John Gower Poet

A moralistic poet whose reputation was once equal to that of Chaucer, John Gower was born c. 1330. The language of his works suggests that he was from Kent, but written records exist only for a Gower family in Yorkshire. He seems to have been a member of the upper middle class and to have associated with the members of the courts of Richard II and Henry IV of England. His friendship with Chaucer dates from the mid-1370's and is thought to have suffered disruption in the early 1390's, as evidenced by an edition of Confessio amantis that omits the verses in praise of Chaucer published in earlier editions. Gower lived late in life as a layman at the priory of St. Mary Overie in Southwark and may have established a scriptorium there to produce his works. He married Agnes Groundolf in 1397. She is thought to have been his nurse and his second wife. She outlived him. He went blind c. 1400 and died in 1408. His effigy in Southwark Cathedral depicts Gower, his head resting on his three important works (Speculum meditantis, Vox clamantis, and Confessio amantis) and his neck encircled in a collar of pendant swans, which Henry IV had given him in 1393.

Speculum Meditantis

The first book, written in the French language, is divided into ten parts on the treating of vices and of virtues and also of the various conditions of men in the world, endeavours rightly to teach the way by which the sinner who has trespassed ought to return to the knowledge of his Creator.

Vox Clamantis

The second book, metrically composed in the Latin language, treats of the various misfortunes which happened in England in the time of king Richard II, whence not only the nobles and commons of the realm suffered great evils, but the cruel king himself, falling from on high by his own evil doings, was at length hurled into the pit which he dug himself.

Confessio Amantis

The third book, which was written in the English language in honour of his most valorous lord Henry of Lancaster, then Earl of Derby, marks out the times from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar until now, in accordance with the prophecy of Daniel on the changes of the kingdoms of this world. It treats, also, in accordance with Aristotle, of the matters in which king Alexander was instructed by his discipline, both for the governance of himself and for other ends. But the chief matter of the book is founded upon love, and the infatuated passions of lovers.

Richard Brodie has recently completed an excellent modern English translation of this book which he has published on his website at http://www.richardbrodie.com/Book8.html

The French work is placed first of these three books by the author, and, no doubt, it came first in the order of time. It contains evidence, however, that this was not his first literary essay, for he speaks in it of earlier poems of a light and amorous kind, the composition of which he now regrets. It is not necessary to suppose that these fols ditz d’amours are identical with the Cinkante Balades which, near the close of his life, he dedicated to Henry IV. The author conceives of his literary work as essentially didactic in character and of himself as fulfilling a mission in making use, for the benefit of his own generation, of the gifts which he has received. This, of course, was a quite usual standpoint. It was a didactic age, and Gower was fully in sympathy with the prevailing tendency to edification; but his books, on the whole, have a somewhat higher literary quality than might be supposed from his description of them.

Further information on the work of John Gower can be found at:

The Luminarium website on the Anthology of Middle English Literature by Aniina Jokenin - http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/gower.htm

Johnathan H Hsy website on the Life, Work and Times of John Gower - http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~jhsy/gower.html

Derek Pearsall's Thirty Year Working Bibliography:Part 5 - Gower - http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/bibliography/b5-gower.htm

Sian Echard's website on Gower - http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/sechard/GOWER.HTM