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"Lanval" is one of the ''Lais'' of Marie de France. Written in Anglo-Norman, it tells the story of Lanval, 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''.〔Colette Stévanovitch, "Enquiries into the Textual History of the Seventeenth-Century Sir Lambewell (British Library, Additional 27897)", in ''Palimpsests and the Literary Imagination of Medieval England'', eds. Leo Carruthers, Raeleen Chai-Elsholz, Tatjana Silec. New York: Palgrave, 2011. 193-204.〕 ==Historical context== During the 12th and early 13th centuries it was common for married women to have their work claimed by their husbands, but Marie de France made a strong effort to identify herself in all of her writing, possibly implying that she was not married. From Marie's writing, it is clear that she was very educated, knowing both Latin and French and perhaps even the Breton language. It has sometimes been suggested that she was Henry's illegitimate sister Marie, who became Abbess of Shaftesbury around 1181, and who died in 1216; but without actual concrete evidence this is mere speculation. Whatever her relation to Henry II, it is very likely that she was attached to his and his wife's, Eleanor of Aquitaine, court. However, despite her being of noble birth it is likely that she had no wealth due to her single marital status.〔Petersen, Zina Nibley, "Middle English, Oral (folk) and Written (clerical) and Mixed (civic)." British Literary History 1. Brigham Young University, Provo. 24 Sept. 2013. Lecture.〕 In the time of the 13th century, the land borders were not the same as they are today, therefore one cannot assume that Marie de France wrote the story while living in France. It is believed that she was from Continental Europe rather than England because of her choice of language. She used Norman dialects in her writing which suggests that she was originally from Normandy. ''Lanval'' is one of Marie's 12-lai collection. At the time of these writings, many male poets were writing lais that dealt with a high level of romantic tension.They are primarily concerned with the theme of love and courtliness, and as such the heroes are usually knights or aristocratic ladies.〔http://www.gradesaver.com/the-lais-of-marie-de-france/study-guide/short-summary/〕 Although Marie’s writing also had a level of tension, it differed from her male colleagues because it focused more on the eternal struggle of the promises and expectations within a romantic relationship.〔Petersen, Zina Nibley, Dr. "Middle English, Oral (folk) and Written (clerical) and Mixed (civic)." British Literary History 1. Brigham Young University, Provo. 24 Sept. 2013. Lecture.〕 Most of Marie's contemporaries who wrote on the subject of love were focused more on the tension between balancing love and chivalric pursuits. Marie rather focuses on the personal desires of her characters, especially those of her female characters. "Her lais often depict intensely intimate love relationships set against a backdrop of a threatening society in which unfulfilling marriages, the arbitrary dictates of court life, and oppressive social practices hold sway." The poem ''Lanval'' is particularly unique because the unknown woman is seen as the heroine as she saves Lanval at the end of the story which was very unusual for the given time period.〔Petersen, Zina Nibley, Dr. "Middle English, Oral (folk) and Written (clerical) and Mixed (civic)." British Literary History 1. Brigham Young University, Provo. Sept. 2014. Lecture.〕 Marie de France began writing shortly after Geoffrey of Monmouth’s ''History of the Kings of Britain'' (written around 1138),〔http://people.clas.ufl.edu/jshoaf/files/lanval.pdf〕 which seems to be the base for much of the story of Arthur and his knights, who figure so prominently in this and other lais. Geoffrey had laid out the main lines of legend for the Middle Ages, emphasizing Arthur as a King ruling over a unified Britain. Whereas Marie de France is more modest in depicting him as defending his own borders.〔http://people.clas.ufl.edu/jshoaf/files/lanval.pdf〕 Having composed Lanval around 1170-1215, Marie wrote near the time of the Third Lateran Council 1179, which prescribed excommunication for those guilty of sodomy. This was following a tradition derived from a misreading of the Bible that the innocent in Sodom and Gomorah were killed as well as the guilty for homosexuality, although it states that God only slew the wicked. Thus, homosexuality became a sin not just against oneself, as with other sexual sin, but an endangerment to everyone near the person. In France Rouen 1214 it was punishable by hanging. The only way to prove sexuality was to have open mistresses, and so abstinence or not condemning the sin led to imagined guilt. Lanval, by saying that he did not want to betray the king implied that the queen was behaving traitorously. By declaring him an homosexual, Guinevere reflected that charge back on him because everyone was endangered by that sin, according to common belief.〔Juraisinski, Stefan. "Treason and the Charge of Sodomy in the Lai de Lanval." Romance Quarterly. November 1, 2010: pg. 290-302. http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b176e3b4-79a9-4d76-a0fa-497cb3c455af%40sessionmgr198&vid=1&hid=106〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lanval」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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