British Library MS Harley 2253: A New Reading of the Passion Lyrics in Their Manuscript Context

Abstract

A two-part composite codex, British Library MS Harley 2253 includes French devotional works transcribed in the late thirteenth century and a variety of French, English, and Latin works copied ca. 1340 by a single scribe living in the West Midlands. The later portion of the manuscript, which contains a large selection of Middle English lyric poetry, has been the subject of intense scrutiny. Critical interest has recently focused on the interconnectedness of the poems, both with each other and with other works of various genres. The ordering and juxtaposition of the works is generally seen as evidence of the fourteenth-century scribe’s careful planning of the anthology. The argument that page layout was intentionally exploited by this scribe in order to enhance the meaning of the various works is increasingly accepted as valid. A heretofore unexplored aspect of scribal planning is his intentional incorporation of parchment imperfections that serve to illustrate, or highlight, a central theme of the collection.