Transforming Talk

The Problem with Gossip in Late Medieval England

Susan E. Phillips

• Publisher: Penn State University Press
• Year: 2007
• Print ISBN: 9780271029948
• eBook ISBN: 9780271034843
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: European Medieval History
• Index: History

In recent decades, scholars have shown an increasing interest in gossip's social, psychological, and literary functions. The first book-length study of medieval gossip, Transforming Talk shifts the current debate and argues that gossip functions primarily as a transformative discourse, influencing not only social interactions but also literary and religious practices. Known as "jangling" in Middle English, gossip was believed to corrupt parishioners, disturb the peace, and cause civil and spiritual unrest. But gossip was also a productive cultural force; it reconfigured pastoral practice, catalyzed narrative experimentation, and restructured social and familial relationships.

Transforming Talk will appeal to a diverse audience, including scholars interested in late medieval culture, religion, and society; Chaucer; and women in the Middle Ages.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1 "Janglynge in cherche": Pastoral Practice and Idle Talk
• 2 Chaucerian Small Talk
• 3 "Sisteris in schrift": Gossip's Confessional Kinship
• 4 The Gospel According to Gossips, or How Gossip Got Its Name
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index
• Back Cover