Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Frederick Hodgson

Critical Essay by Frederick Hodgson

SOURCE: "Alienation and the Otherworld in 'Lanval,' 'Yonec,' and 'Guigemar'," in Comitatus, Vol. V, 1974, pp. 19-31.

In the following essay, Hodgson discusses Marie's use of the supernatural in her lais to highlight the conflict between society and love that her characters face.

Much of the critical attention devoted to the lais of Marie de France has been directed toward tracing the origin of the motifs which constitute their framework. By determining the nature of the tradition which inspired Marie, source critics have hoped to measure her originality, her role in the creation of one of the richest of medieval genres. Since the results of such historical investigation have been ambiguous, critics like Emmanuel Mickel have recently focused on a more internal examination of the lais in a search for their common themes. But even this intrinsic analysis, when confronted with the numerous motifs from Celtic folklore which consistently buttress...
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