Interesting Tidbit: Medieval Propaganda Literature and Proclamation

In order to reflect on Whitworth’s production of Richard III, I looked to the Cannon’s study of Propaganda and Counsel Literature from Middle English Literature. Cannon touched on the War of the Roses—the source for Shakespeare’s Richard III—in these studies (the most salient passages on pages 92, 98, and 101), providing a way to enter into the play from a medieval point of view.

As I was writing my reflection, I began to seek out other instances of medieval propaganda literature, texts that might apply to Richard III’s ascension to the throne. From here, I found some cool sources that may be of use to those of you researching the political assumptions / implications of The Canterbury Tales. These sources discuss the “Proclamation,” the means of communication between the English Crown and the (largely) illiterate laypeople.

• “Political Propaganda and Royal Proclamations in Late Medieval England” by James A. Doig: A study of the Royal Proclamation and how the proclamation forms public opinion.
• “The Early Tudor Royal Proclamations” from The Proclamations of the Tudor Kings by R.W. Heinze: because it is focused on the early Tudors, Heinze’s chapter from the larger study has some crossover to our late medieval context.
• “Mind and Outlook” from Organization of War under Edward III, 1338-62: pages 160-162 discuss the proclamation as an act of propaganda. The chapter also includes a discussion of poets’ influence on understanding of the war.