Introduction
Marie's Minstrel
"Those to whom God has given the gift of comely speech, should not hide their light beneath a bushel, but should willingly show it abroad. If a great truth is proclaimed in the ears of men, it brings forth fruit a hundred-fold; but when the sweetness of the telling is praised of many, flowers mingle with the fruit upon the branch."
These words, with many others, did dear Marie speak to me not long ago, that I might share them generously where she could not. Though I myself may not possess such a bountiful gift, I am blessed as a conduit, the wings which might give flight to my fair lady's words. I shall not offer you my name, dear listeners. No, for it is not my name which is of consequence, but hers: Madame Marie de France, that great lady whose words themselves may sing in the ears of all who hear them.
Myself, I am but her humble minstrel.
I have come so far - from England, to tell you truly - to share with you the stories of her mind's creation. I know not much about my lady's circumstances in life, only that she strings together words in a delicate fashion, sewing them together into such stories that a minstrel longs to tell and that crowds long to hear. And so, sweet audience, if you will offer your ears I shall disclose to you such stories as will give you wonder, tales of werewolves and magic, lovers and villains, sorrow and joy.
And so I hope, my good friends, that though the words be not mine, Marie's comely speech may grace my voice, and flowers might mingle with the fruit of the tales I shall share. Step closer, then, ready your ears, and hear the Lais of Marie de France.
*Author's Note: The quote at the beginning of this introduction comes from Marie de France's own introduction into her lais, which can be found here, along with the stories which will be the basis for the rest of this storybook. For those wondering, a lai is a form of rhymed poetry popular in the Medieval period and often accompanied by music, though Marie de France's lais are unique in that they have no music to accompany them.
Marie de France is the earliest known female French poet, though much of her identity remains shrouded in mystery. From her title (derived from a quote in one of her works, "Marie ai nun, si sui de France," which translates from Old French to mean, Marie is my name, I am from France), we know that she was a Frenchwoman living in England. There are many guesses as to who she could have been - the illegitimate sister of the English king, perhaps, or a well-known abbess - but it is clear that she was highly regarded by the English royal courts, and that she was extremely well-connected in the English world of literature. She wrote a total of twelve lais, which are considered her magnum opus, but she is also known for having written 103 fables.
I have chosen to tell her stories as though they were being recounted by a traveling minstrel, which, according to her introduction, was the source for her inspiration for some of her stories to begin with. The stories in this storybook will be retellings of her original work, wherein I will take artistic liberty to make changes - some small, some of more consequence. Specifically, I will be looking at the way that adultery plays a role in Marie de France's writing, and re-imagining what her lais might look like if they were written with modern societal values in mind, but still mostly maintaining their original settings and plots. Marie de France came from a time when something called "amour courtois" - French for "courtly love" - was a popular philosophy in literary works, and it certainly makes an appearance in Marie's lais. The philosophy of courtly love had many facets, but one of the most notable was its assertion that marital vows were not an acceptable excuse to turn down true love; that is to say, adultery is acceptable if your lover is your true love, and your spouse is not. In fact, ten of Marie de France's twelve lais hinge on the topic of adultery. I will be offering a different perspective on these stories with today's moral code in mind.
It is also worth noting that Marie de France deals in the supernatural - as our minstrel above has already noted, prepare yourself for stories which include things such as werewolves, magic, curses, etc.