Jensen uses one of the most important works from French medieval literature, the 11th century "Vie de St. Alexis," as his basis for this study of Old French phonology, morphology, syntax and vocabulary. The story follows a 5th century Roman senator's son who flees his own arranged marriage.
"Even for native speakers of French, Old French is a foreign language, which they cannot read with ease: "l'ancien français déroute les Français" (Raynaud de Lage). This is where my book may have its most ambitious role to play. Meaningful research in Medieval French literature cannot be based on translations, however good and reliable these may be. It requires a reading knowledge of the medieval language, hence the need for works which, like the present one, are designed to provide access to the original texts of the medieval period." - Frede Jensen
ISBN 978-1-58977-016-4
Molière & Co. #4