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The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 cover

The complete works of John Gower, volume 2

Chapter 2: PREFATORY NOTE
By John Gower
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British LiteratureClassics of LiteraturePoetry

About This Book

The volume collects English verse centered on a long moralized narrative in which a penitent lover confesses to a master of love and receives narrated exempla drawn from classical, biblical, and popular traditions; these tales are organized into successive books that explore moral vices and virtues within an octosyllabic couplet framework, alternating story-telling with reflective commentary. The edition reproduces the Middle English text from authoritative manuscripts and is accompanied by an introduction, textual notes, glossaries, and critical apparatus that document sources, variants, and editorial decisions.

Oxford
PRINTED AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
BY HORACE HART, M.A.
PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY

PREFATORY NOTE

The circumstances under which this edition was undertaken have already been stated in the Preface to the volume containing the French Works, where mention is also made of the editor’s obligations to many librarians and private owners of manuscripts.

At present it need only be said that the editor has become more and more convinced, as his work went on, of the value and authentic character of the text given by the Fairfax MS. of the Confessio Amantis, which as proceeding directly from the author, though not written by his hand, may claim the highest rank as an authority for his language.

It is hoped that the list of errata, the result chiefly of a revision made during the formation of the Glossary, may be taken to indicate not so much the carelessness of the editor, as his desire to be absolutely accurate in the reproduction of this interesting text.

The analysis of the Confessio Amantis which is printed in the Introduction, was undertaken chiefly at the suggestion of Dr. Furnivall. With reference to this it may be observed that in places where the author is following well-known sources, the summaries are intentionally briefer, and in the case of some of the Biblical stories a reference to the original has been thought sufficient.

Oxford, 1901.