Bisclavret
摘要
This chapter argues that, in Bisclavret, Marie de France constructs for her protagonist an identity network constituted of human and animal bodies, green and domestic spaces, and the beings and objects within them, especially key spaces associated with the sovereign: the forest, the hall, and the chamber. She thus illuminates the permeability of species and spatial boundaries, rendering Bisclavret a pinnacle expression of Morton’s queer ecology and revealing the potential of homosocial bonds to disrupt the very structures and systems they constitute and govern. The chapter also argues that Marie connects her protagonist to different forms of violence and tests the limits of sovereign power, and that she examines understandings of what constitutes effective communication and personal agency. The somatic and affective modes of communication the wolf employs demonstrate that he remains capable of agency despite the absence of a human body and speech. The chapter then considers the possible contexts of the tale’s creation, specifically potential connections to the Angevin court of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. It concludes that Bisclavret speaks to the colonial relationship between Henry and the Breton Lords, embedding messages about empire and feudal relations, and providing evidence of the rewards garnered from loyalty.