Plowman 3-5
For these last few chapters, Piers Plowman has gotten rather spicy. Insults are being thrown left and right, honor is being questioned, and Mede has found yet another person to marry (A.3.101). It’s almost like the characters should just jump into a ring and settle it in a high-stakes prize fight. Yet, the question still remains: How is Piers Plowman a mystery?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a Mystery as: “Mystical presence or nature; mystical significance. in (also through) his mystery: in or by its mystical presence or nature. in (a) mystery: mystically, symbolically; with hidden or mystical significance”. The second definition is given: “A religious truth known or understood only by divine revelation; esp. a doctrine of faith involving difficulties which human reason is incapable of solving”. Regardless of which definition you use, both can be applied to Piers Plowman.
Looking at Piers Plowman from a wider sense, it's a story of a man seeking religious truth by dozing off in the woods repeatedly (A.5.7). Maybe he's under the influence of some psychedelic drugs, but he's clearly seeing some strange stuff. In his visions, an angelic lady (non-human reason) leads him to some divine revelation (A.1.3). If you follow the second definition, Piers Plowman is more of a mystery than any Sherlock Holmes novel. Most people’s interpretation of a mystery would not really agree with that statement. This definition has really made question what I consider a mystery. Currently, the narrator is learning about Mede and her attempts to get married. She's 0 for 2 at the moment, she should be working on that but she’s too busy being scandalous (A.4.133). While this plot line doesn’t seem like a typical mystery, the message that it is trying to illustrate does in fact fit the definition of a mystery. This dreamer is trying to find conclusion to his own religious mystery, even though he isn’t exactly a mastermind detective. He wants to find the way to truth and a morally sound life, and the antics of Mede seem to be what he shouldn't follow
I agree that the book is demonstrating a mystery through its journey towards finding some kind of religious truth. I didn't see the angelic lady as a non-human reason or a divine intervention at first, but now I can kind of see that! I also agree with what you said about the dreamer showing a mystery by trying to find his own religious mystery--I didn't really think of it that way before.
ReplyDeleteI literally lol'd at your intro. It's so weird that this book doesn't match our idea of a mystery but it matches the dictionary definition of a mystery. My definition of a mystery closely follows Auden's in The Guilty Vicarage. Also, I love my girl Mede! She's fierceeee!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, your blog post was really entertaining. 10/10. Secondly, I wonder how mystery stories, such as Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and Agatha Christie's books, came to be known as mystery novels. I also like your interpretation of Mede's role in the story. I only focused on the allegorical interpretation of the story, but you talked about the importance of her behavior without incorporating the idea of payment. The author could definitely use these different perspectives to add depth to the story, and I want to keep this in mind as I continue to read the poem .
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