| Category | Archetype, Motif |
| Featured In | Literature and Humanities 1 (YCC1111); Medieval Romance: Magic and the Supernatural (YHU2309) |
A literary type who appears frequently in medieval French romances, lais, and fabliaux (fables), the mal mariée is an unhappily married woman, usually the wife of a much older husband at whose hands she often suffers abuse. In Marie’s Lais, we often encounter such a mal mariée literally or figuratively imprisoned by her jealous husband—either locked in a tower or subject to constant surveillance. She inevitably invites readers’ sympathy when she meets a lover who helps her escape, often with the aid of magical intervention.
IMAGE CREDITS
[Featured Image] https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Mal_Mari%C3%A9
CONTRIBUTED BY DR. EMILY DALTON