10. Andrew S. Galloway, English
Andrew Galloway
The Penn Commentary on Piers Plowman, Volume I (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006). This work inaugurates the first full commentary on the medieval poem Piers Plowman since the late nineteenth century. Known as one of the most important works of the Middle Ages, the extended allegorical poem—with its three authorial versions of extreme complexity—has cried out for a comprehensive, modern annotation. Placing the allegorical dream vision of Piers Plowman within the literary, historical, social, and intellectual contexts of late medieval England, experts assess the work’s long history of critical interpretation and offer original materials and insights. Galloway’s initial volume covers the poem’s first vision (from the Prologue through Passus IV) in all three versions, accepting the C text as the poet’s final word. The volume appeals to readers with an interest in and some basic knowledge of medieval literature and language.