Confessio Amantis: Selections

In writing the Confessio Amantis, John Gower pioneered the use of English as a literary language. Commissioned by King Richard II, it is a compendium of stories held together by a frame narrative in which they serve as examples given to a lover by his confessor. In this volume, which is based on Pauli's 1857 edition, H. S. Bennett has selected some of the most enjoyable passages from the Confessio Amantis. They serve together as an illuminating sample of one of the earliest and most important books in the canon of English literature.