Description
Winner of the D. Simon Evans Prize This work is unique in showing that textiles constitute a cohesive secondary signifying system throughout the Lais of Marie de France. There they function as texts-within-a-text. Etymologically, both text and textile derive from weaving. We read these textiles as complete signs that transfer meaning, as symbols whose meaning may or may not be interpreted, or merely as signals highlighting import. The quantity of textile references in Maries minimalistic texts emphasizes their potential for meaning. In view of the fact that women were the primary producers of textiles until the late Middle Ages, textiles should be read as a form of feminine text, especially since we presume the Lais author to be a woman.
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