Representations of the Self in the Middle English Breton Lays
Starting from the fact that in the time gap between the oldest and the newest of the Breton lays the literary character as such can be seen to emerge, this article goes further to remark that women are the roundest characters. It aims to point out the potentially innovative take of research writers...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Institut du Monde Anglophone
2014-04-01
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| Series: | Etudes Epistémè |
| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/episteme/219 |
| _version_ | 1818450389916188672 |
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| author | Joanny Moulin |
| author_facet | Joanny Moulin |
| author_sort | Joanny Moulin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Starting from the fact that in the time gap between the oldest and the newest of the Breton lays the literary character as such can be seen to emerge, this article goes further to remark that women are the roundest characters. It aims to point out the potentially innovative take of research writers who have applied some of the methods of gender and post-colonial studies to the study of theses medieval texts, considering that the lays, especially those that are adapted translations from Marie de France, are the produce of the ‘post-conquest’ socio-cultural context, in all its lasting complexity. For example, the influence of Bernard de Clairvaux, and especially his notion of the fortis femina (strong woman) offers a potentially fruitful interpretative key to the lays, foregrounding the apology of marriage that turns out to be one of their most unifying themes, as a literary equivalent of bridal theology. The point is then illustrated by a brief comparative study of this thematic narrative, more especially in Sir Orfeo, Sir Degaré, Lay Le Freine, and Sir Launfal, with some references to Chaucer’s Franklin’s Tale as a point of comparison. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T20:50:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-51e1da9ad5fd4fe1a6a50f3a5454fb97 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1634-0450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T20:50:32Z |
| publishDate | 2014-04-01 |
| publisher | Institut du Monde Anglophone |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Etudes Epistémè |
| spelling | doaj.art-51e1da9ad5fd4fe1a6a50f3a5454fb972022-12-21T22:47:49ZengInstitut du Monde AnglophoneEtudes Epistémè1634-04502014-04-012510.4000/episteme.219Representations of the Self in the Middle English Breton LaysJoanny MoulinStarting from the fact that in the time gap between the oldest and the newest of the Breton lays the literary character as such can be seen to emerge, this article goes further to remark that women are the roundest characters. It aims to point out the potentially innovative take of research writers who have applied some of the methods of gender and post-colonial studies to the study of theses medieval texts, considering that the lays, especially those that are adapted translations from Marie de France, are the produce of the ‘post-conquest’ socio-cultural context, in all its lasting complexity. For example, the influence of Bernard de Clairvaux, and especially his notion of the fortis femina (strong woman) offers a potentially fruitful interpretative key to the lays, foregrounding the apology of marriage that turns out to be one of their most unifying themes, as a literary equivalent of bridal theology. The point is then illustrated by a brief comparative study of this thematic narrative, more especially in Sir Orfeo, Sir Degaré, Lay Le Freine, and Sir Launfal, with some references to Chaucer’s Franklin’s Tale as a point of comparison.http://journals.openedition.org/episteme/219 |
| spellingShingle | Joanny Moulin Representations of the Self in the Middle English Breton Lays Etudes Epistémè |
| title | Representations of the Self in the Middle English Breton Lays |
| title_full | Representations of the Self in the Middle English Breton Lays |
| title_fullStr | Representations of the Self in the Middle English Breton Lays |
| title_full_unstemmed | Representations of the Self in the Middle English Breton Lays |
| title_short | Representations of the Self in the Middle English Breton Lays |
| title_sort | representations of the self in the middle english breton lays |
| url | http://journals.openedition.org/episteme/219 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT joannymoulin representationsoftheselfinthemiddleenglishbretonlays |