The Owl and the Nightingale is a poem written in Middle English detailing a
debate between an owl and a nightingale as overheard by the
poem's narrator. Like many works of the Middle English period, the author of the poem and the date that it was written are
unknown.
Author and Date
There are two surviving manuscript versions of The Owl and the Nightingale, one belonging to the British Library as BL MS Cotton Caligula A.IX, the other to Jesus College, Oxford, as Jesus College MS 29. Both manuscripts date from the second half of the
13th century, and possibly the last quarter of the century. Traditionally the text is
believed to have been originally composed during the period 1189-1216. This belief is based on the poem's mention of a recently departed King Henry, Henry II who died in 1189. However, it has been suggested that the poem actually refers to
Henry III, which would date the poem as later than 1272 (not much earlier than the production of the two surviving manuscripts).
Similarly there has been much debate about the identity of the author of The Owl and the Nightingale. "Master Nicholas of
Guildford", who is mentioned in reverential terms within the text, is one possible candidate.
Various other ecclesiastical figures have also been suggested as possible authors, such as a Benedictine nun from Shaftesbury Abbey.
Text
Unlike most debate literature of the period, The Owl and the Nightingale offers no resolution, thus forcing the reader to
interpret the highly ambiguous text for themselves. The debate itself covers a very diverse range, including religion, marriage,
toilet manners, and song. This diverse range has led to scholars interpreting the text in very different ways. These
interpretations have varied from a medieval answer to the portrayal of the owl in the Book of
Isaiah, to the poem being used as a teaching method for teaching students the art of debate as part of the
trivium. Various historical satires have also been proposed as possible
interpretations; including a parody of the relationship between King Henry II and
Thomas Becket.
Versification
The poem is rhymed octosyllabic couplets (generally iambic tetrameter, with most verses ending with a ninth unstressed syllable). This form shows the
influence of Old French poetry and precociously anticipates the graces of
Chaucer.
References
- Huganir, Kathryn (1931). The Owl and the Nightingale: Sources, Date, Author. Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania
Press.
External links
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