The Lais of Marie de France (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

by Marie de France (Author), Glyn S. Burgess (Translator, Introduction), Keith Busby (Translator, Introduction) "Whoever has good material for a story is grieved if the tale is not well told..." (more)
Key Phrases: fet ele, The Unhappy One, The Four Sorrows

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Marie de France (fl. late twelfth century) is the earliest known French woman poet and her lais - stories in verse based on Breton tales of chivalry and romance - are among the finest of the genre. Recounting the trials and tribulations of lovers, the lais inhabit a powerfully realized world where very real human protagonists act out their lives against fairy-tale elements of magical beings, potions and beasts. "De France" takes a subtle and complex view of courtly love, whether telling the story of the knight who betrays his fairy mistress or describing the noblewoman who embroiders her sad tale on the shroud for a nightingale killed by a jealous and suspicious husband.

Language Notes
Text: English (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics; 2nd edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140447598
• ISBN-13: 978-0140447590
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #63,617 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #40 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Single Authors > Continental European
  #73 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Ancient, Classical & Medieval

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtly Love Critique, March 30, 2001

By	ninjasuperstar (Iowa) - See all my reviews

Like The Romance of Tristan and Iseult, The Lais of Marie De France offer the reader more than the literal. There is high emphasis placed on the symbolism of animals. There are dead nightingales, weasels that know the secret to new life, a jilted werewolf, and others. The lais and Tristan and Iseult were written during the same time period, as evidenced by the lai entitled "Chevrefoil," which retells one of the closing scenes in The Romance of Tristan and Iseult.

Most of the lais follow the courtly love tradition, but often with a twist of the opposite, especially in "Eliduc." Courtly love challenges the institution of marriage and other social conventions. It examines the problems that arise when people fall in love: selfishness, disloyalty, and violence.

I do fear that there is a lot lost in the English translation. The lais were originally long French poems, but the translation is presented as prose. However, where the music of the language lacks, the consequences of the work remain.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The French Renaissance of the 12th Century., May 18, 2006

By	Jan Dierckx (Belgium, Turnhout) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Before the famous Italian Renaissance, you could speak of a French Renaissance in the 12th century as far as literature is concerned.
In Southern France there were the Troubadours, singers and poets, often part of the nobility or their entourage. In the North of France you had Chretien de Troyes and his Arthurian romances and the Lais of Marie de France, to name only two of the most important.
The 'Roman de la Rose' was written in the 13th cent. but is probably the most important masterwork of the French Renaissance.

About the person of Marie de France almost nothing is known for certain.Her 'Lais' - stories about romance or adventure - are based upon the popular and folkloristic tales that already existed for centuries in Bretagne - a region close to where the Atlantic meets the North-Sea.
These stories were handed down from generation to generation by story tellers.
The Lais of Marie de France excel by diversity. There are love stories - of course - but also vivid descriptions of
tournaments and even a story about a werewolf.
Marie de France proofs that medieval literature can be entertaining.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars charming old romances, November 9, 2002

By	m-starr (Washington D.C. area) - See all my reviews

This is a wonderful collection of old old Breton tales written into poems by Marie de France in the 12th century. Who exactly Marie was is a bit of an enigma, as the introduction to the book explains. But she was unquestionably a gifted writer: her lais, written to entertain courtly audiences, vary colourfully one from another, and positively sparkle with romance, passion, and wit. Mostly they tell of grand loves between courtly young men and comely noble maidens, and there is some great obstacle to overcome. Some endings are happy, others tragic; there is always a great test of the spirit, with notions of loyalty, honesty, honour, and true love playing into the mix. The scenes when lovers get together can be downright ... (in a subtle medieval sort of way). The translation puts the poems into prose, though the language remains poetic. Altogether, you can see why these gems of stories have lasted 800+ years.