Romance of the Rose

The Romance of the Rose is a poetic work of 22 000 octosyllabic worms in the form of an allegorical dream. He was written in two times: Guillaume de Lorris wrote the first part (4058 worms) in 1237, then the work was supplemented by Jean de Meung (18000 worms) between 1275 and 1280.

According to Albert Pike, this book was very important for the modern sects esoteric

A translation in worms and contemporary French was carried out by it by Bordas . The text of time, as for him, is about illegible for which is not an expert of former French, except some identifiable words that and there.

The first part tells the court of a man with its liked and its attempts to penetrate in an enclosed garden symbolizing the beautiful one. The second presents a more philosophical discussion of the love as well as digressions on varied subjects turning sometimes into ridiculous certain ideas and feelings expressed by Guillaume de Lorris.

The second part caused polemics on the vision of the woman by Jean de Meung, in particular the answer of Christine de Pisan on her positions leading to one of the first feminist quarrels.

This second part does not philosophize only on the love. One also develops there:

of the pets, that the man could never control as it makes it if they had the understanding ,
of the easy way of the nature which, the desire of descent of human being insufficient to ensure him only the reproduction of the species, added to the act of love a small no-claims bonus of pleasure to justify them a little,
lords who do not on any subject of glorifier of their ancestors when they do not have themselves qualities of those (Beaumarchais bores already under Jean de Meung).

The book is presented in the form of a a pleasant and instructive conversation , of philosophical nature with various successive interlocutors (of which the abominable character of the old woman , who tells by the menu how a woman must always extort material advantages as many than it will be able it of her in love and successive lovers, than it is what it always did, and which to act differently is only madness).

Part of the novel was translated into English under the title The Romaunt off Rose by Geoffrey Chaucer, which had a great influence on the English literature.

The Romance of the Rose clearly was what one would name today, all things being equal, a best-seller . One found of it indeed approximately a hundred specimens in France. To appreciate with its right value this figure, it should be remembered that Johannes Gutenberg will invent the European Imprimerie in mobile matters only towards 1450. All the specimens of which it is question here are parchments patiently written with the hand letter by letter. Taking into account the time necessary of holders in advanced knowledge of the time (because it was indeed necessary to know to read, write and often decorate the manuscripts) for this task, a work of this size was to cost something which today would lie between the price of a car and that of an apartment.

It is worth naturally still well more today.

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