John Lydgate, A Complaynte of a Lovers Lyfe

Candace Barrington (Central Connecticut State University)

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Ed. by Sebastian Sobecki, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1412

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

Also known as The Complaint of the Black Knight, John Lydgate’s A Complaynte of a Lovers Lyfe recounts the narrator’s chance encounter wherein he overhears a scorned knight formulaically bemoaning his inability to attract the favors of a particular woman. One of Lydgate’s most courtly works—both in terms of audience and of subject matter—Complaynte eventually circulated in broader circles and was incorporated into manuscript miscellanies marketed to England’s prosperous mercantile classes seeking models of courtly deportment and knowledge.

John Lydgate (1373?-1449), a monk connected with the Benedictine abbey of Bury St Edmunds, was a prolific and prolix versifier …

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1424 words

Citation: Barrington, Candace. "A Complaynte of a Lovers Lyfe". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 March 2021 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7231, accessed 05 April 2025.]