About... We are reading “The Lay of Sir Launfal” written by Marie de France in the twelfth century. Sher work was widely translated later on, often in the prose form that we will read. The work of Marie de France was known widely and continued to be translated through the late Middle Ages. “Sir Launfal” by Thomas Chestre was written in the 14th century and was inspired by Marie de France’s Breton lay (which she claimed was inspired by Celtic lore). Thomas Chestre’s adaptation was written in Old English and began thusly:
“Thomas Chestre made thys tale” This is a way that most romances started and authors were named. This lay is the only writing that Chestre is known to have written that shows up during medieval times. This piece of literature only survives today in a single manuscript copy in a British museum. Marie de France’s lay is a tale of romance, chivalry, and jealousy. Sir Launfal falls in love and marries a fairy woman, known only as the Maiden. While he does this, King Arthur’s wife is in love with him and is jealous about his new found love. Launfal loses his fairy because he boasts about her but then when called upon to be honest even though it may cost him his life, he is. As a result of being chivalrous, the Maiden reappears and saves him from his fate and they go and live in the fairy world for the rest of their lives. This shows that the fact that he was honest matters enough as a knight to save a life. While reading this text, I would suggest that you think about how big of an influence medieval knights were on this period. Think about what it means to be a knight throughout this story. Is being a knight the same as being a hero in Beowulf? Are Sir Launfal and Beowulf equals in your opinion? Also think about how honor plays into this story compared to Beowulf. Study guideSee Sir Gawain & the Green Knight.
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