Faire Maide Or Venomous Serpente The Cultural Significance Of The Saracen Princess Floripas In France And England 12001500 Kristina Elizabeth Gourlay by Kristina Elizabeth Gourlay 9780612747418, 0612747417 instant download after payment.

This thesis seeks to account for the enduring and wide spread appeal of Floripas, the unconventional Saracen heroine of the enormously popular twelfth-century French poem Fierabras and its many adaptations and translations. It concludes that the parodic nature of much of the text both reflected and responded in multivalent ways to certain contemporary European societal anxieties, namely anxieties about Islam and about the role and nature of women. On the surface, Floripas fits into the popular Saracen princess convention that features conventionally beautiful Saracen heroines who rescue Christian knights imprisoned by their fathers, choose to convert to Christianity, and often marry one of the knights. The explosively volatile temperament of this “Faire Maide,” however, sets her apart from other Saracen princesses. In the Fierabras text, the poet presents his audiences with a heroine who proceeds to swear, threaten, and murder, anytime anyone interferes with her plans. Yet, in spite of her dramatically unconventional behaviour, the text never censures her and she ultimately achieves her goal of marriage to one of the Twelve Peers, along with half of her father's former Spanish kingdom. What can explain the popularity of such a story throughout period in which courtly society was thought to favour women who were passive, silent, chaste, obedient and self-controlled? Chapter One provides a summary of the essential historical context in which these texts were written and remained popular, and discusses the possible origins of the Saracen princess convention. Chapter Two discusses the nine versions of the text used in this thesis and their possible audiences. It also assesses the scholarship that exists on the Saracen princess convention and establishes the ways in which Floripas does and does not fit into this convention. Chapter Three accounts for why her unconventional behaviour was accepted by audiences, namely her safe identification as “other” and the fact that her deeds ultimately benefit the Christians. Chapter Four explores her appeal, concluding that the parodic nature of the text both entertained and addressed audience anxieties about Islam and women's natures. Chapter Five deals specifically with her most unconventional characteristics: her volatile temper and penchant for violence.