The Idea of the Vernacular: An Anthology of Middle English Literary Theory, 1250-1520 ed. by Jocelyn Wogan-Browne (review)

Abstract

148arthuriana jocELYN woGAN-BROWNE et al., The Idea ofthe Vernacular: An Anthology ofMiddle English Literary Theory, 1250—1520. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999. isbn: 0-271-01758-9. $24.95. The social position of English underwent both rapid change and great scrutiny in the later Middle Ages. English was the subject of legislation—from the statute of 1362 mandating that pleas be made in English, to the Oxford Constitutions of 1407, which prohibited (among other things) the making or unlicensed possession ofEnglish Bibles since the time ofJohn Wyclif. The language was also achieving renewed status as a literary medium, most notably with the work ofChaucer (who wrote in Flnglish rather than Latin or French), Gower (who wrote in English as well as Latin and French), and the numerous religious writers whose diverse works are now treated under the general rubric of vernacular theology. Yet for all this activity, we have no sustained treatise from the period on the theory ofwriting in English, and certainly nothing comparable in scope to Dante's De vulgari eloquentia. The Idea ofthe Vernacular seeks to frame and address the question ofwhat exactly Middle English writers thought they were doing. Drawing on recent work on medieval literary theory, the editors are appropriately cautious. Thus, while dedicated to the proposition that 'there is such a thing as Middle English literary theory and that it needs to be taken seriously as a specific field' (xvi), they also acknowledge that 'the sustained analysis oftexts and language found in Latin theoretical discussions and in vernacular texts from the sixteenth century is rare' (315). Middle English literary theory is at once distinctly pragmatic and, as the editors put it, 'heavily situated' (316). Not only do discussions ofEnglish reading and writing occur in a wide array of specific contexts, it also seems that such discussions tend to remain tethered to those contexts. Perhaps because Middle English writers recognize the diversity ofvernacular reading occasions, practices, and goals, they rarely venture to make universal claims. The evidence for such an argument must—and I believe it does—ultimately lie in the anthology itself. There may be no grand theoty of the vernacular in medieval England. But after reading the fifty-seven prose and verse extracts collected in this anthology, one is convinced that Middle English writers were searching for and developing models to conceptualize the nature, authority, and likely effect of their work. Since most ofthe passages are from prologues, there are predictable patterns and thus useful points of comparison. But equally important is the sense of heterogeneity, which makes one aware ofjust how experimental the notion ofEnglish writing was. In this sense, perhaps it is fortunate that there was no grand theory to obscure what individual Middle English writers were actually trying to do with their medium. This anthology clearly has many strengths. One is that it provides easy access to materials otherwise available only in manuscripts, dissertations, or antiquated editions from the Early English Text Society. And the editor for each selection offers basic information and a useful discussion of recent scholarship, thus providing a partial update of Severs and Hartung's Manual ofMiddle English. For these reasons alone, the volume will be a useful resource for scholars and may spur further scholarship REVIEWS149 and new critical editions. Another strength is its organization. The main part ofthe text presents selections under one of three headings, each with its own brief introduction: 'Authorizing the Text and Writer,' 'Addressing and Positioning the Audience,' and 'Models and Images ofthe Reading Process.' But following several useful essays—including Nicholas Watson's excellent survey, 'The Politics of Middle English Writing'—an appendix provides alternate organizational schemes: by date, by genre, by region, by profession or background of the author or translator, by circulation (manuscript or print), by source language (for translations and adaptations). One can quibble with some of these categories, and much of this information is frankly conjectural. Nevertheless, the editors do successfully challenge readers to reconfigure, and thus reconsider, the texts. A useful glossary as well as a lengthy and up-to-date bibliography round out the volume. T he Idea will not satisfy everyone. Some, for example, will take issue with the...