R. M. Wilson - The Lost Literature of Medieval England

ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY EDITIONS: THE MEDIEVAL WORLD

Volume 54

THE LOST LITERATURE OF MEDIEVAL ENGLAND

R. M. WILSON

First published in 1952 by Methuen & Co. Ltd

This edition first published in 2020

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

and by Routledge

52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017

1952 R. M. Wilson

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-0-367-22090-7 (Set)

ISBN: 978-0-429-27322-3 (Set) (ebk)

ISBN: 978-0-367-19668-4 (Volume 54) (hbk)

ISBN: 978-0-429-20387-9 (Volume 54) (ebk)

The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent.

The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and would welcome correspondence from those they have been unable to trace.

R. M. WILSON

METHUEN & CO LTD

II NEW FETTER LANE LONDON EC4

HARPER & ROW PUBLISHERS, INC.

BARNES & NOBLE IMPORT DIVISION

This survey of the lost literature of medieval England is an attempt to provide concrete evidence for the statements often made on the subject. It is hoped that by placing it side by side with the histories of the extant literature a much truer picture of the extent, growth, and development of Old and Middle English literature may be gained. Few of the topics or stories mentioned in the following pages have been dealt with exhaustively this was inevitable if the study were to be kept within reasonable bounds but it is hoped that enough indications are given to allow any interested reader to carry out further investigations for himself.

The title is necessarily more concise than correct. At the best such a study could deal only with the literature which has left some trace, and it is obvious enough that much must have disappeared leaving no indication whatever of its former existence. Moreover, even within these inevitable limits, no claim can be made for comprehensiveness. Such a title should include chapters on Anglo-French and Anglo-Latin, and material is available for these, but nevertheless the two literatures have been intentionally omitted. One or two catalogues of monastic libraries, and some collections of medieval wills, although in print, have not been available to me. Moreover, many medieval wills still remain unpublished, as well as lists of books and perhaps the occasional catalogue of a monastic library. Nevertheless, if we may judge from the numerous documents of this type which have been examined, it is unlikely that those which have not been seen would contain much of interest. On the other hand, it is certain that a closer scrutiny of the medieval Latin and vernacular chronicles would bring to light many other stories which must have been current during the Old and Middle English periods. Here it has seemed wiser to limit the selection to those stories for which the available evidence indicates a fairly wide distribution, rather than PREFACEto attempt an inclusiveness which would in any case be impossible of achievement. The chapter on the lyric is also certainly incomplete, and a wider examination of medieval manuscripts would probably result in the discovery not only of numerous fragments but of some complete poems. Nevertheless it is hoped that, despite such shortcomings, the evidence here presented is enough to justify the conclusions that have been drawn in the final chapter.