Lanval
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Lanval is one of the Lais of Marie de France. Written in Anglo-Norman, it tells the story of a knight at King Arthur's court who is overlooked by the king, wooed by a fairy lady, given all manner of gifts by her, and subsequently refuses the advances of Queen Guinevere. The plot is complicated by Lanval's promise not to reveal the identity of his mistress, which he breaks when Guinevere accuses him of having "no desire for women". Before Arthur, Guinevere accuses Lanval of shaming her, and Arthur, in an extended judicial scene, demands that he reveal his mistress. Despite the broken promise, the fairy lover eventually appears to justify Lanval, and to take him with her to Avalon. The tale was popular, and was adapted into English as Sir Landevale, Sir Launfal, and Sir Lambewell.
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[edit] Analysis
The poem is well known for a number of reasons. The extensive judicial scene gives a degree of insight into the legal system of the period, which is also well documented from a technical point of view in various Anglo-Norman texts of Henry I and Henry II of England. In contrast to Marie's other lais, such as Guigemar and Le Fresne, nothing is made of the mistress's intellectual or spiritual qualities. Rather the description is of the opulence of her wealth and her beauty.
- Guigemar: "She was noble, courtly, beautiful and wise…"
- Le Fresne: "…she was noble and cultivated, both in appearance and speech…"
- Lanval: "She lay on a very beautiful bed, the coverlets cost more than a castle…Her side, though, was uncovered, as well as her face, neck and breast; she was whiter than the hawthorn blossom."[1]
Although the atmosphere of all of the lais is one of fairy tale, Lanval is the only one to take place within the milieu of Arthur, and is the only one to reference such Arthurian items as the Round Table and the isle of Avalon. Further, in contrast with the other lais, Lanval provides motivation and character analysis only for the eponymous protagonist: the fairy lady is not named, and no explanation, beyond her own words, is given for her behavior.
[edit] Allusions
This lai makes a number of references to ancient history. When describing the opulence of the fairy lady's lodgings, Marie de France describes them as being superior to those of the Assyrian queen Semiramis and the Roman emperor Octavian. Another example is Guinevere's denouncement of Lanval, which is an allusion to the Biblical story found in Genesis 39:7, where the wife of the powerful Potiphar falsely accuses Joseph of trying to seduce her against her will.[2]
