Romantic Love in Marie de France’s Poem, Lanval

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Romantic Love in Marie de France’s Poem, Lanval

In her poem "Lanval," Marie de France shares a fantasy with her readers, telling the tale of a mysterious woman who journeys from a distant land to be with Lanval, a dishonored knight of King Arthur's Round Table. Marie's portrayal sets Lanval's mistress apart from the maidens and ladies in waiting at King Arthur's court, as she eclipses even Queen Guenever. Much like an editor of a modern woman's fashion magazine, Marie targets her audience of mostly aristocratic twelfth-century women. She describes a mysterious lady whose retinue, meadow pavilion, clothing, figure, cultured sentiments, deportment, and conduct depict her as a superior being. Lanval's mistress is a model Marie's readers should emulate, a woman who imparts to her readers hints on fashion, grooming, how to please one's lover, and most importantly, how to keep him. She is a woman with whom Marie's readers can identify in their wildest sexual fantasies.

With the love of Lanval's mistress, Marie puts forward to her readers the prospect of love freely given, as part ...

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