The lais of Marie de France are a series of twelve short narrative Breton lais by the poet Marie de France. They are written in Anglo-Norman and were probably composed in the late 12th century, most likely between 1155–1170. The short, narrative poems generally focus on glorifying the concept of courtly love by the adventures of their main characters. Marie's lais are thought to form the basis for what would eventually become the genre known as the Breton lais. Despite her stature in Anglo-Norman literature and medieval French literature generally, little is known of Marie herself, but it is thought that she was born in France and wrote in England.

Literacy characters

Marie de France's lais, told in octosyllables or eight-syllable verse, are notable for their celebration of love, individuality of character, and vividness of description, hallmarks of the emerging literature of the times. Five different manuscripts contain one or more of the lais, but only one, Harley 978, a 13th-century manuscript housed in the British Library, preserves all twelve. It has been suggested that if the author had indeed arranged the Lais as presented in Harley 978, she may have chosen this overall structure to contrast the positive and negative actions that can result from love. In this manuscript, the odd lais ("Guigemar", "Le Fresne", etc.) praise the characters who express love for other people.

Lais

(This list follows the sequence of texts found in Harley 978.)

  • Guigemar
  • Equitan
  • Le Fresne ('The Ash Tree')
  • Bisclavret ('The Werewolf')
  • Lanval
  • Les Deux Amants ('The Two Lovers')
  • Yonec
  • Laüstic ('The Nightingale')
  • Milun
  • Chaitivel ('The Unhappy One')
  • Chevrefoil ('The Honeysuckle')
  • Eliduc

See also

  • Anglo-Norman literature
  • Medieval literature

Notes and references

  • The Lais of Marie de France in Old French from Wikisource
  • The Lais of Marie de France: a verse translation trans. by Judith P. Shoaf (Gainesville, FL: University of Floria, 1991–96)
  • The Lays of Marie de France, trans. by David R. Slavitt (Edmonton: AU Press, 2013)
  • The International Marie de France Society
  • L'Amour et les amoureux dans les lais de Marie de France
  • The Lays of Marie de France, translated by David R. Slavitt