Douce Roman de la Rose

Douce Roman de la Rose

This influential Old French verse novel uses numerous allegories to tell the story of a long dream. The dreamer appears as the protagonist and first-person narrator and, in the course of his dream, falls in love with a beautiful rose, whose affection he ultimately wins. However, to do so, he must overcome numerous obstacles, many of which are emotional in nature. The rose serves as an allegory for the woman who is to be won. She therefore plays a rather passive role, while being protected by the allegories of her feelings – such as resistance, shame, and fear. The protagonist, on the other hand, is supported by the allegories of courtesy and frankness, for example.

A Revolution in Medieval Literature

With these completely new narrative techniques, the Romance of the Rose shook the medieval literary scene and is still considered a masterpiece of stylistic innovation that influenced writers for centuries. It was the first French novel written from the perspective of a first-person narrator and also the first novel written entirely in the form of a dream account. Equally new was the use of allegorical figures as acting characters in the novel. In fact, with the exception of the narrator, all the characters are imaginary figures who either originate from mythology – for example, Amor – or are allegories. In this way, the Romance of the Roserevolutionized medieval literature.

A Masterpiece by Two Authors

Two authors were responsible for this groundbreaking work: Guillaume de Lorris (c. 1200–c. 1240) and Jean de Meung (c. 1240–c. 1305). Guillaume began the verse novel around 1235, but interrupted his work at verse 1068. It is possible that the author died before he could complete the text. However, somewhere in the middle of the narrative, he had the loving protagonist remark that he would explain the deeper meaning of the work later. Above all, he had hinted that he would obtain the rose at the end of a long battle. Apparently, these remarks gave the writer Jean de Meung the idea of a sequel which he wrote between 1275 and 1280.
Not surprisingly, the two parts differ greatly from each other, even though they belong together in terms of content. While the first part by Guillaume de Lorris is entirely in the tradition of courtly love poetry of his time, Jean de Meung, as a townsman, wrote from an ironic distance to the courtly mindset of his predecessor. Overall, he represents rational and skeptical, almost materialistic ideas.

Magnificent Illumination for a Royal Patron

The Romance of the Rose in the Bodleian Library in Oxford is without question one of the most beautiful and luxurious manuscripts of the literary bestseller. It was illuminated by none other than Robinet Testard (fl. 1470–1531) with 127 beautiful and detailed miniatures, most of which were inserted into the text columns, but some of which are half-page in size. The beautiful codex was created between 1487 and 1496 for Louise of Savoy (1476–1531), the mother of the French king Francis I (1494–1547) and later regent of France. Her coat of arms is prominently displayed on the first page of the novel, which is also the only one surrounded by an fanciful border. Remarkably, a manuscript of the Romance of the Rose belonging to Francis I has also been preserved – it seems that literary taste was passed down in the family.