R Howard Bloch The Anonymous Marie ...

R Howard Bloch The Anonymous Marie de France. Chicago: U of Chicago P 2003 367 pp ISBN 0-226-05968-5 $4500

Theories abound concerning the historical identity of Marie de France. We know that she wrote in the Anglo-Norman dialect, in Britain, and was proficient in English, Latin, Breton/Welsh, and, of course, Anglo-Norman French She left a remarkable legacy consisting of three works: her Lais, her Fables, and her visionary work, the Espurgatoire Seint Patriz. Howard Bloch has nothing to add to the speculation about Marie's actual identity. Instead, his interest is to