|
The story was written by two different authors, Guillaume de Lorris (lines 1-4058) and Jean de Meun (4059-21780); they composed their portions more than forty years apart. Both came from Orleans, which was known as “the
center of humanistic studies” during the thirteenth century. The different sections have markedly different characters.
Guillaume’s version is a fairly comprehensive handbook on courtly love; Jean’s version is meant to encompass
much of 13th century learning.
Until the sixteenth century, Le Roman de la Rose was one of the most widely read works in France. Studies attribute
its loss of popularity to a shift in taste—at the beginning of the sixteenth century, the allegory was considered a
simplistic vehicle for religious works. Interest in medieval allegory was recently revived, and the poem has been reevaluated
for its artistic qualities and value to modern readers.
|
 |
|
