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Thelais of Marie de France are a series of twelve short narrativeBreton lais by the poetMarie de France. They are written inAnglo-Norman and were probably composed in the late 12th century, most likely between 1155-1170.[1][2] The short, narrative poems generally focus on glorifying the concept ofcourtly love by the adventures of their main characters.[3] Marie's lais are thought to form the basis for what would eventually become the genre known as the Breton lais.[4] Despite her stature inAnglo-Norman literature andmedieval French literature generally, little is known of Marie herself, but it is thought that she was born inFrance and wrote inEngland.
Marie de France's lais, told in octosyllables or eight-syllable verse, are notable for their celebration of love, individuality of character, and vividness of description, hallmarks of the emerging literature of the times. Five differentmanuscripts contain one or more of the lais, but only one, Harley 978, a 13th-century manuscript housed in theBritish Library, preserves all twelve. It has been suggested that if the author had indeed arranged theLais as presented in Harley 978, she may have chosen this overall structure to contrast the positive and negative actions that can result from love.[5] In this manuscript, the odd lais ("Guigemar", "Le Fresne", etc.) praise the characters who express love for other people.[5] By comparison, the even lais, such as "Equitan", "Bisclavret" and so on, warn how love that is limited to oneself can lead to misfortune.[5]
The Harley 978 manuscript also includes a 56-lineprologue in which Marie describes the impetus for her composition of the lais. In the prologue, Marie writes that she was inspired by the example of the ancientGreeks andRomans to create something that would be both entertaining and morally instructive. She also states her desire to preserve for posterity the tales that she has heard. Two of Marie's lais, "Lanval," a very popular work that was adapted several times over the years (including theMiddle EnglishSir Launfal) and "Chevrefoil" ("TheHoneysuckle"), a short composition aboutTristan and Iseult, mentionKing Arthur and hisKnights of the Round Table. Marie's lais were precursors to later works on the subject, and she was probably a contemporary ofChrétien de Troyes, another writer of Arthurian tales.
Marie'slais were among the first works translated intoOld Norse, in which they (and a number of otherlais) are known as theStrengleikar.[6]
(This list follows the sequence of texts found in Harley 978.)
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The full text ofLays of Marie de France at Wikisource
French Mediaeval Romances from the Lays of Marie de France public domain audiobook atLibriVox