely point to Gower’s unique interests. The appendix provides an edition and translation of the Latin ‘Jack Straw’ verses, which offer contemporary views on the uprising of 1381 and make a useful companion to the Visio. In addition to a general index, Carlson also provides indices of quotations and their sources and thorough bibliographical references.

Rigg’s verse translations aim for a balance of accuracy and readability, but they also deliver a text that is aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable to read. The Visio’s unrhymed elegiac couplets are translated into blank verse, and the rhymed Leonine hexameters of the Cronica are presented in rhyming couplets. The resulting poetry brings Gower’s vivid scenes to life with energy and grace. Rigg’s translations allow the reader to [End Page 604] experience the power of Gower’s horror and despair at the attacks on the nobility by beastly peasants, and the sincerity of his righteous compulsion to inform readers about the many ways Richard twisted the law to avenge himself upon enemies. Purists may quibble with what Rigg refers to as ‘occasional archaisms employed to facilitate the rhythm,’ but Rigg’s poetry is fluid and stirring, and the facing-page format allows the reader easy reference to the Latin original.

In short, this masterful volume makes Gower’s often dense and complex Latin poems accessible to modern readers. Its audience is primarily scholars in the field, but the notes and translation make the works accessible to a wider audience. Poems on Contemporary Events will become an essential reference not only for Gower scholars but also for anyone interested in late fourteenth-century English history.

Misty Schieberle

Department of English, University of Kansas

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