British Literature - Week 5 - "Girl power" in Lanval (more Arthurian literature)

In my last post I offered a succinct introduction to Arthurian literature. Over the next few weeks I'll zero in on a few texts exhibiting "girl power!" Arthur may (or may not) have been king, but the women in Arthurian literature exert agency and power in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Let's begin with the story of Lanval.

Marie de France, the author, is (rather obvious) a woman from France! Her status as a French female underpins the story-line of Lanval. A romance, fairytale, or lai (short stories in verse, usually about people in love), the main character, Lanval, belongs to King Arthur's court, but though he gave up all he had to serve the king, King Arthur "forgot Lanval. Lanval got nothing from the King's hand." (de France). The other men envied Lanval "for being brave and generous, for his beauty and his prowess," so though he was part of the court, he felt excluded and outcast (de France).

On a journey "just for fun," he met two lovely ladies who told him their lady sent them to bring Lanval to her. He did not hesitate! Lanval was brought to a pavilion, and taken to a woman on "so rich a bed, You'd pay a castle for the sheet" (de France). You get the picture! The woman has traveled a distance to come to Lanval and "gives him her love, and what's more, her body... afterwards she gives a present: anything he may ever want he'll get, as far as his needs extend" (de France). A true fairytale--he need only ask and he can receive whatever he wants, from a beautiful woman who pursued him. She has only one requirement - he must not reveal their meeting or their love to anyone.

Lanval uses his new wealth to ransom prisoners, give to those in need, and hold feasts. When Lanval returns to King Arthur's court, Queen Guinevere tries to seduce him! Lanval is a popular guy! The queen promises her love, and Lanval rejects her, telling her he cannot betray his king. The queen then accuses him of being gay, and his responds by revealing his love for the other woman. Lanval praises the beauty and goodness of his "fairy queen." and Guinevere is beside herself, as "pain and anger drove her wild--she'd been insulted and reviled" (de France).

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Queen Guinevere proceeds to accuse Lanval of trying to seduce her, to her husband, King Arthur, reminiscent of the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife in the book of Genesis. When Lanval comes before the King to hear the accusation, he admits the existence of the fairy queen, knowing that their love will now end. Lanval grieves, believing he will never see his fairy queen again. Instead of Lanval saving the "princess," he is saved by her. The traditional fairy tale of a knight in shining armor saving a distraught princess is flipped on its proverbial head! She arrives amid much pomp and description of her beautiful body and declares, "O King, I have loved your vassal, this one here! I mean Lanval... the queen was in the wrong... may your barons set him free!" (de France).  Lanval and the maiden (his fairy queen) ride off on a horse to Avalon, the fair island, a happy ending.

What a great story! My students, especially my female students, really enjoyed this flipped fairy tale. The theme of women's empowerment wove its way through this British Literature course. Our next foray into women's empowerment in Arthurian literature will be Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Stay tuned!

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Work Cited

France, Marie de. "Lanval." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. General Editor Stephen Greenblatt. Trans. Robert Hanning and Joan Ferrante. Vol. 9. New York: W. W. Norton and Co., 2012. 154-167. book.