![]() He spent all his money, he got nothing from the king and he is too proud to ask. This largesse, however, now proved to be his undoing. He is not very popular because other knights are jealous of his good looks, bravery and largesse. But Lanval is for some reason passed over. He celebrates by giving away riches and wives to his trusted knights. King Arthur is spending the Pentecost near the Scottish border because of the ongoing war with the Scots and Picts. The first of the two lais selected for the anthology is Lanval. ![]() But then, the medieval abbesses were often rather worldly aristocratic ladies. It may be surprising for some modern readers because the poems are rather worldly. There are several possible historical Maries, including the illegitimate half-sister of Henry II, Marie the abbess of Shaftesbury. She must have been fairly educated lady, fluent in reading and writing both French and Latin and she also claims to be familiar with Breton poetry. ![]() She wrote in the Anglo-Norman dialect and as the editors of the NAEL write, there is some circumstantial evidence that she lived at least for some time in England, mostly because there are quite a few of the manuscripts of her poetry preserved in Engiand. ![]() The mysterious author identifies herself at the end of the cycle of lais (short romances) as Marie who was born in France. James Joyce – “Ulyss… on James Joyce – “The… James Joyce – “Ulyss… on James Joyce – “Ulysses” (“Lest… ![]()
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