The Lais of Marie de France

The Lais of Marie de France

The Lais of Marie de France are a series of short narrative poems, generally focused on glorifying the concepts of courtly love by describing the adventure of a certain hero. Composed in the late 12th century, the Lais are notable for the individuality of their characters and the vividness of their descriptions�both hallmarks of the emerging literature of the times.

Although only one of the Lais revolves around the court of King Arthur, it is possible that the same author commissioned Chretien de Troyes to write The Knight of the Cart, the first tale describing the adventures of Sir Lancelot. In any case, Marie de France's Lais did help to form the environment which later came to be associated with Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

See also: Medieval literature