-Cockaygne

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A utopian story that predates the formalization of the genre by Sir Thomas More, this 13th century medieval work describes a land constructed of delicious foods. In Cockaygne, houses are constructed from sugar and the streets are paved with pastry. A utopia offering the luxury of plentiful free food without the need to work was a popular part of the oral tradition across numerous European countries and languages. Few written records of this utopian story survive, but one is present in the Kildare Poems, part of a 14th century Middle English manuscript held by the British Library.  

Poems from BL MS Harley 913, 'the Kildare manuscript'
Oxford, United Kingdom: Published for the Early English Text Society by the Oxford University Press, 2015.

Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/Record/10663783

A version of this text has been digitized and is available through the British Library.

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