The Life of Saint Audrey: A Text by Marie De France

by Marie de France, June Hall McCash (Translator), Judith Clark Barban (Translator)

Preserved in a single manuscript in the British library, the Life of Saint Audrey or Vie Seinte Audree is the story of an Anglo-Saxon princess, who, though twice married, remains a virgin until her death. Her tale reveals that spiritual marriage was not an easy path to sainthood, particularly with an unwilling husband. The text is a fine example of what some critics have called a hagiographical romance--a saint's life that borrows many characteristics from secular romance. Recent scholarship, thoroughly discussed in this book's introduction, suggests that the Vie Seinte Audree is a fourth text by Marie de France, to whom the Fables , the Lais , and the Espurgatoire Seint Patriz have been attributed. Written in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century, the Vie Seinte Audree is published here for the first time in English, along with the Old French text. The editors of this new edition provide helpful material on the life of the historical Saint Etheldreda (as St. Audrey is called in Latin) and her Anglo-Saxon world. They also discuss women's writing in Anglo-Norman England as well as the subject of spiritual marriage. In addition, they examine secondary sources that have focused on the Vie Seinte Audree . A map of seventh-century England, a table of proper names and a genealogical chart of the Royal Lineage of Saint Audrey are all included.

Genres: Medieval

297 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Marie de France ("Mary of France", around 1135-1200) was a poet evidently born in France and living in England during the late 12th century. Virtually nothing is known of her early life, though she wrote a form of continental French[citation needed:] that was copied by Anglo-Norman scribes. Therefore, most of the manuscripts of her work bear Anglo-Norman traits. She also translated some Latin literature and produced an influential version of Aesop's Fables.

Reviews

[Evie Bamforth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my texts for uni but I really enjoyed seeing a dominant female role in a medieval text who is very unapologetic for her beliefs and actions so pop off audrey - will read again!

[jessica isnt cool · Rating 1 out of 5]

one of the WORST translations i have ever read of ANY medieval poem - or to be honest, any poem. genuinely abysmal. it seems to me they did not even try to make it beautiful. if the original is like this (which it is not, by the way because it at least has a rhyme scheme) then perhaps at least try to contain the sentiments in a less dull way. genuinely horrible. i had to read this for my course but i would not wish this on ANYONE to read.
the lack of care is solidified not only by many typos (particularly of names) but also of the attribution to marie de france. WE DONT KNOW IF SHE WROTE THIS!

not good.
and to be honest even if the translation was even half as more interesting i still would have disliked it, partially for the reason that the plot is so convoluted. but i will not gripe with the medieval way of writing since that is what is sometimes done. they can’t all be boccaccio et al. but they can certainly do better plot wise than this.

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not my favorite Anglo-Norman hagiography, but it's not without its merits. Readers should be aware that the translator audaciously marketed this text as being by Marie de France when there is still a considerable amount of disagreement between distinguished scholars regarding the authorship.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review of can be found here: http://hefenfelth.wordpress.com/2008/...