Eliduc Short Story Analysis

Indeed, regardless of how many different modern fictional narratives there are, they all posses certain elements that make them “short stories.” In Marie de France’s Breton lay (or poetic narrative), “Eliduc,” a knight named Eliduc has his fidelity challenged by a princess that he meets in his journey away from his wife. Though this piece of literature was originally written as a mere poem, it possesses some elements that are common to modern day fictional narratives. Though this Breton lay lacks some of the elements usually present in modern fictional narratives, it still possesses short story elements such as character development, conflicts and themes that definitely qualify it as a forerunner of modern short stories. To begin with, though …show more content…
While there are indeed multiple themes in this piece, the “death brought by infidelity” is perhaps the most significant. When Eliduc’s and his crew get caught in the middle a terrible storm, he murders one of his sailors for blaming the immorality committed by him and the princess for their predicament (Marie 121). In addition, in a more metaphorical sense, Eliduc is also responsible for the death of him and his wife’s marriage; he loses a wife who “is as finely bred as she is faithful to him” (Marie 109); he loses a wife who loves him regardless of his unfaithfulness (Marie 124). Though these two deaths are very different, they are ultimately caused by Eliduc’s failure to stay faithful. Though this poetic narrative has certainly more than one theme (unlike a typical short story), there is a huge emphasis on the deadly consequences of infidelity particularly. Although this narrative does not have one central theme, the fact that it displays a theme more prominent among the others in it is sufficient reason to consider this piece as more of a precursor to the modern style of short narratives.
Truthfully, Marie de France’s Breton lay, “Eliduc” is no short story. Clearly, it lacks elements such a clear plot, a consistent tone and perspective. However, it does show glimpses of being a literary ancestor to the modern day short story Though this poetic narrative lacks many of the elements common to modern day short fictions it undoubtedly displays bits of short story elements such as character developments, character conflicts and themes. Therefore, Marie de France’s “Eliduc” proves it is not only a mere poetic story, but can also be regarded as the one of the forerunners of the modern short