Reassessing the Heroine in Medieval French Literature edited by Kathy M. Krause (review)

1?6ARTHURIANA kathy m. krause, ed., Reassessing the Heroine in Medieval French Literature. Gainesville: University Press ofFlorida, 2001. Pp. 187. isbn: 0-8130-1881-1. $59.95. In this collection, which grew from a panel at the Kentucky Foreign Languages Conference in 1997, Krause announces two goals: to demonstrate the variety and range ofheroines present in medieval French literature, and to look at the heroine through the lens ofdiscourse. In the introduction, Krause suggests that both feminist and post-structuralist criticism have led to an unfortunate 'erasure ofwomen from the text' (5), and she argues that a more helpful approach would look at discourse, especially how and why female protagonists actually engage in speech. Though this discussion loses effectiveness because it contains so much jargon, Krause does a goodjob ofpointing to the strengths ofthe individual essays and to the organization of the collection. She groups the essays roughly by genre but also emphasizes the connections which cut across the groupings. The first three essays focus on religious protagonists; the next three treat women in love; the final three present 'dissenting women'—ones who stand up for themselves. The real merit ofthe collection lies in thestrength ofseveral individual discussions. In the first discussion, Duncan Robertson focuses on the versehagiographyofwomen at BarkingAbbeynearLondon in the late twelfth century. In his analysis, the Barking writers' choice of Anglo-Norman and their ways of portraying the saintliness of female protagonists increased the emotional and intellectual connection ofthe reader to the protagonists and thus to Mary and Christ. Krause's own essay provides an interesting and persuasive study ofthree categories ofwomen in Gautier de Coinci's Miracles de Nostre Dame—the Virgin Mary, commonplace sinners rescued by the Virgin, and the empress of Rome. She underscores the ambiguities of Gautier's portrayal of females and concludes that in Gautier's vision, 'female beauty in this world is incompatible with female holiness' (46). The contributions ofJoan Grimbert and William Paden offer fresh interpretations of women in courtly literature. Grimbert revisits the assumption that Fenice in Cligésserves as a vehicle for Chretien's hostility toward theTristan legend. She argues that since Fénice's conduct is consistently at odds with her noble appearance and her behavior in love, Chrétien seems to use Tristan and Iseut more as a yardstick against which to measure other lovers, including Fenice, than as a contrast to Fenice. Just as Grimbert challenges the analysis ofFrappier, Paden challenges that ofGaston Paris and his followers—thatfin'amor will necessarily involve a married woman of higher station than her lover. He studies lyric passages contained in narrative works and concludes that two traditions exist within medieval love poetry: love which leads to marriage and love which ignores marital status, and that the tradition which dominates critical opinion of Paris and others is actually the less important in the works he examines. In the third grouping, which concerns dissenting women, two essays offer interesting perspectives on well-known works. Nadine Bordessoule argues that the Roman de h Rose is more progressive than generally assumed because la Vieille argues for women's right to be amorous hunters rather than prey, to control their REVIEWS107 lives, and to love where theywill. Sally Carden focuses on the anticourdy argument ofLa Guignarde in the Roman de h Rose—that ifthe dedicated lover followed the dictates of courtly love, he could not possibly avoid courtly indiscretion and also win prowess. Readers interested in specificworks or genres might benefit from reading one or more of the other essays. David Wrisley discusses the 'Epic Credo' in Adenet Ie Roi's Berte as grans pie's. Ana Pairet explores the links between Melusine's hybrid nature and fairy qualities on the one hand, and the fortunes, especially political, of the real house ofLusignan. Finally Christopher Lücken examines the portrayal of women in farce as quarrelsome and impulsive, governed by noise and therefore a threat to reason and reflection. Given the modest length ofthe book—nine essays in about 180 pages—Krause's desire to avoid a 'scattershot' approach and to revisit the literature through the lens of discourse are too ambitious. Nevertheless, the volume contains several essays worth reading and some fresh...