The Romance of Morien

by Jessie Laidlay Weston

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Historical Fiction

58 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1901

About the author

Jessie Laidlay Weston (1850–1928) was an independent scholar and folklorist, working mainly on mediaeval Arthurian texts.

Weston was the daughter of William Weston a tea merchant and member of the Salters' Company and his second wife, Sarah Burton, and named after his first wife Jessica Laidlay. Sarah, after giving birth to two more daughters died when Jessie was about seven. William remarried Clara King who gave birth to five more children. The elder siblings were born in Surrey, but youngest son Clarence was born in Kent. Jessie, her sister Frances and brother Clarence later moved to Bournemouth, where Jessie began her writing career, remaining there until around 1903. Her home at 65 Lansdowne Road still stands, as of 2010. Jessie studied in Hildesheim then Paris under Gaston Paris. She also studied at the Crystal Palace School of Art.

One of her first printed works was a lengthy sentimental verse called The Rose-Tree of Hildesheim. A narrative about "sacrifice and denial", it was modelled on the story of the Thousand-year Rose, which grows on a wall at Hildesheim Cathedral. Published in 1896, it was the title verse in an omnibus of her poems.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Heather]

Nice short medieval romance that I really enjoyed. First foray into the Dutch tradition so I was grateful for Jessie Weston’s commentary to give a bit of context for the poem, it was interesting then as I read it to see the way it would fit into the greater Dutch Lancelot compilation. Morien was an interesting and fun character, just a kid who really wanted to find his dad. (Which he managed to do! And it was a happy reunion!) I also liked seeing the more serious Gawain in this and I thought the mentor role really worked in this context.

[Avis]

Reading this you are prepared to hear some racist stuff but Morien reveals itself to be a fascinatingly positive portrayal of black moor in medieval works. It makes a point to have Morien the character be functionally perfect outside of some bluntness. And so his struggle comes not from himself but from others judging him based off his skin. And it's really interesting how it portrays that. It's also just really funny.