SUBTEXT: Courtly Reciprocity in “Laustic” and “Guigemar” by Marie de France (Part 1) | The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast | A Philosophy Podcast and Blog (opens in new tab)

The lai, a short narrative poem from the Middle Ages that treats themes of courtly love, was originally accompanied by music and sung by minstrels. But in the 1170s, poet Marie de France translated a series of Breton lais into French and, in so doing, converted an oral tradition into text. It’s no wonder, then, that her lais’ narratives are so often preoccupied with methods of communication: both the spoken word, with its spiritual, incantatory, or even magical qualities, and the written word...