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William Langland

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William Langland


Born
in The United Kingdom
November 30, 1331

Died
November 30, 1385


William Langland, (born c. 1330—died c. 1400), presumed author of one of the greatest examples of Middle English alliterative poetry, generally known as Piers Plowman, an allegorical work with a complex variety of religious themes.

One of the major achievements of Piers Plowman is that it translates the language and conceptions of the cloister into symbols and images that could be understood by the layman. In general, the language of the poem is simple and colloquial, but some of the author’s imagery is powerful and direct.

Little is known of Langland’s life: he is thought to have been born somewhere in the region of the Malvern Hills, in Worcestershire, and if he is to be identified with the “dreamer” of the poem, he may have been educated
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Average rating: 3.45 · 3,306 ratings · 187 reviews · 222 distinct worksSimilar authors
Piers Plowman

3.44 avg rating — 3,046 ratings — published 1360 — 283 editions
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Piers Plowman

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3.34 avg rating — 134 ratings — published 1377 — 10 editions
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Piers Plowman; with Sir Gaw...

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4.57 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2001 — 2 editions
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The Vision of Piers Plowman...

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4.33 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 1963
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Piers Plowman

4.17 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2000 — 5 editions
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Piers Plowman: The Prologue...

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2.80 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 1972 — 8 editions
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The vision of William conce...

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 1987
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The Vision and Creed of Pie...

3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2009 — 23 editions
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Parallel Extracts from 45 M...

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it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2000 — 13 editions
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The Vision and Creed of Pie...

3.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2009 — 7 editions
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More books by William Langland…
Quotes by William Langland  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“But all the wickedness in the world which man may do or think is no more to the mercy of God than a live coal dropped in the sea.”
William Langland

“Necessity has no law.”
William Langland

“And what a tree took away a tree shall restore”
William Langland, The Vision of Piers Plowman

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