The Romance of the Rose - Definition and Overview

The Roman de la Rose is a late medieval French work of fiction in allegorical dream form. It was written in two stages: the first, by Guillaume de Lorris circa 1230, describes the attempts of a courtier to woo his beloved. This part of the story is set in a walled garden (a locus amoenus, one of the traditional topoi of epic and chivalric literature), the interior of which represents romance, the exterior everyday life. The rose of the title represents the lady's love. The work was completed by Jean de Meun circa 1275, with a more philosophical discussion of love.

The work was both very popular and very controversial — it survives in dozens of illuminated manuscripts but also provoked attacks by Jean Gerson and Christine de Pizan. Part of the story was translated into Middle English as The Romaunt of the Rose, which had a great influence on English literature.

See also:

• Romance (genre)