Mediaeval Texts & Studies S.

1 primary work

Silence

by De Cornualle Heldris and Heldris De Cornualle

Published 1 January 1992

This 13th-century Old French text, presented here with translation,is a neglected gem of medieval literature. It tells of a girl raisedas a boy who becomes a famous knight, and whose capture of Merlinleads to the unmasking of deception, including her own. Whatever itssources, whether Geoffrey of Monmouth, Eneas, or the ProseVulgate, its most striking features are the play with language andthe feminist stance, raising questions of women's silence andmalediscourse and other issues not normally to be found in medieval romance.
SARAH ROCHE-MAHDIis an independent scholar and writer.