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FLORE AND BLANCHEFLEUR

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Originally appearing in Volume V10, Page 528 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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FLORE AND BLANCHEFLEUR , a 13th-See also:

century See also:romance. This See also:tale, 'generally supposed to be of See also:oriental origin, relates the passionate devotion of two See also:children, and their success in over-coming all the obstacles. put in the way of their love. The romance appears in differing versions in See also:French, See also:English, See also:German, See also:Swedish, Icelandic, See also:Italian, See also:Spanish, See also:Greek and Hungarian. The various forms of the tale receive a detailed See also:notice in E. Hausknecht's version of the 13th-century See also:Middle English poem of " See also:Floris and Blauncheflur " (Samna. eng. Denkmd'ler., vol. v. See also:Berlin; 1885). Nothing definite can be stated of the origin of the See also:story, but See also:France was in the 12th and 13th centuries the See also:chief See also:market of romance, and the French version of the tale, Floire et Blanchefleur, is the most widespread. Floire, the son of a Saracen See also:king of See also:Spain, is brought up in See also:constant See also:companion-See also:ship with Blanchefleur, the daughter of a See also:Christian slave of See also:noble See also:birth. Floire's parents, hoping to destroy this See also:attachment, send the boy away at fifteen and sell Blanchefleur to See also:foreign slave-merchants. When Floire returns a few days later he is told that his companion is dead, but when he threatens to kill himself, his parents tell him the truth. He traces her to the See also:tower of the maidens destined for the See also:harem of the emir of See also:Babylon, into which he penetrates concealed in a See also:basket of See also:flowers.

The lovers are discovered, but their constancy touches the See also:

hearts of their See also:judges. They are married, and Floire returns to his See also:kingdom, when he and all his See also:people adopt See also:Christianity. Of the two 12th-century French poems (ed. tdelestand du Meril, See also:Paris, 1856), the one contains the love story with' few additions, the other is a romance of See also:chivalry, containing the usual battles, single combats, &c. Two lyrics based on episodes of the story are printed by Paulin Paris in his Romancero See also:francais (Paris, 'x883). The English poem renders the French version without amplifications, such as are found in other adaptations. Its author has less sentiment than his See also:original, and less See also:taste for detailed description. Among the other forms of the story must be noted the See also:prose romance (c. 1340) of See also:Boccaccio, Il Filocolo, and the 14th-century Leggenda See also:delta reina Rosana e di Rosana sua figliuola (pr. See also:Leghorn, 1871). The similarity between the story of Floire and Blanchefleur and See also:Chance See also:fable of Aucassin et Nicolete 1 has been repeatedly pointed out, and they have even been credited with a See also:common source. See also See also:editions by I. See also:Bekker (Berlin, 1844) and E.

Hausknecht (Berliq, 1885) ; also H. Sundmacher, See also:

Die altfr. and mittelhochdeutsche earbeitung der See also:Sage von Fiore et Blanscheflur (See also:Gottingen, 1872) ; H. See also:Herzog, Die beiden Sagenkreise von Flore and elanscheflur (See also:Vienna, 1884); Zeitschriftfilr dent. Altertum (vol. xxi.) contains a Rhenish version; the Scandinavian See also:Flores See also:Saga ok Blankiflllr, ed. E.Kolbing (See also:Halle, 1896) ; the 13th-century version of Konrad Fleck, Fiore and Blanscheflur, ed. E. See also:Sommer (See also:Leipzig, 1846); the Swedish by G. E. Klemming (See also:Stockholm, 1844). The English poem was also edited by Hartschorne (English Metrical Tales, 1829), by See also:Laing (See also:Abbotsford See also:Club, 1829), and by Lumly (See also:Early Eng. See also:Text See also:Soc., 1866, re-edited G. H.

McKnight, 19o1). J. See also:

Reinhold (Floire et Blanchefleur, Paris, 19e6) suggests a See also:parallelism with the story of See also:Cupid and See also:Psyche as ' Ed. H. Suchier (See also:Paderborn, 1878, 5th ed. 1903); See also:modern French by G. Michaut, with See also:preface by J. Bedier (See also:Tours, 1901); English by See also:Andrew See also:Lang (1887), by F. W. Bourdillon (See also:Oxford, i$96), and by Laurence See also:Housman (Igoe).told by See also:Apuleius; also that the oriental setting does not necessarily imply a connexion with Arab tales, as the circumstances might with small alteration have been taken from the See also:Vulgate version of the See also:book of See also:Esther. See also:FLORENCE; See also:WILLIAM JERMYN (1831–1891), See also:American actor, of Irish descent, whose real name was See also:Bernard Conlin, was See also:born on the 26th of See also:July 1831 at See also:Albany, N.Y., and first attracted See also:attention as an actor at See also:Brougham's See also:Lyceum in 1851. Two years later he married Mrs Malvina Pray Littell (d.

1906), in association with whom, until her retirement in 1889, he won all his successes, notably in See also:

Benjamin Woolf's The Mighty See also:Dollar, said to have been presented more than 2500 times. In 1856 they had a successful See also:London See also:season, Mrs Florence being one of the first American actresses to appear on the English See also:stage. In 1889 Florence entered into See also:partnership with See also:Joseph See also:Jefferson, playing See also:Sir See also:Lucius O'Trigger to his Bob Acres and Mrs See also:John See also:Drew's Mrs Malaprop on a very successful tour. His last See also:appearance was with Jefferson on the 14th of See also:November 1891, as See also:Ezekiel Homespun in The See also:Heir-at-See also:law, and he died on the 18th of November in See also:Philadelphia.

End of Article: FLORE AND BLANCHEFLEUR

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