Abstract
AbstractThis chapter examines the poetry of Thomas Hoccleve. His poetic output ranges from advice-to-princes, to ars moriendi, Chaucerian ‘love’ poetry, proto-autobiography, and political verses. It is marked by an interest in formal experimentation. His longest work, the Regiment of Princes, is an advice-to-princes text for the future Henry V. His late work, the Series, witnesses his explorations in a proto-autobiographical mode, as well as his longest work of vernacular spirituality (‘Learn to Die’). This chapter explores the range of his corpus, and indicates how the writer fashions his Hoccleve persona, at times, into a devotional image for use by the spiritually inclined reader. It also explores Hoccleve’s relationship to heresy and orthodox reform during this period, including his poems on heretics like Sir John Oldcastle and John Badby.
Publisher
Oxford University PressOxford