The Community of the Realm: Gower's Account of the Commons in Book V of the "Vox Clamantis."
- Author/Editor
- Meindl, Robert J.
- Title
- The Community of the Realm: Gower's Account of the Commons in Book V of the "Vox Clamantis."
- Published
- Meindl, Robert J. "The Community of the Realm: Gower's Account of the Commons in Book V of the 'Vox Clamantis,." Accessus 6 (2020): n.p.
- Review
- Meindl begins by asserting that Gower in Book V of the VC reconfigures the estates of fourteenth-century English society to include clergy, commons, and governing class. He presents a clear outline of these groups early in the essay as a helpful guide for the reader, before demonstrating the changes Gower makes in the commons, starting with Gower's definition of "milites" to include the gentry rather than just knights, following suit with each category. He asserts that Gower's critique of romantic love in respect to "milites" has everything to do with the gentry's inability to produce male heirs. Meindl closely analyzes passages from Book V to demonstrate Gower's critiques of each part of the commons. When Gower moves his critique to merchants, Meindl assures us the "urbs" to which he refers is indeed London, and further points out that this location is most appropriate for Gower's critique, given its content--usurious dealings, profiting at the expense of others' losses, ruinous loans, etc. In Meindl's view, Gower also addresses the agricultural crisis in this section. As Gower closes Book V, he reveals an awareness of "the danger of renewing ancient political quarrels," which Gower assuages through his reminder that "salvation, not terrestrial power and prosperity, is the goal of human existence, which, when conducted in the spirit of Christian love, can transpire in the spirit of peace most conducive to the achievement of that goal." [JGS. Copyright. The John Gower Society. eJGN 39.2]
- Date
- 2020
- Gower Subjects
- Vox Clamantis