John Skelton

JOHN SKELTON:

§ He is an unjustly neglected figure of English literature (as he fits neither in the medieval period nor in the Renaissance).

§ He was considered to be one of the experimenter writers, who was also a court Poet.

§ His best-known works

o The Bowge of Court (1498)- a satire, commenting on the court of Henry VII

o The Tunnying of Elynor Rummying- this work is of low-life and drinking, about an ale-wife from Leatherhead and her customers.

o Being an outspoken satirist he has also written, The Book of Philip Sparrow. This is an unusual elegy in English literature (an elegy to a pet bird).

o Magnificence- is a morality play written in the 1520s which is the only late medieval drama.

§ He is known for his own poetic style of writing in rapid lines known as “helter-skelter” verse form later known as “Skeltonics”.