Leonie Bramwell
University of Oxford
This paper will examine Clarisse, the wife of St Julien “the Hospitaller”, as represented in the sole surviving verse form of the Vie de Saint Julien (preserved in MS 3516, fos. 84r-96r of the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal) dated c.1260-70. In a discussion supplemented by reference to contemporary prose variations and manuscript illustrations, I will argue that Julien’s wife – a puzzling figure in hagiographic perspective – might be more fruitfully explored through reference to the traditions and themes of ‘courtly’ literature.
In MS 3516, Julien declares to Clarisse that their redemption comes at her hands: ‘por le grant bien qui est en vos’. This claim is thoroughly borne out by the events of the tale, which I will analyse with reference both to ‘courtly’ literature and contemporary hagiography. This paper will ultimately argue that in reconciling contemporary religious teachings and practices with the literary traditions of the lay nobility, our text elaborates (and sometimes challenges) both the role of the Lady in ‘courtly’ literature and that of the female saint in hagiography.
This paper will provide medievalists interested in these points of intersection – and in medieval representations of gender more broadly – with discussion of a fascinating but little-known medieval legendary tradition.