Maintenance, Meed, and Marriage in Medieval English Literature

An exploration of the struggle for authors and other contemporary observers to describe and critique marriage through discussions of the developing notion of an impartial legal profession. Maintenance, Meed, and Marriage in Medieval English Literature deftly interrogates the relationship between lord and man in medieval England. Employing the study of medieval analogies this book is the first to explore how the relationship between lords and retainers was depicted in literature by Chaucer, Gower, Langland, and Lydgate. Kennedy uses close readings and medieval letter collections to provide a documentary look at how lords and men communicated information about their relationships and reveals surprising information about both medieval law and society--Résumé de l'éditeur Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introducing Medieval Maintenance....Pages 1-13 Maintaining a Family....Pages 15-30 Attaining Women....Pages 31-59 Retaining Men....Pages 61-87 Maintaining Justice....Pages 89-120 Back Matter....Pages 121-185