Abstract
Abstract Invoking James J. Murphy’s reminder that we can still learn from people of the past, this article examines Thomas Hoccleve’s 1420 poem “My Compleinte” as an example of medieval “disability rhetorics,” or how disabled people themselves speak about disability and being disabled. In this poem, Hoccleve adapts the genre of the speculum principis (mirror for princes), which guides readers toward moral action, to depict his past mental breakdown and subsequent social alienation in order to exhort his former friends to amend their attitudes toward him. While disability as a concept and an identity proves anachronistic in relation to the Middle Ages, Hoccleve’s poem presents a vital case study in ethos construction driven by disability, reflecting some of the same rhetorical concerns facing disabled rhetors today despite the passage of time.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
