The thirteenth-century poem Roman de la Rose is one of the most significant literary contributions of the Middle Ages. The poem is a composite work by two separate authors; the first part, By Guillaume de Lorris, has always been viewed as an unfinished fragment made complete thanks to the work of his continuator. In Self-Fulfilling Prophecies David F. Hult offers a reading of the 'first' poem by Guillaume, viewed within its literary and cultural context. The book ultimately places into question such modern literary concerns as 'authorial intentionality', 'unity', 'originality' and 'textual...
The thirteenth-century poem Roman de la Rose is one of the most significant literary contributions of the Middle Ages. The poem is a composite work by...
In 1401, Christine de Pizan (1365-1430?), one of the most renowned and prolific woman writers of the Middle Ages, wrote a letter to the provost of Lille criticizing the highly popular and widely read Romance of the Rose for its blatant and unwarranted misogynistic depictions of women. The debate that ensued, over not only the merits of the treatise but also of the place of women in society, started Europe on the long path to gender parity. Pizan's criticism sparked a continent-wide discussion of issues that is still alive today in disputes about art and morality, especially the...
In 1401, Christine de Pizan (1365-1430?), one of the most renowned and prolific woman writers of the Middle Ages, wrote a letter to the provost of ...