Towneley Cycle

This volume provides a detailed overview of the Towneley cycle of plays, which were written c. 1500. The plays begin with the fall of Lucifer and end with the Last Judgement. Peter Happé examines the cycle’s textual and manuscript history and discusses issues of language and style, the structure of the cycle, and its possible sources and analogues. He also addresses the historical and religious context of the cycle and its performance history.

Peter Happé is a visiting fellow of the Department of English at Southampton University.

Introduction: The Problem of Unity