Languages of Power in the Age of Richard II

Richard II's reign was wracked by problems of a social, political, religious and military nature and events such as the Merciless Parliament of 1387-8 which witnessed opposition to his rule, meant that Richard faced an underlying crisis in the prestige of the English crown. Lynn Staley believes that this was 'a moment when kingship lacked a defining rhetoric' as both Richard and the writers of the time sought to control the situation and find language to express it. By consulting the writers of the time, most notably Chaucer, Staley explores how they recorded such events, offered advice and searched for a new language of power. Rather than reading literature through history, she offers 'a way of "reading" history through its refractions in literature'.

Table of Contents:
Contents Preface and Acknowledgments 1. The Hawk on the Wrist and the Fool in the Chimney Corner 2. Inheritances and Translations 3. Princely Powers 4. French Georgics and English Ripostes Epilogue Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Lynn Staley is Harrington and Shirley Drake Professor in the Humanities at Colgate University. She has published three previous books with Penn State Press: The Powers of the Holy: Religion, Politics, and Gender in Late Medieval English Literature (with David Aers, 1996), Margery Kempe's Dissenting Fictions (1994), and The Shepheardes Calendar: An Introduction (1990). She also is the editor and translator of the Norton Critical Edition of The Book of Margery Kempe (2001).

Review :
"In Languages of Power in the Age of Richard II, Lynn Staley investigates various Middle English 'attempts to articulate the concept of princely power' during the twenty-three years of the reign of Richard II.... Staley's arguments are expansive and complex, [offering] fascinating insights.... I want to single out for attention Staley's exploration of French texts: late medieval Anglo-French literary exchanges have tended to play second fiddle to Anglo-Italian contacts in recent years. Languages of Power reminds us once again of medieval England's 'French connection,' but in an expansive (and non-courtly) sense that adds to earlier scholarship on Chaucer and his French sources. I therefore recommend the book enthusiastically." - Robert Barrett, The Medieval Review "In recent years so much has been written about the works of Chaucer and his contemporaries that it is hard for anyone to say anything that is new. But Staley has managed it. In this richly textured and wide-ranging work she tells us much about writers' attempts to articulate the concept of princely power." - Nigel Saul, Royal Holloway, University of London "Lynn Staley's new book is informed by an impressive command of Middle English culture and is chockablock with new insights. Few scholars could offer such a rich confrontation of literature and history for this important and distinctive period." - Ralph Hanna, Keble College, Oxford"