Space, gender, and memory in Middle English Romance: Architectures of wonder in Melusine

Abstract

In a broad sense, the story of Melusine is well-attested in European literature and folklore. Depending on just how broadly one considers the story, it has analogues in a wide range of narratives that involve mermaids, undines and water-spirits in a number of languages and cultures. More narrowly considered, the story of Melusine enters European literature with the French version of Jean d’Arras, written sometime between 1382 and 1394. The essence of its plot is that as a young woman Melusine is condemned to take the form of a serpent in the lower half of her body on the Saturday of each week – other versions describe her as a mermaid. When Raimondin proposes marriage to her, she accepts on condition that she be allowed to maintain strict privacy on this one day of the week. He agrees, remaining ignorant of her reasons for seeking seclusion, and for a long time everything works well.