Middle English Alliterative Poetry (12th-15th Centuries)
The alliterative tradition represents one of the most distinctive and powerful strands of medieval English poetry, bridging the Old English heroic tradition and the Chaucerian revolution. This body of work flourished particularly in the 14th century, producing some of the most vigorous and inventive poetry of the Middle Ages.
1. Continuity and Revival
Following the Norman Conquest, alliterative verse—the dominant form of Anglo-Saxon poetry—survived in modified form:
Maintained the four-stress line with strong medial caesura
Relaxed strict alliterative patterns of Old English
Incorporated French vocabulary and themes
Flourished particularly in the West Midlands and North
2. Major Works and Characteristics
The 14th-century Alliterative Revival produced masterpieces blending traditional form with new sophistication:
a) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (c. 1380)
Combines Arthurian romance with moral allegory
Features intricate "bob and wheel" stanzas
Explores chivalric ideals through supernatural challenge
b) Piers Plowman (multiple versions, 1370-90)
William Langland's dream vision attacking clerical corruption
Uses alliteration for satirical punch and prophetic intensity
Mixes social critique with spiritual quest
c) Pearl (same manuscript as Gawain)
Elegiac dream poem with 12-line stanzas
Combines alliteration with complex rhyme schemes
Meditates on grief and divine grace
d) The Alliterative Morte Arthure
Epic treatment of Arthur's fall
Emphasizes tragic grandeur over romance
3. Technical Innovations
Later alliterative poets developed:
Greater metrical flexibility
Incorporation of rhyme (seen in Pearl)
Blending with continental forms
4. Decline and Legacy
By the 15th century, the tradition waned due to:
Chaucer's influence establishing rhyme royal and iambic pentameter
Shift toward London-based literary culture
Yet its rhythmic power influenced later poets like Hopkins and Auden
This body of work preserves a vital English poetic identity during French cultural dominance, showing remarkable artistic ambition in its fusion of native and continental traditions.