Confessio Amantis

E87120

Confessio Amantis is a lengthy Middle English poem by John Gower that blends moral instruction with a wide array of narrative tales framed as a lover’s confession.


Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Middle English poem
frame tale
narrative poem
alternateName The Lover’s Confession
author John Gower
centralTheme confession
ethics of love
love
morality
commissionedBy King Richard II of England
surface form: "Richard II of England"
completionDate c. 1390
contains biblical stories
exempla drawn from classical sources
medieval legends
countryOfOrigin England
dateWritten late 14th century
dedicatedTo King Richard II of England
surface form: "Richard II of England"
featuresCharacter Genius
Venus
genre courtly love literature
didactic literature
moral allegory
hasPart Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Book 7
Book 8
Prologue
inception c. 1386
influenced later English moral and narrative poetry
influencedBy Bible
Ovid
courtly love tradition
language Middle English
laterDedicatedTo Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster
surface form: "Henry of Lancaster"
length over 30,000 lines
literaryMovement Ricardian poets
surface form: "Ricardian poetry"
literaryPeriod Middle Ages
mainCharacter Amans
manuscriptTradition survives in numerous medieval manuscripts
narrativeFrame lover’s confession to Genius
notableFor blend of moral instruction and narrative tales
extensive use of exempla
relatively clear Middle English style
setting allegorical court of Venus
structure series of tales organized by the Seven Deadly Sins

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ricardian poets associatedWithWork Confessio Amantis
Mirour de l’Omme followedBy Confessio Amantis
John Gower hasWorkInVerseForm Confessio Amantis
John Gower knownFor Confessio Amantis
John Gower notableWork Confessio Amantis
Vox Clamantis relatedWork Confessio Amantis