Monday, January 26, 2015

Marie De France 1150?-1200?

              Marie De France was an English writer who produced heartfelt poems concerning romance and the trials of love.  Little is known about France but that she lived around the 12th c.  The language in her works suggest that she had some connection with the Duke of Normandy and Henry II who was the king of England during that time period.  Some guess France might have been illegitimate offspring of royal blood; therefore, was sent to a convent a young age.  
Questions for the class
  •    Did you find any symbolism within the story? 
  • List some comparisons and contrasts of the poems to modern culture.
  •  Describe in detail what exactly is "Avalun"? Where else does it come up in other pieces of literature?
  •  Do some research and find out more about how women were thought as and treated in that time and culture. Is France’s take on a women being a hero in Lanval unusual compared to different literature in that time? 
  •  What are some current examples of “forbidden love” in modern culture as portrayed in Nightingale?  

Work Cited
Puchner, Martin. "Marie De France." The Norton Anthology: World Literature. Shorter Third ed. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 1029-1048. Print.

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