ISBN-13: 9780815338581 / Angielski / Twarda / 2017 / 358 str.
Available only in Middle French and German translation until now, this volume constitutes the first full-length, French-English bilingual edition of Rene of Anjou's Livre du coeurs d'amours espris, including all sixteen long-celebrated colour plates, a critical introduction, notes on the translation, and a comprehensive bibliography. The book tells the tale of desire and adventure as Heart -- part of Rene torn from his body by Love -- travels a complex allegorical landscape in quest of the lady Mercy, who is being held prisoner by a band of miscreants led by Refusal and Shame. Rene begs the reader to help him determine which of three entities is responsible for his torment: Fortune has led him to the lady whom he loves; once he arrived, Love, in the guise of his lady's gaze, struck his heart; and Destiny insists that he reflect upon her alone. As well as being a compelling courtly page-turner, The Book of the Love Smitten Heart represents the rare instance in which a medieval love story is told simultaneously in three frameworks: autobiographical letter, dream vision, and quest romance. This structure makes clear the multiple logics within which the author's psychology is reflected