An Introduction to Literary Debate in Late Medieval France: From Le Roman de la Rose to La Belle Dame sans Mercy
By Joan E. McRae
University Press of Florida
ISBN: 9780813069944
Just like us, medieval people enjoyed analysing and discussing their literature. This book explores the lively discussions surrounding two renowned works from medieval France.
Excerpt:
In this study geared to general readers, university students of literature, and those who teach it, we focus on the interpretive game of literary debate as presented through two of the earliest debates over a difficult literary text. The first is the debate over Le Roman de la Rose, an expansive poem of love and life begun by Guillaume de Lorris (ca. 1230), a poet about whom we know little, and finished by Jean de Meun (ca. 1275), a well-known cleric. The second is the quarrel over La Belle Dame sans Mercy, a debate poem between lovers, written in 1424 by Alain Chartier, a royal secretary and highly regarded poet.
Both debates concern more than just the literary text in question. Taken separately or seen together as an ongoing controversy, they broach a range of social issues: the question of gender; the interplay of power and hierarchy in societal relationships such as marriage, the court, and the courtroom; the responsibility of a writer for the effect of his or her work on readers; the role of morality and exemplum in texts, above and beyond the mere pleasure of reading. A web of societal meaning is woven into each of these quarrels; each thread untangled is a point of the debate.
Who is this book for?
Scholars of medieval literature will find this work an interesting read. Le Roman de la Rose is a particularly well-known medieval work and it is fascinating to look at the different views people had about it.
The Author
Joan E. McRae is professor of French and humanities at Middle Tennessee State University. You can learn more about her research on Academia.edu.
An Introduction to Literary Debate in Late Medieval France: From Le Roman de la Rose to La Belle Dame sans Mercy
By Joan E. McRae
University Press of Florida
ISBN: 9780813069944
Just like us, medieval people enjoyed analysing and discussing their literature. This book explores the lively discussions surrounding two renowned works from medieval France.
Excerpt:
In this study geared to general readers, university students of literature, and those who teach it, we focus on the interpretive game of literary debate as presented through two of the earliest debates over a difficult literary text. The first is the debate over Le Roman de la Rose, an expansive poem of love and life begun by Guillaume de Lorris (ca. 1230), a poet about whom we know little, and finished by Jean de Meun (ca. 1275), a well-known cleric. The second is the quarrel over La Belle Dame sans Mercy, a debate poem between lovers, written in 1424 by Alain Chartier, a royal secretary and highly regarded poet.
Both debates concern more than just the literary text in question. Taken separately or seen together as an ongoing controversy, they broach a range of social issues: the question of gender; the interplay of power and hierarchy in societal relationships such as marriage, the court, and the courtroom; the responsibility of a writer for the effect of his or her work on readers; the role of morality and exemplum in texts, above and beyond the mere pleasure of reading. A web of societal meaning is woven into each of these quarrels; each thread untangled is a point of the debate.
Who is this book for?
Scholars of medieval literature will find this work an interesting read. Le Roman de la Rose is a particularly well-known medieval work and it is fascinating to look at the different views people had about it.
The Author
Joan E. McRae is professor of French and humanities at Middle Tennessee State University. You can learn more about her research on Academia.edu.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
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