This section outlines medieval theories of social structure and rigid social hierarchy in the period of transition from late feudalism to emergent capitalism. It compares representations of peasants, particularly in works on the Risings of 1381, of the knightly class in Middle English Romance, and of the provincial landed class in gentry Romance. It considers the interplay of literacy, education, and class and argues that a number of Middle English texts respond to the sense of social volatility in representations of working-class, mercantile, or ruling-class characters, and in imaginary models of how stability could be re-established.