Le roman de la rose ("The Romance of the Rose")
Title
Le roman de la rose ("The Romance of the Rose")
Subject
manuscript, poetry, courtly poetry, 14century, vernacular
Description
This manuscript, dating to around 1350, is one of hundreds of manuscripts of Le roman de la rose, a seminal text in the history of medieval literature, and one of the most influential of the period. It was widely read, translated, and commented on by figures like Christine de Pizan and Geoffrey Chaucer. Notably, the poem is written not in Latin, but, like Dante's Divine Comedy, in the vernacular—in this case French. The Roman de la rose is an allegorical poem written circa 1230 by Guillaume de Lorris. In 1275, though, Jean de Meun added to Lorris’s text, and the length of the text more than doubled. The poem has been the subject of critical debate from the time of its early publication to the present.
This particular manuscript in the Houghton collection, despite being dated to many years after Meun’s addition, appears to contain only Lorris’s original text. Nonetheless, this manuscript raises questions about authorship in relationship to the larger body of Roman de la rose manuscripts. Like all illuminated manuscripts, this object has multiple authors: Lorris, the scribe (or scribes) who lettered this manuscript, and the illuminators who added borders, miniatures, and other decorative elements to the manuscript. This manuscript is thus not merely a text, but a multi-faceted object, which should be considered as a work of art, a useful thing, and a commercial good.
This particular manuscript in the Houghton collection, despite being dated to many years after Meun’s addition, appears to contain only Lorris’s original text. Nonetheless, this manuscript raises questions about authorship in relationship to the larger body of Roman de la rose manuscripts. Like all illuminated manuscripts, this object has multiple authors: Lorris, the scribe (or scribes) who lettered this manuscript, and the illuminators who added borders, miniatures, and other decorative elements to the manuscript. This manuscript is thus not merely a text, but a multi-faceted object, which should be considered as a work of art, a useful thing, and a commercial good.
Creator
Marina Molarsky-Beck
Source
9206303 [HOLLIS number]
Publisher
[no text]
Date
1350
Contributor
[no text]
Rights
Houghton
Relation
[no text]
Format
Manuscript, bound vellum, brown calf binding
Language
[no text]
Type
[no text]
Identifier
Georgia
Coverage
French
Original Format
[no text]
Physical Dimensions
23 x 16 cm.
Files
Citation
Marina Molarsky-Beck, “Le roman de la rose ("The Romance of the Rose"),” CB 51 Gallery, accessed April 19, 2024, https://gallerytest.omeka.net/items/show/202.