Floris and Blancheflour

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Περιπετειώδες μεσαιωνικό μυθιστόρημα που κυκλοφόρησε σε δύο γαλλικές παραλλαγές,σε στίχους,κατά τον 13ο αιώνα.
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Θέμα του είναι ο έρωτας ανάμεσα στον νεαρό Φλώριο,γιό Σαρακηνού βασιλιά της Ισπανίας,και στην Πλατζιαφλώρα,κόρη χριστιανού δούλου ευγενικής καταγωγής.
Τα δύο παιδιά αποχωρίστηκαν μεταξύ τους με διαταγή του βασιλιά Φενίς.
Ξανασυναντήθηκαν ύστερα από αμέτρητες περιπέτειες,που τελείωσαν με την γαμήλια ένωση τους.
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Η διήγηση αυτή,ορισμένα στοιχεία της οποίας υπάρχουν στη μικτής μορφής -σε στίχους και πρόζα- μυθιστορία ''AUCASSIN ET NICOLETTE'',φέρνει τον αναγνώστη ως τη μακρινή Βαβυλώνα,μέσα από θρύλους και παραμύθια της μυθικής Ανατολής.
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Aucassin et Nicolette is a medieval French chante-fable, or combination of prose and verse (literally, a "sung story"), similar to a prosimetrum. It is the only known chantefable from what was once a very popular literary tradition, and it is from this work the term chantefable was coined in its concluding lines: “No cantefable prent fin” ("Our chantefable is drawing to a close"). Stylistically, the chantefable combines elements of the chanson de geste (e.g., The Song of Roland), lyric poems, and courtly novels—literary forms already well-established by the twelfth century. The work probably dates from the early 13th century, and is known from only one surviving manuscript dating from the later part of the century. The work's authorship is unknown. It is generally considered a roman d'adventure, or a romantic work of action and adventure
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Υπάρχει και ομότιτλο δημώδες βυζαντινό ιπποτικό μυθιστόρημα :
http://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%94%CE%B7%CE%BC%CF%8E%CE%B4%CE%B7%CF%82_%CE%B2%CF%85%CE%B6%CE%B1%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BD%CE%AE_%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%BF%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%87%CE%BD%CE%AF%CE%B1
Η λαϊκότητα της Κρητικής Λογοτεχνίας :
http://www.peri-grafis.com/ergo.php?id=1044
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http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache%3AoaHTmh07Db0J%3Ains.web.auth.gr%2FPDFS%2FApada3.pdf+%CF%86%CE%BB%CF%8E%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%BF%CF%82+%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9+%CF%80%CE%BB%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%B6%CE%B9%CE%B1%CF%86%CE%BB%CF%8E%CF%81%CE%B1&hl=el&gl=gr&sig=AFQjCNFgoTIO_3fKGCH3hdPl45XsqrgIpw&pli=1
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Floris and Blancheflour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Aristocratic French version
Fenix, King of Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain), on one of his ventures into Galicia in northwestern Spain attacks a band of Christian pilgrims en route on the Way of St James to the famous medieval pilgrimage shrine of Santiago de Compostela. Among the pilgrims are a French knight and his recently-widowed daughter, who has chosen to dedicate the rest of her life to the sanctuary. The knight is killed, and his daughter is taken prisoner to Naples, where she is made lady-in-waiting to Fenix's wife. Both women are pregnant, and the children are born on the same day, Palm Sunday: Floris to the Muslim Queen, and Blanchefleur to her lady-in-waiting.
Floris ("belonging to the flower") and Blanchefleur ("white flower") are raised together at the court and grow close. King Fenix fears his son may desire to marry the "pagan" girl and decides that she must be killed. However, he cannot bring himself to do the act and instead sends Floris away to school, then sells Blanchefleur to merchants traveling on the way to Cairo (called Babylon in the story), where she is then sold to the emir. Fenix constructs an elaborate tomb for Blanchefleur and tells Floris she has died. Floris's reaction is so severe that Fenix tells him the truth. Distraught but encouraged she is still alive, Floris sets out to find her.
Floris eventually arrives outside Cairo where he meets the bridge warden named Daire who tells him about the emir's tower of maidens. Each year the emir selects a new bride from his tower and kills his old wife. Rumour has it that Blanchefleur is soon to be his next chosen bride. To gain access to the tower, Daire advises Floris to play chess with the tower watchman, returning all winnings to him until the watchman is forced to return the favor by allowing him entrance to the tower. Floris outplays the watchmen at chess, and according to plan, Floris is smuggled in to the tower in a basket of flowers, but is mistakenly placed in the room of Blanchefleur's friend Claris. Claris arranges a reunion between the two, but they are discovered two weeks later by the emir.
The emir holds off killing them on the spot until he holds a council of advisers. So impressed are the advisers at the willingness of the young lovers to die for one another that they persuade the emir to spare their lives. Floris is then knighted, he and Blanchefleur are married, and Claris marries the emir (who promises Claris she will be his last and only wife, forever). Soon after, news of Fenix's death reaches Cairo and Floris and Blanchefleur depart for home where they inherit the kingdom, embrace Christianity, and convert the subjects as well.
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Analysis :
The story contains elements of both older heroic sagas and romance. Unlike the usually bloody and martial Romances earlier in the period (e.g. Havelok the Dane), this Romance is, indeed, romantic. The older original "aristocratic" version does not contain knightly combat but the "popular" French version that would come later does contain some elements. The story contains themes of conflict between paganism and Christianity. Additionally, unlike other Romances, each section of the story is dependent strictly upon the previous section, so this poem has a linear plot. The poem also emphasizes the power of romantic love (rather than courtly love or divine favor) over force of arms to preserve life and ensure a good end.
The Middle English version of the poem derives from an Old French "aristocratic" version (Floire et Blancheflor) of the tale. The story has analogs in Indian literature, particularly the Jatakas of the early fifth century. Many of the details, such as the Tower of Maidens (i.e. harem), eunuch guards, and the odalisques derive from material carried to the west via The Arabian Nights. The tale could be originally French, or possibly of Oriental origins, or a synthesis of motifs.
Boccaccio tells a version of the same tale in his "Filocolo" in the Decameron. The tale has been a popular subject for later retellings, and it was treated by Swedish poet Oskar Levertin in the romantic ballad "Flores och Blanzeflor" in the collection Legender och visor (Legends and Songs) in 1891.
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Vernacular versions :
Not a complete list.
Old French Floire et Blancheflor, ca. 1160 a "popular" French version appears around 1200.
Rhenish Floyris, ca. 1170
Konrad Fleck's Middle High German Florie und Blansheflur, ca. 1220
Middle Low German Flos unde Blankeflos, after 1300
High Middle English Floris and Blancheflour, before 1250
Diederic van Assenede's Middle Dutch Floris ende Blancefloer ca. 1260
Italian Florio e Biancifiore, after 1300; Bocaccio The Filocolo, 1335-36
Old Norwegian Flóres saga ok Blankiflúr, around 1300
Greek Florios kai Platziaflora, around 1400
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