John Lydgate, Troy Book

Caitlin Brenner (University of Texas at Austin)
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John Lydgate’s

Troy Book

[1412-1420] is an expansive look at the story of ancient Troy from its founding through its fall at the hand of the Greeks. In 30,117 lines of ten-syllable heroic couplets, Lydgate weaves together and translates disparate sources to tell one of the most comprehensive versions of the story. He expands on his various sources, adding rich detail and considering the moral situations that his characters find themselves in, situations that would have resonated with Lydgate’s fifteenth-century audience. The

Troy Book

survives in 23 manuscripts, attesting to the work’s popularity during its own time and during the early modern period.

Historical Context

Historical Context

Born in Lydgate (or Lidgate) in Suffolk, John Lydgate (c. 1370-c. 1451) spent much of life as monk

3070 words

Citation: Brenner, Caitlin. "Troy Book". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 May 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8477, accessed 13 December 2024.]

8477 Troy Book 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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