Despite being extremely prevalent in the late medieval period, proverb-based moral verses are often considered inferior literature and have received very little critical study. This article seeks to problematise the marginal classification of this literature by investigating the processes by which proverbs inspired and were incorporated into lyrics, and how these verses were in turn reworked to produce different meanings. Using examples of proverbs and lyrics on deviant speech, it demonstrates how an increasingly literate public customised these verses as they recorded them in their personal books, producing varied and continually evolving transmission practices. As such, this article looks beyond how individuals learnt to read to examine how literacy enabled a growing cross-section of society to be involved in the making and remaking of moral values.
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