The Claims of Poverty: Literature, Culture, and Ideology in Late Medieval England

Contents

CONTENTS Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 CHAPTER ONE Forms of Need: The Allegorical Representation of Poverty in Piers Plowman 21 CHAPTER TWO Poverty Exposed: The Evangelical and Epistemological Ideal of Pierce the Ploughman’s Crede 89 CHAPTER THREE “Clamerous” Beggars and “Nedi” Knights: Poverty and Wycliffite Reform 139 CHAPTER FOUR The Costs of Sanctity: Margery Kempe and the Franciscan Imaginary 177 CHAPTER FIVE Communal Identities: Performing Poverty, Charity, and Labor in York’s Corpus Christi Theater 221 EPILOGUE Nickel and Dimed: Poverty Polemic Medieval and Modern 275 Notes 296 Works Cited 357 Index 373 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In writing a book on poverty, I have accrued many debts, yet these are a sign of my great fortune in having so many people who have offered help along the way. I owe tremendous thanks to my teachers, whose wisdom and guidance have been nothing short of inspiring. Bruce Holsinger and Beth Robertson first introduced me to the fascinating world of medieval literature. It was Beth in particular who inspired me to become a medievalist, and her thoughtfulness and curiosity as a scholar are qualities that I hope to emulate in my own work. Judith Bennett offered supremely knowledgeable advice about this particular project and academic life more generally. Sarah Beckwith often seemed to recognize dimensions of my work that I had yet fully to grasp, and I am incredibly grateful for her perceptive readings. Sarah’s patience, generosity, and willingness to push me have made this book far richer than it otherwise would have been. My greatest thanks goes to David Aers who supervised this project from its beginning as a dissertation at Duke University and who continued to offer indispensible guidance with amazing efficiency and thoroughness . I am deeply thankful for his friendship along with that of his wife, Christine Derham. Without David’s great knowledge and kindness, this book would not have been possible. And if I can pass on to my students a fraction of what I’ve learned from him, I will consider myself a successful teacher. I’ve also benefitted from the generosity of other scholars and friends. The anonymous readers for the University of Notre Dame press provided invaluable criticism of the manuscript. Barbara Hanrahan shepherded this project through the publication process with great care and attention. I also appreciate Matt Dowd’s meticulous editorial work. Fiona Somerset ix and Maureen Quilligan offered helpful comments in the early stages of this project. Richard Newhauser’s NEH seminar held at Cambridge University in 2006 usefully influenced my thinking about the relationship between poverty and sin. Dorrie Armstrong, Dan Breen, Alex Feerst, Cara Hersh, Katie Little, Jana Mathews, Vin Nardizzi, Julie Paulson, and Amy Vines have all read parts of this book and, more generally, enriched my academic life with their scholarly insights and good humor. I am also grateful to Ashley Mills for her friendship and much-needed diversions in New Orleans. At Lehigh University my work has been supported by the Faculty Research Grant program and the Franz/Class of 1968 Fellowship. In the English department, I have benefited greatly from friendship and intellectual exchange with Beth Dolan, Suzanne Edwards, Dawn Keetley, and Seth Moglen. The participants in the department’s Premodern Studies Colloquium offered lively and thoughtful criticism of my work. I also want to thank Addison and Mary Louise Bross, Alex Doty, Jan Fergus, Monica Najar, Rosemary and Bob Mundhenk, and Kathy Olson for all of their advice and camaraderie. Early versions of material in chapters 3 and 5 appeared as, respectively , “‘The Workman is Worth His Mede’: Poverty, Labor, and Charity in the Sermon of William Taylor,” in The Middle Ages at Work, edited by Kellie Robertson and Michael Uebel, and published by Palgrave Macmillan; and “The Challenges of Social Unity: The Last Judgment Paegant and Guild Relations in York,” in The Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies 37. I am also grateful to the British Library and the Bodleian Library at Oxford University for permission to use their manuscripts. Finally, I would like to thank my family for all that they’ve done for me over the years. My grandparents, Pete and Glory Wilbert, my sister , Ann Crassons, and most especially my parents, Norman and Gloria Crassons, have always offered me their support—emotional, financial, and otherwise. Nothing would be possible without the solid foundation of love they’ve provided. My greatest debt is to my...