Langland’s Ethical Imaginary: Refuge and Risk in “Piers bern”

ABSTRACT Originally imagined as both granary and church writ large, Langland’s Barn of Unity morphs into a space of refuge-in-crisis as it is besieged by Antichrist and the Seven Deadly Sins in Piers Plowman’s apocalyptic finale. Central to Langland’s imagining is a conundrum at the heart of hospitality, the Latin root of which means not only guest and friend but also stranger and enemy. Within Unity, the allegorical figure of Conscience practices hospitality, welcoming others, yet attempting to set conditions for entry to keep his space morally intact. Unity is intended to be a refuge from the violence of sin, but with every act of welcome Conscience risks letting sin in. This essay breaks new ground by interrogating Langland’s representation of these acts of welcome in relation to recent hospitality theory (of Derrida and others) to illuminate how the satirical bent of the ending of Piers Plowman coexists with reformist idealism.