Voice of the Hammer: The Meaning of Work in Middle English Literature

(2)
Voice of the Hammer: The Meaning of Work in Middle English Literature image
ISBN-10:

0268034982

ISBN-13:

9780268034986

Edition: First Edition
Released: Nov 15, 2006
Format: Paperback, 224 pages

Description:

Shaped by the increasing commercialization of economic relations, the social agitation of the agricultural and artisan classes, and the growing formalization of status consciousness, the cultural landscape of late medieval England was fertile territory for the representation of work. In The Voice of the Hammer, Nicola Masciandaro examines the Middle English lexicon, accounts of the history of work, and the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer to reveal that late medieval society understood work as a distinct and problematical field of experience, and that concerns over the relation of work to life were as pressing then as now.   "This book deals with questions that historians of late medieval labour scarcely dare to ask―what is the meaning of the words werk, swink, and craft? How did people in the fourteenth century conceptualize and value work? Much superficial speculation about whether people regarded work as punishing or virtuous can be set aside, as Nicola Masciandaro has applied his formidable learning to supply a nuanced and authoritative analysis of the thinking of such writers as Chaucer and Gower. Anyone enquiring into late medieval attitudes to labour must now take account of this important book."―Christopher Dyer, University of Leicester   "In The Voice of the Hammer, Nicola Masciandaro engagingly presents a large issue with elegance and capaciousness. His subtle and significant readings of all of the works he addresses support the ingenious topics and important ideas he has highlighted in the broad field of late medieval ideas of labor, at once so central to the concerns of later Middle English poetry and so widely disseminated in the culture from which that arose."―Andrew Galloway, Cornell University   "Nicola Masciandaro shows us a contested and complex Middle English set of attitudes towards work, incorporating ideas about nature, humanity's place in the world, and the relation of the present to a simpler past. He gives an intriguing account of the multiple meanings of work in English and shows that texts often regarded as denunciations of workers or of technical progress are more interesting statements about the ambiguity of humanity's control over the world and subjugation to its laws. The result is an important and perceptive contribution to the history of medieval social thought."―Paul Freedman, Chester D. Tripp Professor of History, Yale University

Best prices to buy, sell, or rent ISBN 9780268034986




Frequently Asked Questions about Voice of the Hammer: The Meaning of Work in Middle English Literature

You can buy the Voice of the Hammer: The Meaning of Work in Middle English Literature book at one of 20+ online bookstores with BookScouter, the website that helps find the best deal across the web. Currently, the best offer comes from and is $ for the .

The price for the book starts from $11.85 on Amazon and is available from 17 sellers at the moment.

At BookScouter, the prices for the book start at $6.25. Feel free to explore the offers for the book in used or new condition from various booksellers, aggregated on our website.

If you’re interested in selling back the Voice of the Hammer: The Meaning of Work in Middle English Literature book, you can always look up BookScouter for the best deal. BookScouter checks 30+ buyback vendors with a single search and gives you actual information on buyback pricing instantly.

As for the Voice of the Hammer: The Meaning of Work in Middle English Literature book, the best buyback offer comes from and is $ for the book in good condition.

The Voice of the Hammer: The Meaning of Work in Middle English Literature book is in very low demand now as the rank for the book is 1,986,740 at the moment. A rank of 1,000,000 means the last copy sold approximately a month ago.

Not enough insights yet.