The complaint, in its broadest terms, refers to an expression of grievance against public or private injustices in literature. In the medieval period, there was a strong tradition of complaint derived from classical and Biblical texts. Complaints could be found across a variety of genres and in different forms, and spanning from Early English laments to later medieval protests. The tradition of the complaint did not end with the Middle Ages, but rather it flourished during the Early Modern period and has continued to the present day. This article focuses on complaints written between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries, when the idea of the complaint became more distinguished from other expressions. Complaints are here divided into three main categories: love complaints,
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Citation: Menmuir, Rebecca. "Medieval Complaint". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 July 2022 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=209, accessed 22 November 2024.]
