Late-Medieval Prison Writing and the Politics of Autobiography [Hardcover]

Boethius'Consolation of Philosophyhas long been taken as one of the seminal works of the Middle Ages, yet despite the study of many aspects of theConsolation's influence, the legacy of the figure of the writer in prison has not been explored. A group of late-medieval authors, Thomas Usk, James I of Scotland, Charles d'Orl?ans, George Ashby, William Thorpe, Richard Wyche, and Sir Thomas Malory, demonstrate the ways in which the imprisoned writer is presented, both within and outside the Boethian tradition. The presentation of an imprisoned autobiographical identity in each of these authors' texts, and the political motives behind such self-presentation are examined in this study, which also questions whether the texts should be considered to from a genre of early autobiographical prison literature.

Introduction
1. Thomas Usk and 'The Testament of Love'
2. James I and 'The Kingis Quair'
3. Charles d'Orl?ans and his 'English Book of Love'
4. The 'Testimony' of William Thorpe and the 'Trial' of Richard Wyche
5. George Ashby and 'A Prisoners Reflections'
Epilogue
Appendix
Bibliography

This book's rhetorical approacheffectively established a genre, which it opens to a new kind of inquiry. --Speculum