Anonymous, Floris and Blancheflour

Kirsty Bolton (University of Southampton)

Ed. by Natalie Hanna, University of Liverpool
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1200 - c. 1350

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

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Overview

Floris and Blancheflour is a Middle English romance composed in the south-east Midlands in approximately 1250. Extant in four manuscripts, it is likely to have been a popular romance. As is common in Middle English romance, it is derived from a French version of the story, written c.1160; sometimes it translates the French very closely, though at others it adapts, omits, and condenses passages. The Middle English text concentrates largely on the action of the narrative, skipping over much of the dialogue and description of the original, suggesting that it was initially performed orally, as many romances were at the time, rather than read privately. Composed largely of rhyming couplets, it is 1,087 lines long.

Floris and Blancheflour

is a Middle English romance composed in the…

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1297 words

Citation: Bolton, Kirsty. "Floris and Blancheflour". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 May 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39371, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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