Plucking the Rose

The Romance of the Rose , a widely copied French 21,000-lines poem, began as a dream narrative by Guillaume de Lorris, probably composed in the 1230s, exploring twelfth-century negotiations of gentle love and gallantry. Some 40 years later, Jean Chopinel (de Meun) expanded upon Guillaume’s work, transforming it into an erudite, satirical, and occasionally ribald exploration of love, including a whole range of related topics, sometimes with unmistakeably misogynistic undertones. The story takes place in an enclosed garden, following a young man’s quest for a beautiful rose, guarded by allegorical figures representing abstract qualities such as Shame or Fear. While the leitmotif remains love, Jean de Meun’s characters, particularly the Friend and the Old Woman, do not care for the delicate twists and turns of gentle love, advocating a more pragmatic, often cynical approach. The work’s ending, featuring a sexualised pilgrimage metaphor, would shock and disturb later readers such as Christine de Pizan.