Gower, John (?1330–1408), lived at the priory of St Mary Overie's in Southwark, from about 1377 to his death, devoted to his writing. He was a friend of Chaucer and (jointly with Ralph Strode) the dedicatee of Troilus and Criseyde (see V. 1856).

Gower's considerable learning is attested by his writing with accomplishment in three languages. In French he wrote his Cinkante Balades (written in Anglo-Norman before 1374) and his first large-scale work, the Mirour de l'Omme (Speculum Meditantis), an allegory written c.1376–8, in octosyllabics, concerned with fallen man, his virtues and vices. His second major work was the Latin Vox Clamantis (c.1376–81), an apocalyptic poem of seven books in 10,265 lines of elegiac couplets, containing reflections on the disturbances of the early years of Richard II and the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. In English he wrote the poem ‘In Praise of Peace’ in 55 stanzas of rhyme-royal, as well as his principal work, the Confessio Amantis, which exists in three manuscript versions. The first of these (published 1390), and the most commonly attested, contains 141 stories in octosyllabic couplets which are handled with a metrical sophistication and skill unsurpassed in English. The framework of the poem is the confession of a lover, Amans, to Genius, a priest of Venus; the confessor tells him exemplary stories of behaviour and fortune in love, organized under the headings of the Seven Deadly Sins and drawing widely on classical story (most prominently Ovid) and medieval romance. There are eight books: one for each of the sins, and one (Book VII) which gives an encyclopaedic account of philosophy and morals. This work is as interesting for its Prologue and admirable Epilogue, and for its exchanges between the priest and lover, as it is for the narratives themselves.

Several of the exemplary tales are paralleled by stories in The Canterbury Tales and other works of Chaucer: for example, the story of Florent (i. 1,407–1,861) corresponds to ‘The Wife of Bath's Tale’ (CT, 6); Ceix and Alceone (iv. 2,927–3,123) to The Book of the Duchess (62–220). Up to the 17th cent. almost every writer who praised Chaucer coupled his name with Gower's; he has more examples than any other writer in Jonson's Grammar, and he speaks the Prologue to Shakespeare's Pericles, part of the story of which is taken from Gower's ‘Apollonius of Tyre’. Perhaps his significance as an English writer is to have brought into the mainstream of the canon of the literature the disparate narratives of the classics and the popular romances. (See also Anglo-Latin literature.)

John Gower

The English author John Gower (ca. 1330-1408) was one of the major court poets of the 14th century. His poems are not so vigorous as Chaucer's, but his criticism of his contemporaries is more direct.

Very little is known about John Gower's early life. He probably held a legal office of some kind, perhaps in Westminster. His first major work, probably begun about 1376, was in French. It is called Miroir de l'Omme, or Speculum meditantis. In it Gower describes the development of sin, the vices and virtues, and the remedy available to man, with a special appeal to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Some time about 1377 Gower retired to the priory of St. Mary Overy in Southwark. He soon began work on his long Latin poem Vox clamantis. Book I, written after 1381, contains a vivid description of the Peasants' Revolt, used to set the theme for a moral analysis of social decay in England. At this time Gower was acquainted with Geoffrey Chaucer, who gave him power of attorney while Chaucer was away on the Continent in 1378. Chaucer later dedicated Troilus and Criseyde to Gower and to Ralph Strode.

In 1390 Gower completed the first version of his most famous poem, written in English but given the Latin title Confessio amantis. He says that he wrote it at the request of King Richard II, who had asked him for "som newe thing" to read. The first version of the poem was dedicated to Richard. In a later version Gower dedicated his poem to Henry of Derby, the son of John of Gaunt and the future King Henry IV.

Confessio amantis means "the lover's confession," but it is not an autobiography of the poet and it does not concern itself with Gower's amorous adventures. After a prologue in which Gower points out that division in the soul introduced by sin creates division and strife in the world, he introduces the lover, a man overcome by lust and the desire for selfish pleasure. In the remainder of the poem, which occupies 8 books and some 34,000 lines, the lover confesses to Genius, the priest of Venus, gradually recovering his reason and overcoming the division within himself. The poem ends with a prayer for good government and the rule of reason in the commonwealth. Gower's masterpiece contains an enormous amount of standard medieval moral philosophy and is illustrated by a great variety of exemplary tales. Some of the tales are very well told.

Between 1394 and the end of his life Gower wrote some Latin poems and, probably, some of his French ballades. He married late in life in 1398.

Further Reading

For a careful account of Gower's life and works see John H. Fisher, John Gower (1964). □

Gower, John (c.1330–1408). Poet. A contemporary and friend of Chaucer, Gower was probably born in Kent and then lived in Southwark. He wrote in French, Latin, and English. His main work, Confessio Amantis (c.1386), contained 141 examples and stories of love in a conversation between a lover, Amans, and a priest of Venus, Genius. He drew on the classics and on medieval romances. By the time the lover had understood the nature of love, he was too old and tired to care. Of Gower's political works, Vox clamantis (c.1382) recorded the upheaval of the Peasants' Revolt and his hope that Richard II's reign would prove a blessing: when it did not, he transferred hope to Henry IV in Cronica tripertita. Highly thought of in the Tudor period, Gower's lack of humour led to Chaucer overshadowing him.

J. A. Cannon

Gower, John (c.1330–1408). Poet. A friend of Chaucer, Gower was probably born in Kent. His main work, Confessio Amantis (c.1386), contained 141 examples and stories of love in a conversation between a lover, Amans, and a priest of Venus, Genius. By the time the lover had understood the nature of love, he was too old and tired to care. Highly thought of in the Tudor period, Gower's lack of humour led to Chaucer overshadowing him.

Gower, John (1330–1408) English poet. Ranked in his time with Lydgate and Chaucer, his work includes Vox Clamantis (1379–82), an attack on social injustice, and his most famous work, Confessio Amantis (1386–93), a collection of allegorical tales on the subject of Christian and courtly love.