The Romance of the Violet and Other Wager Tales from Medieval France

<p> A high-stakes wager placed on a woman's virtue; men who spy on bathing women; tell-tale birthmarks; cross-dressing; dragons; tournaments; and aristocrats bursting into song--these features and more appear in the three stories translated here all versions of the folktale known as the wager tale. Such stories were especially popular in thirteenth-century France when noblemen fulfilled their feudal duties far from home. Did their women remain faithful? A pressing question for only female chastity guaranteed the legitimacy of heirs.</p><p> This collection offers the first translations into English of <I>The Romance of the Violet</I> and <I>The Count of Poitiers</I> along with a new version of <I>The Tale of King Flore and the Fair Joan</I>. The first paints a vivid portrait of thirteenth-century courtly life. The second set in the eighth-century court of King Pepin includes both a wager tale and a bride quest the latter involving a shocking scene of female group nudity. <I>Flore and Joan</I> takes a different tack presenting a clear-eyed heroine who overcomes daunting odds by posing as a man. These medieval tales portray strong women who gainsay social control of their bodies thereby winning the respect of men--a scenario that resonates even today.</p>