Marie de France’s Lai, Lanval
Marie de France seems to have been one of the earliest figures of feminist thinking. Within a period of conventional particularity marked by a traditional and unique literature, her writings stood out vigorously. It may be logical to think that this sparkle was the simple outcome of her sex but it would be undermining the power of her words and the choices she has made in depicting the medieval society which she indisputably perceived from a female angle. She has presented a series of fables – a traditional French poetry form – known as “Les Lais de Marie De France” in which she had selectively told a few mythical stories in a classic rhythmic manner, common to the earlier ages of French ...
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introduction setting her story within the traditional Arthurian Legend. Her main protagonist, Lanval, is living in a kingdom in which he finds himself to be an outcast, a stranger, unappreciated and unwelcomed by many. Son of a king himself, from a far away land, the author distinguishes her hero from what she seemingly perceives as the prototype of a corrupt society ruled by greed, envy and false values as well as an unjust king. An interesting contrast is brought to the surfice putting Lanval, the well bread, courteous knight on one end and the supposedly honorable Round Table knights who, just as their ruler, have no sense of justice or virtue, on the other. The Irony here is that “the members of the Round Table – [who] had no equal in all the world” are envious of Lanval for his “valor, generosity, his beauty, his prowess” when they should be above such sentiments. These men are generally associated with wisdom, dignity and respect particularly vis-à-vis a person “of high ...
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being victimized is a common feature of medieval literature. The nuance however is in Marie de France’s attempt to criticize her society through the subtle portrayal of a careless king. It was a common Christian belief that the King was only king by divine power. And so, his person reflected both God and his people as he almost half-man half-god. Could it be that Marie de France was a secular thinker? It may have been too early to publicly discuss secularism in the middle ages, but her style, tonality and subtle critiques do unveil some signs of secular thought.
An omnipresent theme of solitude and isolation found throughout the fable further deepens the cleavage between Lanval and ...
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"Marie de France’s Lai, Lanval." Essayworld.com. April 7, 2011. Accessed April 27, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Marie-de-Frances-Lai-Lanval/97787.
"Marie de France’s Lai, Lanval." Essayworld.com. April 7, 2011. Accessed April 27, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Marie-de-Frances-Lai-Lanval/97787.
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