Lanval and Yonec Essay -- Literary Analysis, Marie de France

Often times in literature the body becomes a symbolic part of the story. The body may come to define the character, emphasize a certain motif of the story, or symbolize the author’s or society’s mindset. The representation of the body becomes significant for the story. In the representation of their body in the works of Marie de France’s lais â€Å"Lanval† and â€Å"Yonec,† the body is represented in opposing views. In â€Å"Lanval,† France clearly emphasizes the pure beauty of the body and the power the ideal beauty holds, which Lanval’s Fairy Queen portrays. In France’s â€Å"Yonec,† she diverts the reader’s attention from the image of the ideal body and emphasizes a body without a specific form and fluidity between the forms. â€Å"Yonec† focuses on a love not based on the body. Although the representations of the body contradict one another, France uses both representation to emphasize the private and, i n a way, unearthly nature of love that cannot be contained by the human world. In both lais, the love shared between the protagonists is something that is required to be kept in private and goes beyond a single world into another world. In France’s â€Å"Lanval,† Marie de France emphasizes the ideal and pure body of Lanval’s Fairy Queen. France describes the Fairy Queen as â€Å"elegant, her hips slim, her neck whiter than snow on a branch, her eyes bright, her face white, a beautiful mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (France, 109). The Fairy Queen is presented to the reader as the classic, ideal beauty that captures the attention and, unknowingly, the mind of her lover. After meeting the Fairy Queen, Lanval pledges his life to her. He states, â€Å"There is nothing you might command, within my power, that I would not do, whether foolish or wise. I shall obey your command†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (France, 108). ... ...tion of both methods can be used to show France’s idea of what love is. Patrick John Ireland argued that France’s idea of love â€Å"is a human force controlled by man with great difficulty; it is a spontaneous, natural, and all-consuming power, the experience of which leads to an almost blind passion at times† (133). To be in love, one must be entirely devoted and passionate to one another to the point of blind passion. This is so for Yonec (the Princess jumps out of the tower) and Lanval (Lanval’s complete rejection of the human world until he is brought into the world of his lover). Not only does France portray love as natural and all-consuming, but also shows the private and unearthly nature of love that cannot be contained to the realm of the human world. Rather, love transcends the boundaries of the human world and enters into a world where love reigns supreme. Lanval and Yonec Essay -- Literary Analysis, Marie de France Often times in literature the body becomes a symbolic part of the story. The body may come to define the character, emphasize a certain motif of the story, or symbolize the author’s or society’s mindset. The representation of the body becomes significant for the story. In the representation of their body in the works of Marie de France’s lais â€Å"Lanval† and â€Å"Yonec,† the body is represented in opposing views. In â€Å"Lanval,† France clearly emphasizes the pure beauty of the body and the power the ideal beauty holds, which Lanval’s Fairy Queen portrays. In France’s â€Å"Yonec,† she diverts the reader’s attention from the image of the ideal body and emphasizes a body without a specific form and fluidity between the forms. â€Å"Yonec† focuses on a love not based on the body. Although the representations of the body contradict one another, France uses both representation to emphasize the private and, i n a way, unearthly nature of love that cannot be contained by the human world. In both lais, the love shared between the protagonists is something that is required to be kept in private and goes beyond a single world into another world. In France’s â€Å"Lanval,† Marie de France emphasizes the ideal and pure body of Lanval’s Fairy Queen. France describes the Fairy Queen as â€Å"elegant, her hips slim, her neck whiter than snow on a branch, her eyes bright, her face white, a beautiful mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (France, 109). The Fairy Queen is presented to the reader as the classic, ideal beauty that captures the attention and, unknowingly, the mind of her lover. After meeting the Fairy Queen, Lanval pledges his life to her. He states, â€Å"There is nothing you might command, within my power, that I would not do, whether foolish or wise. I shall obey your command†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (France, 108). ... ...tion of both methods can be used to show France’s idea of what love is. Patrick John Ireland argued that France’s idea of love â€Å"is a human force controlled by man with great difficulty; it is a spontaneous, natural, and all-consuming power, the experience of which leads to an almost blind passion at times† (133). To be in love, one must be entirely devoted and passionate to one another to the point of blind passion. This is so for Yonec (the Princess jumps out of the tower) and Lanval (Lanval’s complete rejection of the human world until he is brought into the world of his lover). Not only does France portray love as natural and all-consuming, but also shows the private and unearthly nature of love that cannot be contained to the realm of the human world. Rather, love transcends the boundaries of the human world and enters into a world where love reigns supreme.