Title: Roman de la Rose
First published: 1493
Description: Many English-speaking readers of the Roman de la rose, the famous dream allegory of the thirteenth century, have come to rely on Charles Dahlberg's elegant and precise translation of the Old French text. His line-by-line rendering in contemporary English is available again, this time in a third edition with an updated critical apparatus.

Readers at all levels can continue to deepen their understanding of this rich tale about the Lover and his quest - against the admonishments of Reason and the obstacles set by Jealousy and Resistance - to pluck the fair Rose in the Enchanted Garden.

The original introduction by Dahlberg remains an excellent overview of the work, covering such topics as the iconographic significance of the imagery and the use of irony in developing the central theme of love. His new preface reviews selected scholarship through 1990 and beyond, which examines, for example, the sources and influences, the two authors, the nature of the allegorical narrative as a genre, the use of first person, and the poem's early reception.

The new bibliographic material incorporates that of the earlier editions. The sixty-four miniature illustrations from thirteenth- and fifteenth-century manuscripts are retained, as are the notes keyed to the Langlois edition, on which the translation is based.
Subjects: Alchemy, Bookbinding, Courtly love, Facsimiles, French Illumination of books and manuscripts, French Manuscripts, French poetry, History, Lortic, Manuscripts, Manuscripts, French (Old French), Medieval Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval Manuscripts, Old French, Pierpont Morgan Library, Poetry, Romances, Translations into English, Translations into German, Wood-engraving, French, Poetry (poetic works by one author), English Romances, Translations from French, Romances--translations into english, Courtly love--poetry, Pq1528 .a24713 1994, 841/.1, Pq1528 .a43 1971, Pq1528 .a43, POETRY / Continental European, LITERARY CRITICISM / General, French Love poetry, Medieval Literature
Places: France, New York, New York (State)
People: Francis I King of France (1494-1547), Guillaume de Lorris (fl. 1230), Jean de Meun (d. 1305?)
Time periods: 19th century