'Synne to shewe, vs to frame': Representing the Church in Robert Mannyng's 'Handlyng Synne'

Journal article

In his influential treatise on poetics, the Poetria Nova (c. 1200), Geoffrey of Vinsauf famously used the metaphor of the architect as a didactic exemplum for the poet.
Geoffrey’s use of the metaphor of the master builder is a cornerstone of late medieval architectural representation and the connection that he sets up between material and poetic composition forms part of the intellectual background to the early fourteenth-century penitential handbook Handlyng Synne by Robert Mannyng (c. 1283–c. 1338) that will be the subject of this article.
In this article, I will show how Robert Mannyng also exploits the didactic potential of architectural construction in his attempt to teach the reader how to ‘handle sin’; rather than constructing a house, Mannyng builds an archetypal parish church and churchyard to frame and locate his pastoral guidance.

Authors: Varnam, L

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: University of Leeds
• Journal: Leeds Studies in English
• Volume: 48
• Pages: 89-104
• Publication date: 2017-12-31
• Acceptance date: 2017-03-14
• ISSN: 0075-8566
• Language: English