26 pages • 52 minutes read
Marie De FranceLe Lai de Lanval
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Works
Le Lai de Lanval by Marie de France, translated by Robert W. Hanning and Joan Ferrante in 1978
This is a poetic, rather than prose, translation of the same lai. It allows the reader to see the poem in a form closer to the original. This translation gives the reader a sense of how much space on the page the poem occupied in its original form. The translators choose to lineate, but do not attempt to replicate the rhymes or meter of the original French.
Le Lai de Lanval by Marie de France, translated by Judith Shoaf in 1991
This version of Marie de France’s poem attempts to mimic some of the rhyme and meter of the original French. However, many lines do not adhere to an eight-syllable meter, and rhymes are not only found in couplets, but also in other patterns. Comparing this translation with the others, a reader can see how word choices differ in order to adhere to formal structures.
“Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart“ by Chrétien de Troyes, translated by W. W. Comfort (1998)
This translation of the medieval French poem was digitized by Paul Halsall for Fordham University. It is sourced from the Online Medieval and Classical Library at Berkeley. “The Knight of the Cart” is the poem in which Lancelot is introduced to the Arthurian canon. Chrétien de Troyes wrote in the same time period as Marie de France. He served as court poet to Marie de Champagne, whose court of love heavily influenced the conceptual development of courtly love.
Further Literary Resources
The Lays of Marie de France translated by David R. Slavitt
AU Press published David R. Slavitt's translations of De France's lays, in which Le Lai de Lanval appears. This allows the reader to view the poem in manuscript form, rather than in a modern edition. The British Library website also features some context about Marie de France and the era in which she lived.
The Lais of Marie de France by Kathy Krause (2020)
This website, hosted by Princeton University, includes a video, links, discussion topics, and other resources. It is geared towards educators and provides helpful context and guidance for those interested in teaching medieval literature.
The Art of Courtly Love by Andreas Capellanus, translated by John Jay Perry (1990)
This 12th-century text outlines the codes of courtly love popularized by French troubadours. Courtly love is a primary theme of Le Lai de Lanval, as well as many other medieval chivalric romances.
Listen to Poem
This reading of the poem is by the Medievalists YouTube channel and offers academic and plain-language explanations of various medieval concepts.
