Old French Fabliaux ─ Essays on Comedy and Context

This collection of 14 critical essays examines short comedic tales from the 13th and 14th centuries, commonly known as the medieval French fabliaux. Each essay focuses on a different aspect of common fabliaux humor, as illustrated by a scholarly analysis of one or several original texts. Topics covered include the frequent use of bacon as humorous symbolism (in Barat et Haimet, Aloul, and Le Sacristain II), the use of comedic rhyme (in Le Prestre comporte and Le Prestre et le chevalier), and the common "virgin miracle" tale (in La Nonete). Throughout the work, contributors attempt to provide a serious analysis of the fabliaux without losing sight of the tales' original comedic content and appeal.

Kristin L. Burr is an associate professor of French in the Department of Foreign Languages at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. John F. Moran is a clinical assistant professor and the Director of Language programs in the Department of French at New York University in New York. Norris J. Lacy is the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of French and Medieval Studies at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania.