Medieval French Literature and Law

Medieval French Literature and Law explores the intricate relationship between medieval French literature and the profound judicial transformations of the 12th and 13th centuries. By examining literary texts alongside customary legal materials, the book reveals how both spheres participated in articulating the values and struggles of a society in transition. Far from existing in separate domains, literature and law in medieval France shared a common cultural mission: to preserve tradition, negotiate societal tensions, and affirm communal identity. Through oral performances, epic tales, and courtly poetry, medieval literature often mirrored the legal mechanisms of feudal courts, showcasing trials by combat, oaths, and ordeals as integral to both narrative structure and communal values.

The work delves into how the literary and legal practices of the period reflected and influenced each other. The shift from feudal judicial systems reliant on physical violence to the monarchy's centralized, document-driven processes found parallels in literature’s evolution from the epic's dramatic conflicts to the courtly lyric's introspective nuance. Texts like La Mort Artu and Raoul de Cambrai not only depict the inadequacies of feudal legal institutions but also illuminate the broader political and cultural transformations of the High Middle Ages. By situating these literary artifacts within their historical context, the book provides a richer understanding of how vernacular literature and legal codification shaped and were shaped by the dynamic interplay of power, tradition, and social order.

Ideal for historians and literary scholars alike, this study redefines our understanding of medieval French culture, offering fresh insights into the collaborative evolution of law and literature during a pivotal era.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1977.