The Lais of Marie de France

featuring H. M. Cushman, Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature

The medieval antecedents of the modern short story

—Marie de France is the earliest known French woman poet and her lais—stories in verse based on Breton tales of chivalry and romance—are among the finest of the genre. —Penguin Classics

—The Lais of Marie de France changed romantic writing forever, challenging social norms and the views of the church during the twelfth century concerning both love and the role of women. Her condensed yet powerful imagery remains timeless, still relevant and evocative to modern day readers.—Digireads.com

—The 12 Lais of Marie de France offer one of the most striking collections of short narrative poems of the 12th century—two centuries before Chaucer.—Audible.com

—Popular with readers across countries and languages since their composition, the Lais have made their author, Marie, one of the most famous women writers of the Middle Ages, renowned for her brilliant use of language and cultural allusion as well as her keen eye for human behavior.—Broadview Press

—The Lais exemplified the ideas of courtly love and were hugely influential in the late twelfth century, especially for the progression of what we might call feminism of the time period.—Amazon.com

(FYI: Marie de France is the subject of Lauren Groff’s National Book Award Finalist and NYT Best-selling historical novel Matrix.)

Meeting Date: Mondays, November 7 and 14

Cost: $40, includes a copy of the book shipped to your home

Register online or call 919.962.1544