Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation
5-2014
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Classical and Modern Languages
Committee Chair
Pfeffer, Wendy E.
Subject
Marie, de France, active 12th century--Criticism and interpretation; Clothing and dress in literature
Abstract
Through an analysis of Guigemar, Lanval, and Laustic, I show how Marie incorporates textiles into her stories to subvert tropes of misogynistic authority and to assert equality and independence, and to invert traditional gender roles. In Guigemar, a wife uses female knowledge as healing. While keeping her lover tightly-bound through a symbolic exchange, she instructs him in the art of love and ensures his fidelity to her. In Lanval a mysterious Fairy Queen bestows her love upon the receptive and willing Lanval, enacting a reversal of gender stereotypes. From the onset of their relationship she takes on a masculine role and uses feminine sexuality to highlight her exoticism through her erotic dress. In Laustic a wife rescues her lover from her husband’s jealousy by sending him a dead nightingale in embroidered silk. This lai parallels Ovid’s “Philomena” as the heroines in both stories use textiles to relay a message.
Recommended Citation
Dingeldein, Leslie 1989-, "Textiles and meaning in the lais Guigemar, Lanval, and Laustic of Marie de France." (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 353.
https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/353
