Lollards and their Influence in Late Medieval England [Hardcover]

Fiona Somerset (Editor), Jill C. Havens (Editor), Derrick G. Pitard (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2003

Who were the Lollards? What did Lollards believe? What can the manuscript record of Lollard works teach us about the textual dissemination of Lollard beliefs and the audience for Lollard writings? What did Lollards have in common with other reformist or dissident thinkers in late medieval England, and how were their views distinctive? These questions have been fundamental to the modern study of Lollardy (also known as Wycliffism). The essays in this book reveal their broader implications for the study of English literature and history through a series of closely focused studies that demonstrate the wide-ranging influence of Lollard writings and ideas on later medieval English culture. Introductions to previous scholarship, and an extensive Bibliography of printed resources for the study of Wyclif and Wycliffites, provide an entry to scholarship for those new to the field.Contributors: DAVID AERS, MARGARET ASTON, HELEN BARR, MISHTOONI BOSE, LAWRENCE M. CLOPPER, ANDREW COLE, RALPH HANNA III, MAUREEN JURKOWSKI, ANDREW LARSEN, GEOFFREY H. MARTIN, WENDY SCASE, FIONA SOMERSET, EMILY STEINER. FIONA SOMERSET is at Duke University, Durham NC; JILL C. HAVENS is at Texas Christian University; DERRICK G. PITARD is at Slippery Rock University, PA.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Required reading for everyone wishing to learn about or research in the field of Wycliffite and Lollard studies. RICHARD REX, QUEENS' COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE A valuable collection of new essays. MEDIUM AEVUM

About the Author

FIONA SOMERSET is at Duke University, Durham NC; JILL C. HAVENS is at Baylor University, Texas; DERRICK G. PITARD is at Slippery Rock University, PA.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 354 pages
• Publisher: Boydell Press (August 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851159958
• ISBN-13: 978-0851159959
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,802,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Bias Baffles Brains, January 31, 2012

By 

B. Whitestone (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lollards and their Influence in Late Medieval England (Paperback)

Anne Hudson seems greatly concerned in her preface to justify calling John Wycliffe and the Lollards "heretics", and their bible doctrine "heresy". She does this quite subtly, first by defining heresy as "a choice", and then by saying "Heresy, as has long been a truism, is defined by its opponents." Now that she has fudged things somewhat, she feels free to say in the next sentence: "For the heresy which came to be regarded as characteristically English, this is particularly clear". That which she calls heresy is Lollardy, the doctrine of John Wycliffe and his followers. Clearly - rather, not clearly, but from in hiding so to speak - Ms. Hudson does not appreciate what Wycliffe taught and believed.

If you are looking for scholarship, pass this book by. It is a collection of boring, misleading essays. Big words, endless references to ancient records, and lots of footnotes, do not a scholar make.

If you are looking for honest history, forget this book. Try these ones instead:God's Bestseller: William Tyndale, Thomas More, and the Writing of the English Bible---A Story of Martyrdom and Betrayal (where the author discusses how the Roman Catholic Church dug up and burned and cursed the bones of John Wycliffe), or for a later history which touches on issues that concerned Wycliffe, and which demonstrates a far more scholarly approach, primarily through the author being careful to put personal bias aside: Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther [Illustrated]. Both these books are also far more readable.

If, however, you love the Roman Catholic Church, harbour a grudge against John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and such men, and don't mind writing that is somewhat confused, you may enjoy this book.