The Lays of Marie de France
122 pages, 5 x 8
Paperback
Release Date:01 Apr 2013
ISBN:9781927356357
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The Lays of Marie de France

Translated by David R. Slavitt
SERIES:
Athabasca University Press
The twelve “lays” of Marie de France, the earliest known
French woman poet, are here presented in sprightly English verse by
poet/translator David R. Slavitt. These old Breton folk tales were the
raw material for Marie de France’s series of lively but profound
considerations of love, life, death, fidelity and betrayal, and luck
and fate. They are acute observations about the different kinds of
choices women make, startling in the late twelfth century and
challenging even today. The lays, which combine a woman’s wisdom
with an impressive technical bravura, are a minor treasure of European
culture.

David R. Slavitt is a widely known poet, novelist,critic, and translator. He prepared these English versions of the laysof Marie de France because he loved them.

Foreword- vii

THE LAYS OF MARIE DE FRANCE

Prologue- 3

I. Guigemar

I. Guigemar- 5

II. Equitan- 27

III. Le Fresne- 35

IV. Bisclavret- 47

V. Lanval- 55

VI. The Two Lovers- 71

VII. Yonec- 77

VIII. Laüstic- 89

IX. Milun- 93

X. Chaitivel- 105

XI. Chevrefoil- 111

XII. Eliduc- 115

For Further Reading- 147

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