Marie de France, Lai La Fresne

Kirsty Bolton (University of Southampton)

Ed. by Natalie Hanna, University of Liverpool
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1160 - c. 1215

Places

England (Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

Overview

Composed in the early fourteenth century, c.1330, Lay le Freine is a close Middle English translation of Marie de France’s late twelfth century Lai le Fresne. The Middle English text retains the lay form, being composed of short couplets and comprising 408 lines (making it slightly shorter than the French poem, which is 518 lines). It was likely composed in south east England and is extant in a single manuscript, National Library of Scotland Advocates 19.2.1, or the Auchinleck manuscript.

Plot

Lay le Freine opens with two knights of the West Country who are great friends. The wife of the first knight gives birth to twin sons and both f…

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1362 words

Citation: Bolton, Kirsty. "Lai La Fresne". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 January 2021 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39376, accessed 24 April 2024.]

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