The Date and Composition of Lanval

• written sometime in the last half of the 12th century, before 1190 (not long before Gerald of Wales)
• written in French by Marie de France, a French woman living and writing in England
  • Marie was apparently well educated.
  • She was connected to the English court, possibly a relative of King Henry II to whom she dedicated her book of lais.
• included with 11 other lais by the same author in British Library, MS Harley 978
• supposedly a written version of an oral composition performed in Breton, a Celtic language closely related to Welsh and Cornish
• Marie's lais bring together the French, Celtic, and English traditions, and it appears she was literate in French, English, Breton, and Latin.

Lanval the Arthurian Tradition

While Lanval is part of the Arthurian tradition found in Gerald and Geoffrey of Monmouth, it offers a radically different perspective that many critics attribute to the fact that it was written by a woman. Marie herself offers a sort of rationalization for her "adjustments" to the tradition--every reader will interpret a text differently; just as the ancient authors wrote obscurely so that their work might inspire later thinkers to provide a variety of glosses, Marie uses her gift of writing to "gloss" the Arthurian tradition and reshapes it.

• Arthur, the generous, hero king, overlooks Lanval when he rewards his retainers; thus, Marie calls his generosity into question. And modern readers might note that he gives away brides just as he gives away other property.
• Women have increased power over men: the lovely fairy who seduces Lanval virtually reduces him to her love slave, taking his knightly strength; and Arthur is a mere tool for Guinevere's revenge against Lanval for rejecting her.
• The legal process is perverted by personal feelings.
• The close male bonding of the court is called into question by Guinevere's charge that Lanval might have homosexual desires.
• Eroticism and wondrous miracles shift the focus of the story off of Arthur's battle triumphs and onto the worlds of fleshly pleasure and Celtic magic (Lanval's beautiful lover is obviously a fairy much like those who steal Heurodis in Sir Orfeo; compare the way in which they are described).

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