Publisher's Synopsis
Insults, abuse, oaths, scatological and bawdy language- these form the subject of Lynn Forest-HillÆs new study on æbadÆ language in the late Middle Ages. She demonstrates how, in medieval mystery plays and morality plays, dramatists used outrageous language with great sophistication and subtlety to create characterisations and define charactersÆ moral status, to reflect on social conditions, to condemn social evils, and to comment upon sensitive cultural, political, and religious topics of the 16th century. - - The author begins by defining what constitutes sinful or transgressive language in the later medieval period, and establishes its moral significance. She then illustrates how the moral significance of language is used in drama to define the spiritual and social status of characters, and introduces the concept of sinful language as a sign of spiritual change. In later chapters the book explores the use of æbadÆ language in mystery and morality plays, focusing specifically on SkeltonÆs Magnyfycence, HeywoodÆs The Play of the Weather, and BaleÆs King Johan. - - The study shows the extent to which the moral significance of language in drama shifted during the 16th century under pressure from cultural and political change, paving the way for less morally rigorous and more socially sensitive definitions of æbadÆ language.
