week 7: Confessio Amantis - the framework

The prologue establishes the scene; the reader can envision himself within the framework or in the time and place, even though the depiction is not specific. He is introduced to the physical and the moral surroundings. Gower proposes the overarching argument which need to be resolved in the world (through his work). He admits that there is many things wrong in the world, which might cause a person to be overwhelmed, not knowing what is the crucial aspect and what is the sole reason for the disorder. He then establishes the centre of the issue both for the world and the reader, which now allows him to seek a specific solution. Having “objectively“ found the subject which is to change, Gower can move to more subjective narrative. The introduction then extends upon the prologue with the addition of a specific character(s) and their characteristics, through which the narrative can progress in a dramatic fashion. The main character is of the diseased age, does not know of the past position of love and only with the help of a psychopomp can he learn of the past and or establish pure Love is the main principle. The psychopomp is then the connection of the prologue and introduction, as he represents a person of the glorious past which the prologue praises, yet is present in the “current“ world. Although he is a character of the “subjective“ introduction, he is reminiscent of the “objectivity“ of the prologue, with his almost scientific ranking of “love’s signs and properties“.
Although the parts of the work are both written in a 1st person view, the narrator of the prologue reads differently, he reminds of almost of a heterodiegetic narrator; this overarching abstract entity, rather than a concrete character. On the other hand, the 1st person narrator of introduction is heavily subjective and homodiegetic. The psychopomp is to me a combination of the two, he is a character of the introduction, therefore concrete, yet represents something abstract and liminal as the prologue.

The Prologue comments on real world events (the state of the world at large); the dream vision frame allows for a more personal perspective (focus on the individual). The Confessio begins with the description of a world marked by a corrupt governing body, political, and moral instability, looking back to a time in the past (classical period) when Love ruled all. As Martina has said, and I’m sorry if I’m repeating anything too much, this introduces current moral and physical concerns, and serves to foreshadow the ethics and morality the greater text will explore. The dream vision frame is a way of leading the narrator on a more introspective journey, something individual. In medieval poetry, the dream vision often serves as a vessel for moral insight, where the narrator learns some philosophical or spiritual truth, often with the help of a guide (Genius in the Confessio - Amans meets Venus and Genius, her priest, who guide him through a confession that becomes an allegorical exploration of human vices and virtues - offering moral instruction along the way). The dream vision format allows Gower to address both individual and collective morality. The implication here is that social harmony can only be achieved through individual reform - societal reform begins with the reform of the self. Amans’ personal journey becomes allegory - it reflects the struggles of individuals with personal sins and misguided love, while the Prologue’s broader social commentary provides the wider context of institutional and societal corruption. The dream vision form is accessible to audiences; framing the Confessio as such allows Gower to convey such lessons in ethics in a way that is familiar to readers of the time.