My litel suffisaunce : humility and its compatriots in Middle English literature

Abstract

Tropes of humility are as ubiquitous in the literature of Medieval Europe as they are understudied in the modern academic literature. While many individual examples are dealt with frequently, a comprehensive investigation of them in the vernacular of Later Medieval England does not yet exist. This study aims to provide that.

Tropes of humility in this period are varied and polyphonic, a single, clear assertion of their function is impossible. Nor are clear categories easily drawn, as the formal varieties and rhetorical styles of these tropes blend smoothly into each other. Instead of attempting to provide either of these things, this study provides a broad survey of functions which these tropes served. In particular, this study is concerned with the ways authors used tropes of humility to engage with, navigate, and express notions of authority, authorship, and power.

Broadly speaking, tropes of humility served as a flexible and powerful tool throughout the Later Middle Ages for dealing with the complex power structures authors found themselves in. Though they took repetitive forms, these forms should not be seen as a lack of though or creativity. Instead, they should be understood as medieval authors themselves understood them: As set texts to be modified and deployed thoughtfully and creatively, to achieve one’s particular ends in specific circumstances.