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The Lais of Marie de France (Penguin Classics) Paperback – June 1, 1999

by Marie de France (Author), Glyn S. Burgess (Translator, Introduction), Keith Busby (Translator, Introduction)

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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.

The Lais of Marie de France (Penguin Classics)

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Product Details

Series: Penguin Classics
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Penguin Classics; 2nd edition (June 1, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0140447598
ISBN-13: 978-0140447590
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 7.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #100 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Ancient, Classical & Medieval > Ancient & Classical
- #230 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Regional & Cultural > European

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Customer Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars

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4 star		48%
3 star		14%
2 star		3%
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

The French Renaissance of the 12th Century.

By Jan Dierckx on May 18, 2006

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

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.

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37 of 40 people found the following review helpful

Courtly Love Critique

By ninjasuperstar on March 30, 2001

Format: Paperback

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.

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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

Girl Power, Medieval Style

By A Customer on November 17, 2003

Format: Paperback

The Lais of Marie de France, aside from being a landmark in the history of literature, are a collection of romantic stories that transcend time. I absolutely love the power and authority Marie de France assigns to her female characters. She juxtaposes the social superiority of men during the late twelfth century with abnormally strong women. The effect can be both compelling and saddening, while always poignant. In the Lai du Lanval, Marie de France creates a larger-than-life female character whose authority and affluence eclipse even King Arthur's grandeur. She essentially tells a love story in reverse, wherein the woman, as the figurative 'white knight',
rescues the man, who plays the role of the 'damsel in distress'. Also, in the Lai du Laustic, she tells the tale of a woman who falls in love with her neighbor and uses the chirping of a nightingale to justify her late night meetings with him. When her husband grows tired of her leaving the bed each
night, he has the nightingale killed so that his wife can sleep. Without the nightingale's chirping, she cannot talk to her love, thus, as an explanation of their bad fortune, she wraps the dead bird and sends it to her lover. This particular lai exposes the sad, immutable predicament of arranged marriages. Marie de France uses clever and subtle ways to describe the complications of love and marriage, which make her writing so uniquely profound.
More specifically, I believe the Penguin Classic's edition of The Lais of Marie de France is an excellent version to study. Compared to other translations I've read, this is the most readable. The translators, Glyn S. Burgess and Keith Busby make it clear in their Translator's note that their aim was to stay as close to the original written word as possible.Read more ›

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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful

charming old romances

By m-starr on November 9, 2002

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

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.

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

The Lais of Marie de France

By A Customer on October 30, 2003

Format: Paperback

The version of The Lais of Marie de France, translated by Glyn Burgess and Keith Busby, is a substantial collection of lays by Marie de France. Though little is known about the writer, Burgess and Busby provide a thorough presentation of the literary evidence relevant to the question of authorship. Furthermore, they discuss the literary history of previous compilations of Marie's lays, laying a broad foundation for even the amateur reader of medieval literature.
The lays in this collection are themselves rich and thematically diverse. Through the literature, Marie makes sharp criticism of medieval gender roles, examines the character and dynamics of Arthur's court, and challenges the modern view of marriage and love. In the story "Lanval," Marie even makes a start towards defining a woman's beauty. To credit of the translators, her stories are both straightforward and accessible to the modern reader. This collection is highly recommended, and well worth the price.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Good deal

Everything as described. Fast shipping

Published 3 months ago by Juan Jaime Banuelos

Five Stars

fast shipment as described.

Published 5 months ago by Jeff B.

Charming stories

5th century stories for a 12th century audience. The author seems to have a sense of humor and does some personalizing. It would have been nice to know her.

Published 6 months ago by Judith N. Alger

Two Stars

blah

Published 8 months ago by Emily Duran

Great stories from a unique source.

Many of the stories are fun to read and entertaining in their own right. Moreover, it is not often one can get a glimpse into the mind of a medieval noblewoman and it is delightful... Read more

Published 14 months ago by UFPETE

Good seller

fast and good

Published 17 months ago by Michelle M. Davis

Wish Amazon would do something about the Kindles not having page numbers. This is the same editions my class used physically, so page numbers would have been nice.

Published 19 months ago by Aleja Allen

As Advertised.

It's okay, not great. The collection has all the lais organized in order and read pretty well. Not sure what to say really, it's as advertised, chances are you're buying this and... Read more

Published 24 months ago by Charles W

redondent

Starts out good but gets old really fast. Easy to read though. Glad it wasn't very expensive to purchess when needed.

Published on July 31, 2013 by catherine canavan

Intriguing

This collection of tales written by a 12th century French woman presents us not only with enchanting stories in the vein of Arthurian legends, but also a glimpse into the... Read more

Published on March 19, 2013 by E. Strickenburg

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