Lais

By Marie de France

Book Overview

Lais by Marie de France is a collection of twelve short narrative poems written in Anglo-Norman French in the 12th century. Each lai (a type of medieval romance poem) explores themes of courtly love, chivalry, loyalty, and the supernatural. The stories often feature knights, noble ladies, magical animals, or enchanted events, and they usually involve tests of love, identity, and honor.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FK154H4J
• ISBN13: 9798897185603
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Lushena Books
• Length: 114 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

French Medieval Romances

I came to this book sort of through the back door. I was watching a course that I bought on the Western Canon by Harold Bloom. The professor was explaining why Marie de France was included. Even though there are many lays of Marie de France, my first intent was only to read “The Lay of the Werewolf.” Because this was in hand, I could not help but read the whole book. If the story sounds familiar, is probably because there are all sorts of Carl Jung Archetypes; by substituting names, these stories are even similar to those I read of the different Southwest United States Native Americans. For me, there is no danger in reading this book. However, the book is also used to help French students in translation. When I studied German instructor said that he also had learned German through reading and translating the classics. His first trip to Germany was very successful, and people understood what he was saying. However, a lady with a young kid pointed to him and told the kid that he spoke classic ancient German very well. Translated by Eugene Mason (1862 – 1935) With a new select bibliography for today’s students And a retelling of the Lay of the Werewolf (Bisclavert) by Mark Lord The originals of the narratives are to be found in Roquefort’s edition of the Poésies de Marie de France; and a volume of Nouvelles Franςoises en Prose, edited by Moland and D’Héricault; and in M. Gaston Raynaud’s text of La Chatelaine de Vergi. Contains: The Lay of Gugemar The Lay of the Dolorous Knight The Lay of Eliduc The Lay of the Nightingale The Lay of Sir Launfal The Lay of Two Lovers The lay of the Werewolf The Lay of Milon The Lay of Yonex The Lay of the Thorn The Lay of Graelent A Story of Beyond the Sea The Chatelaine of Vergi Bisclavert (The Werewolf): A short story by Mark Lord (2010)

Proud Knight Fair Lady

This is the twelve lays from Marie de France. The illustrations are magnificent and tweaked the curiosity of my young daughters. I often read them these stories from a tattered copy that I own as bedtime stories. They remember them and I was searching for a current copy. Any young child who is interested in princesses or knights of shining armour would enjoy these actual tales written from medieval times.

charming old romances

This is a wonderful collection of old old Breton tales written into poems by Marie de France in the 12th century. Who exactly Marie was is a bit of an enigma, as the introduction to the book explains. But she was unquestionably a gifted writer: her lais, written to entertain courtly audiences, vary colourfully one from another, and positively sparkle with romance, passion, and wit. Mostly they tell of grand loves between courtly young men and comely noble maidens, and there is some great obstacle to overcome. Some endings are happy, others tragic; there is always a great test of the spirit, with notions of loyalty, honesty, honour, and true love playing into the mix. The scenes when lovers get together can be downright ... (in a subtle medieval sort of way). The translation puts the poems into prose, though the language remains poetic. Altogether, you can see why these gems of stories have lasted 800+ years.

Twelfth Century Lais can't be wrong!

The Lais of Marie de France is a wonderful collection of some of the best lais known to man! We were asked to read this book for my World Masterpieces class, and I must say that I'm glad that I did. Although many of the lais are short in length, you gain a valuable understanding of the way of life in ancient France as well as helpful knowledge for problems you may have in the love department.

Pithy parables, rich with symbolism and plot twists!

Marie was a gifted writer, navigating the "lais" genre with skill, surprising wit, and compassion for her characters. It's amazing how much she can say in 800 odd lines. One can read these stories as beautifully written bedside table stories, but they are also profound, candid observations on the nature of love, men, women, jealousy and the process of redemption. Marie spends most of her words on plot description, but they are so well chosen that one finds after reading a few that anything she says is deeply connected to the core message of the lais. The stories are not about distant, courtly love; their characters are men and women who requite their love, sometimes suffering consequences, always changing. Marie is unparralleled among Midieval female writers. She reads like Jane Austen.