Robert Mannyng, Handlyng Synne

Ryan Perry (University of Kent at Canterbury)
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Surviving in nine manuscripts as an excerpt, fragment or complete text,

Handlyng Synne

is an English vernacular adaptation in verse of the Anglo-Norman work

Manuel des Pechiez

(or

Manuel des Péchés

) a text probably composed, also in verse, in the 1270s in the Lincolnshire area. The traditional attribution of the Anglo-Norman text to the name William Wadington has been rejected by recent critics and it is now thought that the

Manuel

might be connected to the initiatives of the reforming Bishop of Lincoln Robert Grosseteste, although he was certainly not the author. Over fifty percent larger than its source text at 12,600 lines in length,

Handlyng Synne

emulates the basic structure of the

Manuel

and through the use of tales, commentary, diatribe and anecdote relates to the Ten…

1564 words

Citation: Perry, Ryan. "Handlyng Synne". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 January 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16875, accessed 19 March 2024.]

16875 Handlyng Synne 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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