The Lais of Marie De France
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Product Description
Product Description
Marie de France (fl. late twelfth century) is the earliest known French woman poet and her lais - stories in verse based on Breton tales of chivalry and romance - are among the finest of the genre. Recounting the trials and tribulations of lovers, the lais inhabit a powerfully realized world where very real human protagonists act out their lives against fairy-tale elements of magical beings, potions and beasts. De France takes a subtle and complex view of courtly love, whether telling the story of the knight who betrays his fairy mistress or describing the noblewoman who embroiders her sad tale on the shroud for a nightingale killed by a jealous and suspicious husband.
About the Author
Glyn S. Burgess is currently Professor of French and Head of Department at the University of Liverpool. He has translated 'The Song of Roland' for Penguin Classics and he has published widely on 12th-century courtly literature.
Keith Busby is George Lynn Cross Research Professor of French and Director of the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Whoever has good material for a story is grieved if the tale is not well told. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Whoever has good material for a story is grieved if the tale is not well told. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Before the famous Italian Renaissance, you could speak of a French Renaissance in the 12th century as far as literature is concerned.
In Southern France there were the Troubadours, singers and poets, often part of the nobility or their entourage. In the North of France you had Chrétien de Troyes and his Arthurian romances and the Lais of Marie de France, to name only two of the most important.
The 'Roman de la Rose' was written in the 13th cent. but is probably the most important masterwork of the French Renaissance.
About the person of Marie de France almost nothing is known for certain.Her 'Lais' - stories about romance or adventure - are based upon
the popular and folkloristic tales that already existed for centuries in Bretagne - a region close to where the Atlantic meets the North-Sea.
These stories were handed down from generation to generation by story tellers.
The Lais of Marie de France excel by diversity. There are love stories - of course - but also vivid descriptions of
tournaments and even a story about a werewolf.
Marie de France proofs that medieval literature can be entertaining.
In Southern France there were the Troubadours, singers and poets, often part of the nobility or their entourage. In the North of France you had Chrétien de Troyes and his Arthurian romances and the Lais of Marie de France, to name only two of the most important.
The 'Roman de la Rose' was written in the 13th cent. but is probably the most important masterwork of the French Renaissance.
About the person of Marie de France almost nothing is known for certain.Her 'Lais' - stories about romance or adventure - are based upon
the popular and folkloristic tales that already existed for centuries in Bretagne - a region close to where the Atlantic meets the North-Sea.
These stories were handed down from generation to generation by story tellers.
The Lais of Marie de France excel by diversity. There are love stories - of course - but also vivid descriptions of
tournaments and even a story about a werewolf.
Marie de France proofs that medieval literature can be entertaining.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An excellent Penguin classic complete with notes, a must for lovers of old poetry styles, something to be savoured and re-read many times
Format:Paperback
A charming book of short lais written by Marie de France of the 12th Century. The tales differ slightly, but all bear the same themes of chivalry and courtly love. The tales are charming and incredibly easy to follow as the book is written in modern English prose, rather than original Old French tales written in verse.
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