Medieval French Literature

Medieval French Literature Resources

Below are five works that offer a deep dive into medieval France’s rich historical and cultural legacy, each with its own blend of excitement, relevance, and, at times, delightful eccentricity. These texts are sure to spark dynamic class discussions and inspire students to explore the fascinating complexities of the medieval world.

La Séquence de Sainte Eulalie

Perhaps the earliest existing work of Old French narrative, this short saint’s life (less than 30 verses long!) gives students a quick taste of very early French hagiography. In short, it tells the story of the martyrdom and miraculous assumption of Saint Eulalia of Barcelona. A perfectly good modern French translation of the work can be found for free on wikisource, and an analysis of the work in Old French can be found at UT-Austin’s Linguistics Research Center.

La Vie de Saint Alexis

This longer tale recounts the life of a young Roman nobleman who abandons his wife on their wedding night, choosing instead to live a life of poverty in devotion to God. Spending 17 years abroad, then 17 years on a pallet outside his family’s home, this man remains unknown until his death, when a series of miracles and the man’s own handwritten biography reveal his saintly renunciation of worldly wealth. This story contains elements that will be found in many medieval tales, such as a miraculous crewless sea vessel that transports St. Alexis across the sea and back. The text also reveals early Christian beliefs about the perils of marriage and the superiority of celibate life, as well as the dangers of wealth and the Christian call to live foolishly in the eyes of the world. A new modern French translation by Maurizio Perugi, available as a kindle purchase on Amazon, renders the Old French accessible to modern readers.

Les Lais de Marie de France

Available in modern French.

A collection of Old French short stories (lais) of Breton origin, these texts are among the only surviving works of Medieval literature written by a woman. We know very little about Marie de France’s biography except that she was A) from France and B) nothing short of a masterful storyteller. The advantage of teaching Marie de France as opposed to, say, Chrétien de Troyes, lies primarily in relation to the works’ shorter lengths and accessibility to modern French students. These tales are all examples of what later came to be known as “courtly love,” that is, stories about noble men who, in the name of love, perform great exploits in honor of noble women. Very often, this “true love” was pitted against the contemporary pressure to marry for economic and political reasons, often without the consent of the bride. Although some of these texts may contain elements of adultery, they do so by means of an investigation into the true nature of marriage, and they are the contemporaries of the Church’s own investigations into the sacramental nature of marriage in the 12th- and 13th-century Lateran Councils. Can a marriage be called “valid” if it is performed without the consent of the bride? Can a marriage occur between a bride and groom of unequal social rank? These texts explore these questions with conflict, the marvelous, and lyric beauty, and they provide an excellent glimpse into the literature of courtly love.

1. Guigemar:  About 25 pages long and originally written for a court audience, Marie de France’s Old French lai tells a captivating love story in the courtly love tradition. Featuring crewless sea vessels (like the Vie de Saint Alexis), a talking white doe killed on a hunting trip, a curse, and a love that overcomes all obstacles, this work investigates the dark side of arranged marriages and reflects the development of both marriage practices and the church’s teaching on the necessity of consent in marriage. In this tale, an early “pair of star-crossed lovers” must overcome the horrors of a presumptively arranged marriage between a virtuous young woman and her cruel and possessive husband who keeps her locked in a tower dungeon. And while the text invites its readers to root for true love in opposition to a possessive arranged marriage, the specter of adultery complicates the story and raises important questions about the true nature of love and the validity of a forced marriage. Although perfectly appropriate for college students, this text is best studied by more mature high school readers.
2. Le Frêne:  Also more appropriate for mature audiences, this short tale (only about 13 pages) depicts the self-sacrificing nature of love in several forms, from childhood adoption to true love in marriage. It also depicts the destructive power of superstition, jealousy and the pressure faced by the nobility to marry only within their rank. A wonderful tale filled with redemption, repentance, reconciliation, and excitement.

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux’s 20th sermon on the Song of Songs

A short and easily excerpted meditation on God’s incarnate love for the Church and the kind of love for which Christians should strive, this sermon explores what it means to love God with one’s heart, soul, and strength. Without denigrating the beauty of incarnate love (l’amour charnel) or its romantic forms, it offers readers a glimpse of what a more complete love entails. This text works quite well in tandem with courtly love literature as an interdisciplinary point of comparison and an invitation to consider both the beauty and the limitations of romantic love. Copies of this sermon in modern French are readily available on a variety of free websites.