Piers Plowman and the poor
Book Description
This scholarly exploration reveals how medieval society understood poverty through the lens of one of England's most significant spiritual poems. Anne M. Scott examines the complex relationship between material hardship and moral responsibility in fourteenth-century culture, using William Langland's "Piers Plowman" as a window into the era's deepest ethical concerns.
Rather than dismissing earthly suffering in favor of purely spiritual comfort, Scott demonstrates how Langland recognized poverty as a genuine social challenge requiring both compassionate response and systemic understanding. The author weaves together historical research on medieval poor relief with careful literary analysis, showing how the poem reflects and responds to the urgent social questions of its time.
Through detailed examination of the text, Scott reveals Langland's sophisticated perspective on the moral dilemmas facing both wealthy and impoverished members of society. The work challenges previous interpretations by highlighting how the medieval poet viewed society's treatment of its most vulnerable members as the ultimate measure of its ethical character.
This study offers modern readers insight into how spiritual literature can address social justice concerns without losing its transcendent vision. By contextualizing the poem within actual historical conditions and relief practices, Scott illuminates timeless questions about compassion, responsibility, and the relationship between material and spiritual well-being that continue to resonate with contemporary seekers exploring the intersection of faith and social action.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~7 hours)
📄 Length: 263 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Political and social views
- ✓ Explore Poverty
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects
- ✓ Explore Poor
- ✓ Explore History of doctrines
- ✓ Explore Christianity
- ✓ Explore Poor in literature
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects of Poverty
