The Lais of Marie de France

Marie De France is a French author whose work is widely known and respected. The literary world credits her with four works: “The Lais of Marie de France (a collection of twelve short narrative poems not unlike shortened versions of romances), the one hundred and two "Ysopet" fables, a retelling of the Legend of the Purgatory of St. Patrick, and, most recently, a saint 's life called La Vie seinte Audree about Saint Audrey of Ely” (www.princeton.edu). Looking at her collection of Lais, we know that a lai or lay is a narrative poem, a song, ballad or melody, commonly written in eight syllables with six to sixteen rhymed stanzas. The principal theme of her lais is love. Her poems show different perceptions of love; extramarital…

Testosterone in Action Vanissa Tsang Masculinity is reflected based on society expectations and role of the men. In Gregory’s History of the Franks, he writes about men with the role of royal kings, while Marie de France write poems about knights. My main argument is that Gregory’s form of masculinity reflects on the aggressive approaches to obtain power to ensure one’s social power, while Marie’s masculinity reflects on the satisfaction of individual’s need for companionship. The…

courtliness had a very different style, subject matter, and authorship. Many of them of them were composed by women. An example would be Marie de France, author of the collection of lais and The Life of Saint Audrey. Marie de France wrote during the time that Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine were ruling. At this time, tales of courtliness and love were based off of concern of women including: unhappy marriage, fantasy of power, and threats to their independence. Throughout the Lais of Marie de…

Franks and Lais of Marie de France’s were both written in the Middle Ages of Christian Europe. Gregory of Tours writings is the principal source for the history of Frankish kings. He also chronicles the Franks’ intimate lives, such as their polygamous marriages. Lais of Marie de Frances are a collection of narrative poems that deifies love while at the same time having a pessimistic outlook. The History of the Franks and Marie de France both do not conform to Christian notions of gender…

In The Lais of Marie de France, love is a force that moves us completely against our will. Man is united in the fact that, given enough time on this earth, we each eventually succumb to the hazards of love. Whether these pursuits are successful or wretched and unrequited, man is weakened all the same. In this essay I will argue that it was the intention of Marie de France to illustrate the workings of love and as she does so she uncovers that the closest physical thing that can be related back…

female body is commonly done by men, who see women as something that is of use or owned by them. Although, this usually has negative implications Marie de France’s lai Guigemar objectifies the female body as a tool to expose the negative aspects of society. By objectifying the female characters her message is more easily understood and even satirizes, the patriarchal society. Marie explores the problems women face in society and how they are so much more than the box they are placed in. During…

Love is Caustic: A Look into the Similarities and Differences of Laustic and Bisclavret Throughout Marie de France’s many lais, she focuses on the many facets of human nature, such as who can be trusted, who will act accordingly to their rank and status in the court, who will be honorable and treat others with respect, and most importantly, who is most deserving of the love of another. By the very definition of the lais, being a love ballad of sorts, this is nothing surprising. What is far more…

During the Middle Ages in England, there was a heavy emphasis on knights and chivalry in much of the works of the time. While there are elements of each of these aspects in Marie de France’s works, many of her lais have a strong focus on the desires of her female characters and differ slightly from the works of romance written by her contemporaries. The male writers of her time were largely interested in chivalry and courtly responsibilities of knights, however, Marie went in a different…

of Love and Loss Milun, transcribed and composed by Marie de France, is a love story that intertwines readers into the tragic sequence of events, drama, and imaginable love within the poem. The author, Marie de France, wrote The Lais- twelve short stories written around 1170. Marie de France 's lais, told in octosyllabic, or eight syllable verse, are prominent for their celebration of love, uniqueness of character, and vividness of description – hallmarks of the emerging literature of the times.…

Love & Nightingales in the Lais In the Laustic by Marie de France we hear a story about an affair, between two neighbors. The fable tells us about the love between a married women and the knight that lives next door. In the story they mention a nightingale, a song bird, which is used as a metaphor to represent their love for one another. The affair is short-lived, and can be interpreted in a few different ways. When reading the fable, you can see it either as a sad tragic ending to a…