Anonymous, The Owl and the Nightingale

Graeme Davis (University of Buckingham)

Ed. by Jamie McKinstry, University of Durham
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1190 - c. 1280

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poem

Resources

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Recommended Reading

The Owl and the Nightingale

(sometimes

Hule and Nightingale

) is one of the most extensively studied poems in English, yet there is almost no consensus among critics on key questions. The date has been disputed, the place of composition is not precisely defined, and while authorship is possibly by Nicholas of Guildford, little or nothing is known about him. While critics have described it as a debate poem or as an allegory, both categories are problematic and should probably be rejected. Where critics do agree is that the poem displays a high level of technical skill, is comic, and in its details it provides a glimpse of the world of late mediaeval England. At 1,794 lines, it is a substantial text in Middle English.

The poem is found in two extant manuscripts:

The poem is found in two extant…

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2561 words

Citation: Davis, Graeme. "The Owl and the Nightingale". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 November 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38867, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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