The Politics of Babbling in Mum and the Sothsegger
Abstract This article contends that the alliterative long-line poem Mum and the Sothsegger redefines and develops the meanings of the Middle English verb babelen (to babble). I argue that the Mum-poet shifted the meaning of the word from denoting idle prattle and nonsensical, infantile vocalizations...
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| Published in | The Review of English studies Vol. 74; no. 317; pp. 795 - 811 |
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| Main Author | |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
UK
Oxford University Press
05.12.2023
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| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Abstract
This article contends that the alliterative long-line poem Mum and the Sothsegger redefines and develops the meanings of the Middle English verb babelen (to babble). I argue that the Mum-poet shifted the meaning of the word from denoting idle prattle and nonsensical, infantile vocalizations into a simple and transparent form of communication that was ideal for telling truths. Those who babble are directly opposed to those who keep mum or communicate in a subtle and complex manner, obscuring and manipulating the truth through their confusing rhetoric and glosses. The Mum-poet pits simplicity against complexity in his political commentary, advocating for the most straightforward, utilitarian manner of speech in statecraft. |
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| ISSN: | 0034-6551 1471-6968 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/res/hgad076 |