Routledge La Cort d'Amor: A Critical Edition

The "Cort d'Amor" is a late 12th-century allegorical romance in Occitan which fuses a variety of lyric and narrative genres together and which predates the "Roman de la Rose" by some 50 years. In this edition, Matthew Bardell highlights the work's intertextuality with Andreas Capellanus' "De Amore" to show how the Occitan work presents a dialogue between gendered approaches to love whilst parodying the exegetical tradition. It juxtaposes lyric passages with some of the standard Ovidian teaching on love and undermines the reader's attempts to distinguish between the two. This volume has a facing English translation and aims to make an important contribution to the study of medieval allegory and courtly love in general, as well as to the dissemination of Ovid in the Middle Ages and the narrative transformations of Old French and Occitan lyric. Review [Bardell s] reading of the allegory is sensitive and convincing. This challenging text has waited too long for a reliable edition. Bardell has advanced our understanding appreciably, but manifold uncertainties remain.--William D. Paden "French Studies, 59.2, 2005, 225-26 "" As well as having a thought-provoking introduction, Bardell s edition comes with a carefully delineated statement of editorial principles ... let us hope that critics will indeed make the Cort d Amor their own thanks to this admirable edition.--Francesca Nicholson "Modern Language Review, 99.3, 2004, 772 "" Bardell s edition is the first reliable and complete one of the poem ... in highlighting the importance of the poem Bardell has opened the way for further study, particularly in the history and use of vernacular allegory and in the attitudes that the text propounds.--Leslie C. Brook "Medium Aevum, LXXIII.i, 2004, 154-5 "" L edition d un texte relativement neglige est toujours la bienvenue, surtout lorsque celles qui l ont precedee ne sont pas satisfaisantes. Il va de soi qui toute publication constituera un progres et peut mener a la resolution des difficultes qui restent. Tel est le cas de La Cort d Amor.--Peter Ricketts "Revue des Langues Romanes, CVII/1, 2003, 211-27 "" Makes an important contribution to the study of medieval allegory and courtly love in general, as well as of the dissemination of Ovid in the Middle Ages. The narrative itself raises interesting questions concerning the relationship between literature in Occitan, Old French and Latin.--unsigned notice "Forum for Modern Language Studies, XXXIX, 2003, 470 " This is an effective, accessible, and enlightening version of an often neglected and sadly misunderstood poem. It will undoubtedly lead specialists to consider further the dialogue between northern French and Occitan-speaking literary circles of the late twelfth century. It also shows the extent to which allegorical narratives prior to the Roman de la rose were exploring similar questions and problems.--Catherine Leglu "Speculum, October 2004, 1028-30 "" Zusammenfassend kann man sagen: solide Neuausgabe, die als Basis fur den Cort d Amor gelten kann und die Editionen von Constant und Jones ersetzt; gute literarische Einleitung; eine vertiefte sprachliche Analyse steht aber noch aus.--Max Pfister "Zeitschrift fur romanische Sprache, Bd. 120, Heft 3, 2004, 564-8 ""