The Romance of the Rose (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

by Guillaume de Lorris (Author), Jean de Meun (Author), Frances Horgan (Translator) "Some say that there is nothing in dreams but lies and fables; however, one may have dreams which are not in the least deceitful, but..." (more)
Key Phrases: fair son, par amour, fair friend, Fair Welcome, Evil Tongue, False Seeming (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
De Lorris and de Meun's 13th-century allegorical romance was, as Horgan notes in the introduction to her new translation, a bestseller in its day.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
This is a readable and reliable line-by-line translation of the Roman de la Rose, based on Ernest Langlois's 1914-24 edition. The first in modern English prose, it is particularly valuable for its faithful rendering of the imagery of the original on which . . . so much of the poem's irony depends. -- Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192839489
• ISBN-13: 978-0192839480
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #312,401 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #81 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Love Poems
  #89 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Classics > Medieval

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prefer the unexpurgated translation , March 22, 2005

By	Theodore Greenwood "Theodore" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

Nothing wrong with this edition. Just thought that people might want to know that there is another translation out there that is easier to read AND more fun. It's the translation in blank verse published in unabridged and unexpurgated form by Meridian (0452010837), and edited by Charles W. Dunn, one of the finest modernizations of a medieval classic ever published. The translation was the life's work of Professor Harry W. Robbins.

35 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Allegory continued, March 18, 2000

By	C. Gilbert "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Romance of the Rose (Paperback)

The Romance of the Rose is the famous and much discussed 13th century allegorical romance. It consists of two parts of unequal length-- the first shorter part by Guillaume de Lorris and the second longer part continued 40 years after de Lorris' death by Jean de Meun. Throughout the medieval period, this was one of the most widely read book in the French language.

Scholars have rather endlessly debated how unified the allegory really is, and the trend recently seems to have shifted to seeing the two authors as less in opposition, and more composing a complete treatment of courtly Love.

For the casual (non-academic) reader like myself, the experience is rather less unified. The de Lorris section is quite lyrical and fits more with what I imagine an allegorical dream poem to be. When Idleness leads the dreamer into the garden of Diversion and when Love shoots him with the five deadly arrows that bind him to the Rose, the imagery is compelling and lovely.

On the other hand, the second part, while often *very* funny is much more obviously satirical with long digressions that focus more on social mores than on the world of the Dreamer as established in the first half. The effect is sort of like a serious and literary Spike Jones song-- which is not at all a bad thing.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chivalry and Medieval Romance at it's Best, November 16, 2005

By	Antiquarian (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This is a very relaxing yet thought-provoking allegory of life and love, but primarily love. I first heard of it in the film "Shadowlands", about the great C.S. Lewis. After having bought it and read it after hearing Anthony Hopkins describe it to his character's Oxford students in the film, I see it's significance in both that particular film and as a remarkable work of literature which, in it's day, seemed to have been far more popular than even the "Canterbury Tales"; more than twice as many original manuscripts of RotR exist today than of "Canterbury". The Romance of the Rose is fluid, metaphorical, philosophical, lyric and, of course, very romantic. An exquisite illustration of courtly love.