Marie de France: Poetry

by Marie de France, Dorothy Gilbert (Editor)

Marie de France’s beautiful poems of courtly love, enchantment, and mystery are now available in a Norton Critical Edition. Winner of the 2016 Northern California Book Award for Translation of Poetry. Honorable Mention for the 2015 Modern Language Association's Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize For Translation of a Literary Work. 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 “Yönec,” are accompanied by Marie’s facing-page originals.

"Backgrounds and 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 Similar Themes,” and “Purgatory and the Afterlife.” Ovid, 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 excerpts from nine pieces that address issues of history and authorship as well as major themes in the lais , fables, and Saint Patrick’s Purgatory . The contributors are Thomas Warton, Abbé Gervais de la Rue, Joseph Bedier, Leo Spitzer, R. Howard Bloch, E. A. Francis, Jill Mann, and Jacques Le Goff.

A selected bibliography is also included.

Genres: Poetry, Medieval, Classics, School, History, France

432 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2014

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

[Selena Reiss]

I’ve read Lanval, Yonec, Sir Orfeo, and Chevrefoil. Sir Orfeo is my favorite of them so far. I read these for various classes and I think they’re good precursors to portal fantasy as one of my professors argued, even if I don't love them.

[Jassmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whom God has given intelligence
and the great gift of eloquence
must not conceal these, or keep still,
but share and show them with good will.
When much is heard of some good thing,
then comes its first fine flowering;
when many more have praise to give,
these blossoms flourish, spread and thrive.

I discovered Marie de France by a complete accident, in this article about Guinevere (https://www.worldhistory.org/Guinevere/). I can't even remember why I was reading it, but... the notion of a mediaeval poetess who was a "bestselling" writer in her age only to be almost completely forgotten later... writing about woman rescuing her lover and not the other way around! Like what could there possibly be not to love. So of course, I fell into the rabbit hole of research and fascination with this woman we know (almost) nothing about. It never ceases to fascinate me how clear and unique her voice is, I feel like I can almost see her, but she always remains hidden in her shroud of anonymity. (I need to stop trying to be poetic, but really... this is how she makes me feel.)

Norton Critical Edition
Before we get to Marie's work itself, I need to talk about the edition I picked, because what a piece of art and fine scholarship it is! Dorothy Gilbert deserves all the praise she can get, her translation is spectacular, lively and has a distinctive voice which I can only hope resembles the distinctive voice of Marie herself (I'm not really able to read Old French... yet...). The text is supplemented with abundance of helpful notes, but not so much that it would drown the text itself (I am a note lover, so I could use more of them, but... for ordinary reader I think the balance is perfect).
There is also a selection of added contextual readings, most of which are really interesting - though I can't help but feel tricked by the addition of Chaucer in original (and a few other older texts) which were simply above my pay grade. I slogged my way through them, but really... some vocabulary was supplied, but I could usually guess the words that were translated and struggled with others... But that's just... a very minor complaint. Some criticisms are also included and I loved those as well, especially Joseph Bédier who informs us that "She spills forth a delicate little source of poesie, limpid and thin like the fountains where the fairies bathe in her tales. ... Yes, this literature is suitably feminine..." You just have to feel sorry for the man who is not able to enjoy Marie's exquisite pieces. I was very pleasantly surprised by the contribution from R. Howard Bloch and I'm considering reading his The Anonymous Marie de France in full, even though Jill Mann kind of shredded it in her excerpt from From Aesop to Reynard: Beast Literature in Medieval Britain which I also really loved (and I now really need to read Fables in full).
But I already spend too much time on this. The point is, I highly recommend Norton Critical Edition and especially Dorothy Gilbert's translation. There is a lot of different translation out there, so one needs to be careful which one to pick - this one is in verse (while most of the others are in prose, I believe) and really captures the spirit of Marie's work, in my opinion...

Lais
There is a reason why the Lais are the most famous/favourite of Marie's work, they are spectacular. She takes courtly romances and makes them entirely her own in a way, I wouldn't be afraid to call proto-feminist (making a note for myself to read Roberta Krueger's Beyond Debate: Gender Play in Old French Courtly Fiction. In Gender in Debate from the Early Middle Ages to the Renaissance and Sharon Kinoshita's Cherchez la femme: Feminist Criticism in Marie de France's Lai de Lanval. Romance Notes 34.3 (Spring 1994): 263-73.). I know... I promise to only talk about the actual text from now on...
My favourite of the Lais is easily the first one I read, which introduced Marie to me - that is Lanval. It's an Arthurian legend about a knight whom a fairy princess chooses for her lover - under the condition that he would never tell anyone about her. Which - of course - he does, which gets him in serious troubles and in the end, he is rescued by her. Like... I want this to be a movie, maybe a new Disney fairy-tale? I love that the fairy princess (who remains unnamed for the whole lai, though she is named Tryamor in some later versions of the story) is ultimately the most powerful figure in the whole tale, more powerful than her lover, queen Guinivere and even king Arthur. I'm also intrigued by the fact that she is compared to Semiramis who seems to be viewed positively by Marie? (I need to research this further...)
The fans' favourite would probably by Bisclavret which belongs to my favourites too - simply because it features werewolf... in positive light! This actually isn't that extraordinary - according to some of the extra readings included, but I didn't really know that and I was blown away by the concept. Though the wife is the ultimate villain here...
But to be completely honest, I didn't love all of those; Equitan and Eliduc certainly belong between the more generic ones. Though... I have to admit that I have been fascinated by the theme of adultery that weaves through the whole collection, especially since there seems to be no clear rules on when adultery is wrong and when it's okay, because...
In Equitan we have the adulterers severely punished (to be fair they were also wanna-be murderers). In Eliduc the wife seems to be absolutely cool with letting her husband marry his new love and retires to monastery (though there is the punishing storm...). In Yönec there seems to be no issue with the adultery at all, the husband is evil therefore it's okay. In Laüstic the relationship is never physically fulfilled but the husband definitely comes across as a brute. Milun is especially interesting, because the adulterous relationship precedes the marriage and the lovers only communicates through swan while the lady is married. This whole tale is rather frustrating, but Marie's uncomplicated view of pre-marital sex didn't cease to amaze me (it happens in multiple lais, but the characters are never shamed for it). I'm sorry, I wrote my bachelor thesis on Second circle of Dante's Inferno, so the completely different take on sexuality/lust/love just fascinates me.

Fables
I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed the Fables, because I usually don't much care for those as a genre. Some of those were really funny though (see Fable 43 The Rustic and the Beetle) and lot of those were really interesting social commentaries, some of which could be considered concerning social justice (see F.4 The Dog and the Sheep and most of the fables about Lion, also F.2 The Wolf and the Lamb...). One of my favourites is Fable 21 The Wolf and the Sow which seems to be about inappropriateness of men witnessing childbirth (or maybe - considering the closure - does it tell the exact opposite?).

Along a road a wolf once fared.
A pregnant sow, as it occurred,
he met, a fellow traveler.
Speedily, he accosted her.
He said that he would let her be
if she gave birth immediately,
for he would have those piglets, now!
Sagaciously then spoke the sow:
"Sire, how can I make such haste!
So close to me I see you placed,
I cannot possibly deliver!
Shame at your nearness makes me shiver!
You don't see the significance?
Such deep disgrace all females sense
when male hands touch them, when they dare!
Sire, stay away from this affair!"
The wolf went off then, to conceal
himself; he saw he'd missed his meal.
The sow continued on, set free
by her own ingenuity.

Women all, here's one you should heed
and keep in mind for time of need:
Don't scorn, one time, to tell a lie;
Better your children live than die!

Espurgatoir de Seint Patriz
Probably the least interesting part of the book, but... you know still interesting. It's only a selection from the text, so... it's hard to say anything specific. Since I spend some time studying Dantean Inferno and Purgatory, this text and the selections accompanying it were of some interest to me, but it wasn't something I was hugely interested in right now.

Overall, I'm completely in love with Marie the France and I just need more people to know her, because she deserves to be read and be taught about. This review is a mess, but... it's a sign of my love.

[Natasha Hurwitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read her twelve lais, but I thoroughly enjoyed them!

[Micah Genest · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are wonderful lais (lays) and fables presented in an entertaining, much closer to the original manuscripts, poetic fashion. Also included, thankfully, are a few of the tales in Anglo-Norman. If you are familiar with middle-English and old-French, they are not difficult to access.

This collection of works by Marie de France is more for those looking to get a closer feeling to the poetic form that medieval lais were originally intended to be read.

In addition, there are a few essays for context (as well as other interesting texts) including a little information about courtly love, touching from Ovid's view of love and its impact on the medieval understanding of the courtly style, popularly explored by Andreas Capellanus.

It is great to see Norton Critical Edition take on Marie de France.

[kristen tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
read just the lais for hum + enjoyed !

[Charles Sheard · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I've mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of medieval courtly love, and while I knew what I was getting into here, I was still disappointed that the bulk of all Marie's lais offer little more than such tales of love. Of course, given their importance to literary history, and the refreshing verse of this new translation, they still warrant 4 stars (in comparison to other medieval texts, of course).

In fact, the one I probably like most, the lai de Bisclavret, deals not with courtly love, but with treachery. This tale presents an interesting opposition to Celtic mythology regarding selkies, where the fisherman steals and hides the sealskin so the seal-woman must remain in human form and be his wife, as here the man is a werewolf and the wife convinces her future lover to steal the husband's clothes while he is transformed, without which the husband cannot turn back to human form and the wife lives with the new lover. If I were a young medievalist, I think I would write a paper comparing those.

I also enjoyed the very brief Chevrefoil, which offers a glimpse into a small portion of the Tristan and Yseut myth, and uniquely gives no resolution of the story, neither happy nor sad. It does, however, offer a rare literary turn of symbolism, comparing the lovers to the twining of honeysuckle among the branches of the hazel tree, and their symbiotic lives. Had Marie given us more of that, or more events or actions other than jousting tournaments, or more evocations of place, these would have been richer and more memorable. Unfortunately, it actually reaches the point were at the end of Lanval I am hoping that when he leaps for his lover's horse she would instead spur the horse on faster, leaving him in the dust and fulfilling her promise that he would forever lose her love. Instead, we have to suffer them riding off into the sunset and living happily ever after in Avalon.

As to the selection of Fables, and excerpts from St. Patrick's Purgatory, the former were pleasant without being overly memorable, but I did not care much for the latter.

[Stephen Melvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'm no expert on Anglo Norman literature, nor do I read the language, I am inclined to agree with those hailing Dorothy Gilbert's translation. She manages to (mostly) preserve Marie's metre and rhyme scheme while capturing the sentiment of late-12th-century literary traditions.

The supplemental material is thorough and provides an overall understanding of an obscure corner of literature often ignored by those who aren't students or scholars.

I focused on Marie's Lais, her most famous contribution, chiefly because--should my conference proposal be accepted--I'll be composing an in-depth analysis of "Lanval" as well as other lesser-known entries. Nonetheless, her Fables are an interesting read, second only perhaps to the great Aesop. St. Patrick's Purgatory, the final entry, is also worth a deep dive.

Were I reviewing for only my ilk, I would award 5/5 stars, but I've deducted one because the texts would probably not spark the interest of the general reading population. A far cry from contemporary fiction, the tales here rely heavily on the supernatural and stress the courtly nature and good standing of its heroes and heroines, a shorthand for virtue in Marie's day that no longer works in the 21st century. Their minimalist presentation and the verse form feels archaic when compared with today's output.

Nonetheless, for those readers looking to learn a little about medieval literature, courtly love affairs, or proto-feminist offerings, this book is a great starting point. Marie was one of only a handful of women who published at the time, and her narratives are often a fresh departure from the hyper-masculine texts in circulation contemporaneously.

Of course, even a forward-thinking woman like Marie was still unable to completely break away from the patriarchal norms of her day, and many of her lais are complicated by this notion. I could say more on this, but why give away all the finer points of next year's potential presentation?

[Hugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent translations of Marie de France's works. I quite enjoyed the read. the notes and categorization method were well done and the annotations were enjoyable reads to add context to the texts themselves. I would recommend for those both familiar and unfamiliar with the authors works.

[Emma Whaley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun-ish collection that would be better if they were more understandable.

[Ella Louise Schalski]

Read for exams

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read Lais a year ago, but enjoyed it much more this time. Benefits from contemplation.

[Laura Pettigrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the earliest women writers who doesn’t get the attention she deserves. Bisclavret is a must for fantasy readers with a soft spot for werewolves.

[Marcos Augusto · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

Composed between 1160 and 1180, they lie at the confluence of the two great literary currents of the time. The lyrical poetry of troubadours and old Celtic tales unite in her to embody the sometimes unreasonable dreams of courtly utopia.

In a universe where the seduction of the adventure story never erases the lyrical accent. They tell stories of love and sometimes death, often wonderful. A werewolf, a white doe, a knight-bird, a hawk fairy: adventure always takes on the face of love and love is above all an initiation into life.

[aya · Rating 4 out of 5]

(only read some of the stories)

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Dame, I become a Bisclavret"