The Manuscripts of Piers Plowman

by Benson, C. David; Blanchfield, Lynne S.

• ISBN13: 9780859915014
• ISBN10: 0859915018
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-01-01
• Publisher: Ds Brewer

Summary

The B-version of Piers Plowman, probably the only version authorised by Langland, is the one most frequently read today, and the most influential form of the poem. This catalogue of the 18 extant manuscripts, now located in Cambridge, London,Oxford, Tokyo, and San Marino, California, offers both individual manuscript descriptions and a record of the annotations. The new and detailed codicological descriptions include information on provenance and ownership; a full list of the contents; and a description of the physical make-up and the presentation of each manuscript. The substantial first full account of the various textual annotations in each manuscript (whether produced by the original scribes or later readers) provides the best record available of how Piers Plowman was understood by its earliest audience.Professor C. DAVID BENSON teaches in the English Department at the University of Connecticut; Dr LYNNE BLANCHFIELDis Associate Lecturer at the Open University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Preface	1	(2)
Works Cited	3	(6)
1. Introduction The Annotations to the Manuscripts of the B-version of Piers Plowman	19	(9)
C. David Benson
The Interchangeability of the Original Annotations	1	(11)
Passus Headings and Other Textual Subdivisions	2	(12)
Paraph Signs	3	(14)
Emphasized Words	3	(17)
Marginal Notes	1	(20)
Original Marginal Notes	3	(21)
Marginal Notes by Later Readers	4	(24)
2. Manuscript Descriptions	88	(28)
Lynne S. Blanchfield
Key to the Manuscript Descriptions	5	(28)
C Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.i.17	8	(33)
G Cambridge, University Library, MS Gg.iv.31	4	(41)
C2 Cambridge, University Library, MS Ll.iv.14	6	(45)
Y Cambridge, Newnham College, MS 4 (Yates-Thompson MS)	6	(51)
W Cambridge, Trinity College, MS B.15.17	4	(57)
Bm London, British Library, MS Additional 10574	4	(61)
M London, British Library, MS Additional 35287	4	(65)
Cot London, British Library, MS Cotton Caligula A.xi, part 2	3	(69)
H London, British Library, MS Harley 3954	6	(72)
Bo Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Bodley 814 (S.C.2683)	5	(78)
L Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Laud Misc. 581	4	(83)
O Oxford, Oriel College, MS 79, part 1	6	(87)
R Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Rawlinson poetry 38 (S.C.15563) and London, British Library, MS Lansdowne 398	6	(93)
F Oxford, Corpus Christi College, MS 201	4	(99)
Ht San Marino, California, Huntington Library, MS HM 114	5	(103)
Hm/Hm2 San Marino, California, Huntington Library, MS HM 128	108	(5)
S Tokyo, private collection, Toshiyuki Takamiya, MS 23	113	(3)
3. Annotations to Manuscripts -- Transcriptions	116	(122)
C. David Benson
A Note on the Transcriptions of the Annotations	116	(2)
C Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.i.17	118	(11)
G Cambridge, University Library, MS Gg.iv.31	129	(8)
C2 Cambridge, University Library, MS Ll.iv.14	137	(13)
Y Cambridge, Newnham College, MS 4 (Yates-Thompson MS)	150	(9)
W Cambridge, Trinity College, MS B.15.17	159	(5)
Bm London, British Library, MS Additional 10574	164	(5)
M London, British Library, MS Additional 35287	169	(15)
Cot London, British Library, MS Cotton Caligula A.xi, part 2	184	(3)
H London, British Library, MS Harley 3954	187	(1)
Bo Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Bodley 814 (S.C.2683)	188	(3)
L Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Laud Misc. 581	191	(7)
O Oxford, Oriel College, MS 79, part 1	198	(5)
R Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Rawlinson poetry 38 (S.C.15563) and London, British Library, MS Lansdowne 398	203	(4)
F Oxford, Corpus Christi College, MS 201	207	(21)
Ht San Marino, California, Huntington Library, MS HM 114	228	(7)
Hm/Hm2 San Marino, California, Huntington Library, MS HM 128	235	(2)
S Tokyo, private collection, Toshiyuki Takamiya, MS 23	237	(1)
4. Table of Manuscript Annotations and Analytical Charts	238	(94)
Table of Manuscript Annotations	240	(74)
Chart 1 First and Last Occurrence of each type of Annotation	314	(1)
Chart 2 Total Occurrences of each type of Annotation (sorted by passus)	315	(4)
Chart 3 Total Occurrences of each type of Annotation (sorted by symbol)	319	(4)
Chart 4 Total Occurrences of Combined Annotations (sorted by grouped symbols)	323	(9)
Appendices	332	(4)
Index	336