23rd Annual Student Research Conference
Marie de France: Femme Auteur du Moyen Âge
Hannah E. Wetzel
Dr. Betty McLane-Iles, Faculty Mentor
Marie de France, a 12th century poet about whom little is known, left an indelible mark on French literature. Very few details are certain about her. For example: she probably wrote between the years of 1160 and 1210; she may have been the first to use the form of a lai in her writing. Her name is only known because she once wrote, "My name is Marie, and I am from France". The details of her life and identity are shrouded in mystery, but her works are still read today. Her lais, mostly about the joys and difficulties of love, still resonate with modern readers. In a time when the vernacular language was considered inferior to Latin, Marie de France valorized it by adapting popular folkloric stories and writing them down in the common language. In this respect, she made literature more accessible to those who did not know Latin.
Keywords: France, Medieval, Women authors, Literature
Topic(s):French
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 41-4
Location: MG 1090
Time: 2:00