The Space of the List: The Nine Worthies in Medieval English Literature

The Nine Worthies tradition hinges on the form of the list. Taking seriously the fact that nine worthy men are enumerated, this article argues that the ways in which medieval poets engaged with the list of the Nine Worthies is indicative of a spatial poetics, that is, a poetics that shows heightened awareness of the list-form’s potential. Drawing on cognitive literary studies and the notion of “affordance,” this article suggests that spatial effects characterize a spatial poetics. Analyzing A Disputacioun betwyx the Body and Wormes, The Parlement of the Thre Ages, and the Alliterative Morte Arthure, it shows how the list-form activates such effects and can alter the temporal structure of texts, inviting an audience both to reflect on the transience of the world and to recognize the power of storytelling.