Marie de France

A prose retelling of the narrative poems, composed in the twelth century by Marie of France, dealing with courtly love, chivalric adventure, and the struggle between good and evil.

Les lais de Marie de France is a collection of narrative poems written by the medieval French poet known as Marie de France. This work, believed to have been composed in the 12th century, consists of twelve lais, which are short romantic and fantastical stories written in verse form. Marie de France's lais draw inspiration from Celtic and Arthurian legends, as well as medieval courtly love traditions. Each lai tells a standalone tale, often centered around themes of love, desire, adventure, and supernatural elements. The stories feature a range of characters, including knights, noble ladies, fairies, werewolves, and shape-shifters, creating a rich tapestry of medieval folklore. One of the remarkable aspects of Les lais de Marie de France is the poet's skillful use of language and poetic techniques. Marie de France's writing style combines elegance, lyricism, and vivid imagery, transporting the readers to the imaginative and enchanting world of her narratives. While the lais explore themes of love and desire, they also touch upon deeper subjects such as loyalty, fate, and the complexities of human relationships. Marie de France's works offer insights into the social and cultural values of medieval society, providing a glimpse into the courtly and chivalric ideals of the time. Les lais de Marie de France is recognized as a significant contribution to medieval literature, particularly in the realm of romance and narrative poetry. Its influence can be seen in later works of literature, including the Arthurian legends and the development of the romance genre. Overall, this collection of lais showcases Marie de France's talent as a storyteller and her ability to capture the imagination of her readers through tales of love, adventure, and magic.

9-10th grade

Marie de France is regarded as the first female poet writing in French. Most of the details of her life are lost to history, and even though she was thought to have lived and composed mostly in England—perhaps at the court of King Henry II—she herself says she is of France. The Lais were likely composed in the 1170s in the Anglo-Norman language, the language of the Norman conquerors of England. The lais, or lays, are a collection of twelve medieval poems attributed to Marie, telling tales of chivalry, knights, ladies, and love lost and found. A streak of the fantastical runs through them: ships sail themselves without a crew, animals speak, and knights shapeshift to werewolves or hawks—the better to fly into ladies’ towers.

Contains: [The Call of the Wild](/works/OL14942956W), novel by [Jack London](/authors/OL44633A) The Wolf and the Dog, poem by [Marie de France](/authors/OL423185A) Essay from [The Hidden Life of Dogs](/works/OL3295011W) by [Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](/authors/OL538952A) The Wolf Said to Francis, poem by A. G. Rochelle The Man Who Was a Horse, short story by [Julius Lester](/authors/OL4348040A) Unsentimental Mother, narrative by [Sally Carrighar](/authors/OL886831A) Long Duel*, short story by Robert Murphy

"Written by a woman in an age when women rarely wrote and signed by one who calls herself Marie in an epilogue strikingly similar to that of the Fables of Marie de France, the Vie seinte Audree is a late 12th or early 13th-century Anglo Norman text. "--Provided by publisher

"Marie de France was a medieval poet who was probably born in France and who lived in England during the twelfth century. Prominent among the earliest poets writing in the French vernacular, Marie de France helped shape the style and genres of later medieval poetry. This Norton Critical Edition includes all of Marie's lais (short narrative verse poems); selected fables; and a generous excerpt from Saint Patrick's Purgatory, a long poem based on a well-known medieval legend. Each text is accompanied by detailed explanatory annotations. For comparative reading, two lais, "Bisclavret" and "Yonec," are accompanied by Marie's facing-page originals. "Contexts" is thematically organized to provide readers with a clear sense of Marie's Inspirations. Topics include "The Supernatural," "Love and Romance," "Medical Traditions," "Fable Sources and Analogues: Similar Themes," and "Purgatory and the Afterlife." Ovid, St. Augustine, King Cnut, Chaucer, Andreas Capellanus, Boccaccio, Aristotle, and Bede are among the authors included. From the wealth of scholarly work published on Marie de France, Dorothy Gilbert has chosen eight essays that address issues of history and authorship as well as major themes in the lais, fables, and Saint Patrick's Purgatory. The contributions are Thomas Warton, Abbe Gervais de la Rue, Joseph Bedier, Leo Spitzer, R. Howard Bloch, E. A. Francis, Jill Mann, and Jacques LeGoff" --