JOURNAL ARTICLE

William Thynne's Copy of the Book of the Duchess.

  • Published In: Library, 2025, v. 26, n. 1. P. 48 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Weiskott, Eric 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on the textual authority and provenance of William Thynne's 1532 printed edition of Geoffrey Chaucer's *Book of the Duchess*. It argues that Thynne likely based his text on a single, superior manuscript rather than collating multiple copies, as his edition includes a sixty-six-line passage missing from all three known mid-fifteenth-century manuscripts. This suggests Thynne’s source predates the loss of a leaf in the manuscript tradition and may have been an earlier or differently circulated form of the poem. The article also discusses the implications of Thynne’s text for understanding the poem’s early dissemination, noting that while the surviving manuscripts are late and lack Chaucerian attribution, Thynne’s edition reflects access to a more complete and authoritative textual witness.

Additional Information

  • Source:Library. 2025/03, Vol. 26, Issue 1, p48
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Literature and Writing
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0024-2160
  • DOI:10.1093/library/fpae052
  • Accession Number:186167247
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