Lila Rouk

Throughout history, women have consistently been regarded as the weaker sex. Global

society has a habit of characterizing women as individuals who always need saving from

something, as individuals who have a skillset dissimilar to that of a man, a skillset that is non-

optimal and ill equipped to ensure survival. This ideology has resulted in the social, political,

economic, and cultural damnation of women, an ideology so socially ingrained, women

oftentimes do not recognize their own repression. Over time, literature and the media have

developed a proclivity for perpetuating stereotypes of women by specifically incorporating

female characters with characteristics that are considered socially inferior or undesirable by men.

The influence of many of these narratives, which are historically and culturally significant, has

led to the further social dissemination of the female race, serving only to place a sociological

value on the woman, a value which often decreases with her divergence from social norms and

accompanied by a noticeable social decline in respect for the individual female in question.

For example, if one considers the common trend among Disney princess movies such as

Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, their portrayals of princesses were largely based on the theme

of liberation, a goal which was unattainable without the presence of a male savior character. The

emphasis placed on such characteristics in females has consequently led to pervasive and

recurrent cultural themes of dehumanization and infantilizing of women in literature and media

and are a reflection of reality. That being said, Lanval’s portrayal of women in comparison to

Perceval’s is socially groundbreaking for the ages by when it was written, as the gender roles

were reversed during a time in which women were still widely viewed as inferior, and lacking

social and political value.

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The first inversion of the gender roles occurs when Lanval, the protagonist, is summoned

by the fairy queen, who subsequently saves him from the unfamiliar land to which he has

journeyed. The inversion’s catalyst is the mistreatment of the protagonist by Arthur, whose

feudal breach results in a chain of events that sees the transfer of duty to the fairy queen, who

elects to make Lanval a vassal. As a result, the protagonist’s role was that of a subordinate, if

not an equal. “He answered her in a suitable way” (Damrosch 182). In addition, the fairy queen

is characterized as worthy, wise, and beautiful, an uncommon portrayal of women. More often

than not, literary descriptions of women were focused solely on the outer beauty of the female

character. Furthermore, there is an implied emphasis on the value and importance of a female

character that correlates directly with her outer beauty. In other words, the more beautiful a

female character is, the more relevant she is to the central plot of a story. However, Marie De

France deliberately challenged such a perpetuation of women, and she highlights this in Lais. In

her prologue to Lanval, Marie makes it very apparent that she has no intention of giving her

female characters supporting roles or lackluster and stereotypical characterizations. The prologue

indirectly introduced female characters that were going to be defined by their leadership and

wisdom.

The story of “Perceval” superbly illustrates the phenomenon of value measured by outer beauty

through the protagonist’s own narration of a woman. The narrator illustrates Perceval’s

enchantment by the woman very profoundly, stating that “the Lord created her a wonder to steal

away the heart of the man” (Kline 10). Right away, the protagonist fastens the intrinsic value of

the female character to her outer beauty, and attaches her life’s true purpose to the acquirement
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of the love and adoration of a man. Furthermore, the intention behind the depiction of female

outer beauty in The Story of Grail is two-fold, as the narrator uses a blazon as a literary device

for the portrayal of outer beauty. an expression used to evoke hyperbolic admiration of a

character’s physical appearance (Larkin 9). Although The Story of Grail’s more traditional

depiction of the value of outer beauty submits to cultural and societal values, the story’s effect is

thoroughly diminished when juxtaposed with Lanval, as Marie innovatively utilized Aristotle’s

“Great Chain of Being” to directly correlate inner and outer beauty of the female characters. For

instance, it is evident that the lack of a physical description to describe Arthur’s queen in Lanval

is done intentionally, to symbolize an absence of inner beauty. Arthur’s queen is instead defined

by her actions, as she commits a multitude of transgressions. The first of these is an attempt at

adultery, followed by a fabrication of the events that transpired to Arthur, consequently leading

to a trial that would have ended in the protagonist’s execution, had he failed to defend himself.

“A love he had boasted of which made the queen angry” (Damrosch 188).

A chain of events is kindled by Arthur’s queen, and only occurs as a response to the

protagonist’s rejection of her. This act in itself should be considered a gender inversion, as it is

still so uncommon of women in literature, and real life, to act so openly vulgar and sexually

entitled to another individual’s body. The verdict which ruled the fairy queen as the more

beautiful of the queens is a metaphor for the wide disparity of inner beauty between the two

women. In Lanval, the fairy queen is characterized by her unconditional love, as well as her

bravery, which was exemplified by her appearance to the trial, despite her verbal assertions that

her relationship with the protagonist must transpire in secret. “No one who looked at her was not

warmed with joy” (Damrosch 191). Despite the fact that this is now a more common theme in
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media and literature, the use of this as a literary device was unprecedented for a narrative that

was written in the twelfth century, a time when women were largely subordinate to men. The

implementation of Aristotle’s concept into the plot line of Lanval was significant in making the

narrative iconic. Although “Perceval” also employed the Great Chain of Being, the narrator

predominately used this concept to contextualize hierarchy within the story, which is illustrated

by the protagonist’s lack of self-concept upon seeing the knights for the first time, mistaking

them for angels because of their armor. The impact of the latter’s use of Aristotle was

significantly smaller because it did not defy social construct.

Inversely, The Story of Grail also utilizes stereotypical and traditional literary depictions

of the man, which also parallel real life’s cultural and societal perspectives in regard to the two

genders. For example, Perceval’s inability to sufficiently listen or think for himself (Weinraub

91), two characteristics which are not uncommon among men. However, it is worth noting that

this inability may be attributed to the protagonist’s lack of identity, which was kept carefully

hidden by his mother during a time when knighthood was considered socially and economically

significant, as well as of genealogical importance, as the honor of knighthood was as thick as

blood. This lack of identity is thoughtfully depicted by Perceval’s need to closely, and quite

literally, follow the advice given to him by his mother at the beginning of the story. The

protagonist’s undeviating resoluteness towards following his mother’s advice accidentally but

inevitably results in the degradation of a woman, as he unwittingly defiles his family’s honor by

acting too literally. “My mother told me you’d be wearing a precious ring, and that’s all you’d

give me, nothing else” (Raffel 34). In addition, the author highlights the selfishness and

egocentricity of “Perceval”, which occurs almost in response to the protagonist’s lack of self-
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awareness, and this literary depiction is not only commonplace for literature, but a parallel of

male gender culture, which is fueled by best interest, ego, and toxic masculinity. To cite an

instance, Perceval’s clear lack of concern for his mother, who collapses upon his departure. From

the audience’s point of view, Perceval does not return to care for his mother, in fact, completely

disregarding her worries to allow himself to journey off and serve his own interests. With this in

mind, Lanval’s inversion of gender roles was not limited to females. The protagonist is

characterized by his valor, generosity, beauty, and bravery (Damrosch 180). However, the

notable part of the story occurs with the Queen’s summons. There is a significance in the fact

that the protagonist did not question her guidance, or feel emasculated by the thought of asking

for it. It becomes very evident, very early on in the story, that the protagonist welcomes the

assertiveness of a woman as he yields to their wishes almost subserviently. “There is nothing you

might command, within my power, that I would not do” (Damrosch 182).

That being said, Lanval presents themes of chivalry and respect that are noticeably absent from

The Story of Grail. The protagonist’s treatment of women in Lanval varies distinctly from the

treatment of women in “Perceval.” The most remarkable portrayal of this distinction can be

attributed to the secrecy of Lanval’s protagonist in regard to his relationship with the fairy queen.

The terms of the protagonist’s jury acquittal consisted of him calling upon the true subject of his

affections, a proclamation that he would sooner die than publically assert, owing to the fact that

he was unwilling to break his oath of secrecy to the fairy queen. “He told them that he could not

do it: he would never receive help from her” (Damrosch 189). This deeply contrasts Perceval’s

treatment of his mother, who he wholeheartedly overlooks. In conclusion, both narratives are

rooted in a theme of self-awareness, as the progression of the stories of Lanval and “Perceval”
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rely similarly on the inner development of the protagonists as their journeys diverge in

accordance with their treatment of supporting characters, as well as their social clarity.