Narcissism and Selfhood in Medieval French Literature : Wounds of Desire

This book offers analyses of texts from medieval France influenced by Ovid’s myth of Narcissus including the __Lay of Narcissus__, Alain de Lille’s __Plaint of Nature__, René d’Anjou’s __Love-Smitten Heart__, Chrétien de Troyes’s __Story of the Grail__ and Guillaume de Machaut’s __Fountain of Love__. Together, these texts form a corpus exploring human selfhood as wounded and undone by desire. Emerging in the twelfth century in Western Europe, this discourse of the wounded self has survived with ever-increasing importance, informing contemporary methods of theoretical inquiry into mourning, melancholy, trauma and testimony. Taking its cue from the moment Narcissus bruises himself upon learning he cannot receive the love he wants from his reflection, this book argues that the construct of the wounded self emphasizes fantasy over reality, and that only through the world of the imagination—of literature itself—can our narcissistic injuries seemingly be healed and desire fulfilled. Acknowledgments 6 Contents 8 List of Figures 10 Part I: Narcissism and Selfhood in Context 11 Chapter 1: Introduction: Narcissus and the Wounded Self 12 1.1 Selfhood and the Myth of Narcissus 16 1.2 Selfhood and Wounding 21 1.3 Overview of This Book 24 References 30 Chapter 2: Narcissus and Selfhood: The Lay of Narcissus 33 2.1 The Image of the Self: Vision and Truth (Veoir and Voir) 35 2.2 Wounding Images: Inside and Outside (Dedenz and Dehors) 41 2.3 Seeing the Self: Je me plaing (“I lament myself”) 47 2.4 Postscript: The Impossibility of V(e)oir 58 References 63 Part II: Selfhood and the Open Wound 65 Chapter 3: Narcissus and Mourning: Alain de Lille’s Plaint of Nature 66 3.1 Narcissus Mourned: The Wounding of Language 70 3.2 Narcissus in Mourning: Nature as Wounded 81 3.3 Mourning (Un)Done: The (Im)Possibility of Closure 92 References 106 Chapter 4: Narcissus and Melancholy: René d’Anjou’s Book of the Love-Smitten Heart 109 4.1 The Heart of Melancholy 113 4.2 Melancholy at the Fountain 116 4.3 Melancholy at the Mirror 123 References 134 Part III: The Wounded Self as Witness 136 Chapter 5: Narcissus and Trauma: Chrétien de Troyes’s Story of the Grail 137 5.1 The Wound and Knowledge (Navrez and Nel Savez) 143 5.2 Blancheflor’s Mirror: Agape and the Courtly Lady 149 5.3 Perceval and the Grail: The Failure of Witnessing 153 5.4 Blood on Snow: The Gaze of the Other 157 5.5 Blood and the Cross (Seingnier): The Trauma of Salvation 164 References 181 Chapter 6: Narcissus and Testimony: Guillaume de Machaut’s Fountain of Love 184 6.1 Vision and Speech (Mire and Dire): The Echo of Testimony 187 6.2 The Testimony of Martyrdom 196 6.3 Mute Witness: Testimony at the Fountain 203 6.4 Echo’s Response: The Joy of Narcosis 209 References 226 Chapter 7: Epilogue: Between Je me plaing and Iste ego sum 228 References 235 Index 236 "This book offers analyses of texts from medieval France influenced by Ovid's myth of Narcissus including the Lay of Narcissus, Alain de Lille's Plaint of Nature, René d'Anjou's Love-Smitten Heart, Chrétien de Troyes's Story of the Grail and Guillaume de Machaut's Fountain of Love. Together, these texts form a corpus exploring human selfhood as wounded and undone by desire. Emerging in the twelfth century in Western Europe, this discourse of the wounded self has survived with ever-increasing importance, informing contemporary methods of theoretical inquiry into mourning, melancholy, trauma and testimony. Taking its cue from the moment Narcissus bruises himself upon learning he cannot receive the love he wants from his reflection, this book argues that the construct of the wounded self emphasizes fantasy over reality, and that only through the world of the imagination -- of literature itself -- can our narcissistic injuries seemingly be healed and desire fulfilled." Front Matter ....Pages i-ix Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Introduction: Narcissus and the Wounded Self (Nicholas Ealy)....Pages 3-23 Narcissus and Selfhood: TheLay of Narcissus (Nicholas Ealy)....Pages 25-56 Front Matter ....Pages 57-57 Narcissus and Mourning: Alain de Lille’s Plaint of Nature (Nicholas Ealy)....Pages 59-101 Narcissus and Melancholy: René d’Anjou’s Book of the Love-Smitten Heart (Nicholas Ealy)....Pages 103-129 Front Matter ....Pages 131-131 Narcissus and Trauma: Chrétien de Troyes’s Story of the Grail (Nicholas Ealy)....Pages 133-179 Narcissus and Testimony: Guillaume de Machaut’s Fountain of Love (Nicholas Ealy)....Pages 181-224 Epilogue: Between Je me plaing and Iste ego sum (Nicholas Ealy)....Pages 225-232 Back Matter ....Pages 233-238