In the past year the 2019 issue of Le Cygne has appeared. It contains four articles on the works of Marie de France and two editions taken from MS S of the Lais. Karen Casebier writes about two episodes from the natural world that are found in Eliduc, the storm and the incident involving the weasels; taken together these episodes help to resolve the moral impasse of the lay. Amy Morgan examines the male space at King Arthur’s court and the links between Arthur and Henry II; dissatisfied with the court life of Henry II, Marie seeks an alternative female sphere through the departure of Lanval to Avalon. Susan Morrison looks at some recurring concepts in the Espurgatoire seint Patriz, including remembrance, revelation, satisfaction, and amendment (Marie amends a Latin work for the betterment of the reader). Carol Neel argues that scholars have neglected religious communities such as the one in which Le Fresne is brought up. To what extent does Le Fresne choose to leave the nurturing monastic community to live with Gurun? Or is she in fact offered to him to bolster the material welfare of the community?
The 2019 issue continues to provide editions of Marie’s lays as found in MS S (Paris, BnF, nouv. acq. fr. 1004). To Le Fresne and the Bisclavret fragment, printed in the 2017 issue, and Equitan in 2018, we now add two lays edited by Logan E. Whalen: the Deus Amanz fragment and Chievrefueil. It is our intention to print the lay of Milun in MS S in the 2020 issue of Le Cygne. The present issue concludes with a dissertation abstract (Amy Morgan) and details of an important new book on the narrative lays: Lais du Moyen Age: récits de Marie de France et d’autres auteurs (XIIe – XIIIe siècle), published in the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade series.
Submissions for the 2020 issue of Le Cygne, and any comments or queries, will be very welcome. Glyn Burgess. (email address: af02@liv.ac.uk)