Marie de France ("Mary of France") was a poet evidently born in France and living in England during the late 12th century. Virtually nothing is known of her early life, though she wrote a form of Anglo-Norman. She also translated some Latin literature and produced an influential version of Aesop's Fables. Marie de France was one of the best Old-French poets of the twelfth century. She identifies herself only as Marie who originated in France. Nothing else definite is known about her. [edit] Life and works Although her actual name is now unknown, she is referred to as "Marie de France" after a line in one of her published works: "Marie ai num, si sui de France," which translates as "My name is Marie, and I am from France.", that is central Île-de-France province at that time. Some of the most widely accepted candidates for the poet are[1] Marie, Abbess of Shaftesbury and half-sister to Henry II, King of England; Marie, Abbess of Reading; Marie de Boulogne; Marie, Abbess of Barking;[2][3] and Marie de Meulan, wife of Hugh Talbot.[4][5][6] Four works have been attributed to Marie de France: The Lais of Marie de France (a collection of twelve short narrative poems not unlike shortened versions of romances), the one hundred and two "Ysopet" fables, a retelling of the Legend of the Purgatory of St. Patrick, and, most recently, a saint's life called La Vie seinte Audree about Saint Audrey of Ely. Scholars have dated Marie's works between about 1160 at the earliest, and about 1215 at the latest, though it is probable that they were written between about 1170 and 1205. One of her works, the Lais, is dedicated to a "noble king", another to a "Count William". It is thought that the king referred to is either Henry II of England or his eldest son, "Henry the Young King". The Count William in question is, most likely, either William of Mandeville or William Marshall. It has been suggested that Marie de France was a member of the court Henry II and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. In 1816, the English poet Matilda Betham wrote a long poem about Marie de France in octosyllabic couplets, "The Lay of Marie". What is known from others:[1] The English poet Denis Piramus ( Vie Seint Edmund le rei, after 1170) refers to her as "dame Marie," emphasizing her noble rank, the scholar Claude Fauchet was the first to coin the name "Marie de France" in his Recueil de l’origine de la langue et poésie françoise (1581). Both the historical circumstances of the manuscripts containing her texts, and linguistic elements of Anglo-Norman, suggest that she lived in England during her adult life, but it seems most likely that she was born in France, probably in the Bretagne. Historical Context:[7] Twelfth century was period of change and transformation in medieval European culture and society: increased economic production and trade; prosperity, splendor, luxury, and entertainment at the courts of aristocrats; development of a sophisticated courtly culture celebrating love, courtesy, gallantry, and the enjoyment of the arts (poetry, music, dance, etc.) Crusades: Christian European military enterprise seeking to gain control of the Holy Land (Palestine). Though claiming spiritual motivations, the Crusades had much to do with looting and pillaging of both pagan and Christian lands and opening and controlling vital trade routes with the East. The First Crusade was called by Pope Urban II and resulted in the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099. Though often resulting in military disasters, the Crusades brought to Europe an unprecedented influx of Eastern riches (silks, spices, jewels, etc.) which radically transformed the way of life of aristocrats. Court of Henry II (r. 1154-1189) and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine; parents of Richard the Lionheart and John Lackland Rise of women like Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) and her daughter, Marie de Champagne, to positions of power and influence; role of women as patrons in the development of courtly culture; powerful women as centers of a courtly culture of love promoting values of courtesy and refinement in human behavior and relationships Courtly love: practices of amorous dalliance at the courts, often involving adulterous relationships which were celebrated in poetry and narrative; jealous and brutish old husbands are portrayed as the villains in a variety of tales and poems, while beautiful ladies and their lovers (young knights, talented poets, witty clerks) enjoy themselves at their expense Courtly literature: love poetry composed by courtly poets known as troubadours (e.g. Bernart de Ventadorn, in southern France) and trouvères (e.g. Thibaut de Champagne, in northern France); also narrative poetic romances telling stories of love and adventure (e.g. the Lais of Marie de France and the romances of Chrêtien de Troyes). The animosity of the Catholic Church against the courtly culture of southern France led to the launching of a military and moral crusade against the supposed heresies practiced there (Albigensian Crusade, 1209-1229). The crusaders looted and destroyed all the main cultural centers of southern France and effectively put an end to courtly culture. - ^ a b Classen, Albrecht (2003-09-15). "Marie de France". The Literary Encyclopedia. http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5494. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
- ^ Rossi, Carla (2007). Marie, ki en sun tens pas ne s'oblie; Maria di Francia: la Storia oltre l'enigma. Rome: Bagatto Libri.
- ^ Rossi, Carla (2009). Marie de France et les èrudits de Cantorbéry. Paris: Editions Classiques Garnier.
- ^ Holmes, Urban T. (1932), "New thoughts on Marie de France", Studies in Philology 29: 1–10
- ^ Grillo, Peter R. (1988), "Was Marie de France the Daughter of Waleran II, Count of Meulan?", Medium Aevum 57: 269–273
- ^ Pontfarcy, Yolande de (1995), "Si Marie de France était Marie de Meulan", Cahiers de Civilisation Medievale (Xe-XIIe Siecles) 38: 353–61
- ^ Fajardo-Acosta, Fidel (2002). "Marie de France (12th c.)". Dr. Fidel Fajardo-Acosta's World Literature Website. http://fajardo-acosta.com/worldlit/marie/index.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
[edit] References - Blain, Virginia, et al. "Marie de France," The Feminist Companion to Literature in English (Yale UP, 1990, 714).
- McCash, June Hall, "La Vie seinte Audree, A Fourth Text by Marie de France." Speculum (July 2002): 744-777.
- Watt, Diane, 'Medieval Women's Writing' (Polity, 2008).
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