“And þat is þe tail of þe text”: Interpretation, liturgy, and embodied belief in the B text of Piers Plowman

Abstract This article examines processes of reading and interpretation in the B text of Piers Plowman arguing that the poem’s engagement with liturgy can be illuminated through the framework of embodied cognition. I propose that liturgical references provide a pathway for the personified Will towards an embodied and enactive mode of interpretation that unites intellect, affect, and experience. Using perspectives from Ritual Studies, the article shows how Piers Plowman both develops and disrupts embodied interpretation, particularly in relation to speech, time, and space.