Reading Order
Piers Plowman Reading Order
Piers Plowman (c. 1370–1390) by William Langland is the other great poem of 14th century Middle English literature alongside Chaucer — a long allegorical dream vision in alliterative verse, surviving in three distinct versions (known as the A, B, and C texts) that Langland apparently revised over the course of twenty years. The poem follows the narrator Will, who falls asleep on Malvern Hills and experiences a series of visions organized around the search for three figures: Dowel (Do Well), Dobet (Do Better), and Dobest (Do Best). The poem's central figure is Piers, a plain plowman who becomes a guide to salvation and is eventually identified with Christ himself. The poem is simultaneously a satire of 14th century English society (the clergy, the nobility, the merchants, and the commons are all found wanting), a theological exploration of salvation and the active life versus the contemplative life, and a deeply personal meditation on how a sinful human being might find grace. Piers Plowman is less polished than Chaucer and considerably harder to read, but it is arguably more ambitious: it attempts to contain a whole society and a complete theology within a single poem and to ask, in plain language, what it actually means to live a good life in a fallen world. The B text (the middle and fullest version) is what most readers encounter.
Where to start
Piers Plowman (c. 1370–1390) — in a modern translation. Best reading order: begin with the B text (the fullest version); A.V.C. Schmidt's parallel-text edition (Longman) is the scholarly standard; E. Talbot Donaldson's translation is clear prose. For non-specialists, Derek Pearsall's annotated B text is the most helpful. Then read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales for the contrast between the two great 14th century English poets.
Complete Piers Plowman Book List
- 1Buy
Piers Plowman (B Text)
William Langland (trans. E. Talbot Donaldson)·1990·The most accessible modern prose translation — Donaldson's rendering is clear and reliable; the best starting point for readers approaching the poem for the first time - 2Buy
The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer·1400·The essential companion to Piers Plowman — Chaucer and Langland are the two great poets of 14th century English, and reading both together reveals the full range of what the period could do: Chaucer's courtly sophistication against Langland's urgent moral seriousness - 3Buy
The Cloud of Unknowing
Anonymous·1375·The great 14th century English mystical treatise — written by an anonymous contemplative in the same period as Piers Plowman, The Cloud addresses the same questions of how to approach God that structure Langland's poem, from the contemplative rather than the active tradition - 4Buy
Revelations of Divine Love
Julian of Norwich·1393·Julian's showings of divine love are the other major 14th century English spiritual text — her optimistic theology ('all shall be well, and all shall be well') is in dialogue with Langland's darker vision of the fallen world's difficulty - 5Buy
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Anonymous·1400·The companion poem in the alliterative revival — both Gawain and Piers Plowman work in the alliterative tradition of Old English verse and together represent the great flowering of 14th century alliterative poetry outside Chaucer - 6Buy
The Vision of Piers Plowman: A Critical Edition of the B Text
William Langland (ed. A.V.C. Schmidt)·1978·The scholarly standard edition — Schmidt's annotated Middle English text with extensive commentary is the most complete critical apparatus for serious students of the poem
Piers Plowman — Frequently Asked Questions
What is Piers Plowman about?
Piers Plowman (c. 1370–1390) by William Langland is a Middle English allegorical dream vision in alliterative verse. The narrator Will falls asleep on the Malvern Hills and experiences a series of visions in which he searches for understanding of how to live a good Christian life. The poem is organized around the search for three figures — Dowel (Do Well), Dobet (Do Better), and Dobest (Do Best) — and around the figure of Piers the Plowman, who appears as a guide to salvation and is eventually identified with Christ. The poem combines biting satire of 14th century English society (the corrupt clergy, greedy merchants, lazy nobles) with profound theological exploration of grace, salvation, and the nature of the active and contemplative lives.
What are the different versions of Piers Plowman?
Piers Plowman survives in three distinct versions that scholars call the A, B, and C texts, which Langland apparently composed and revised over roughly twenty years. The A text (c. 1370) is the shortest, with 11 passus (cantos). The B text (c. 1377) is the longest and most complete, expanding significantly on the A text; this is the version most readers encounter and is generally considered the most artistically achieved. The C text (c. 1385-90) is a revision of the B text that adds autobiographical material but cuts some of the most vivid scenes. Most modern editions present the B text; a parallel-text edition by A.V.C. Schmidt presents all three.
Monthly Newsletter
Never miss a big release
Get the most anticipated upcoming books delivered to your inbox once a month — no spam, no filler.
Monthly only. Unsubscribe anytime.
Book links are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, BookReleaseRadar earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.