The USC Libraries' eresources now include the Roman de la Rose Digital Library, which features manuscripts of the medieval French poem from the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Bodleian Library, the Library of Congress, Senshu University, and other institutions.
There are 270 known manuscripts or fragments of the allegorical dream poem, created between the 13th and 16th centuries. Many of the manuscripts include notes in the margins by medieval scholars, and the illustrations often include the unique imprints of the artists who created them.
Medieval historian Danielle Mihram notes, "Illuminated manuscripts are the best--and in some areas and periods, the only--surviving specimens of medieval painting, and the best preserved. Because they were commissioned by wealthy families, the illustrators selected images and themes that were of personal interest to the patrons."
In addition to their allegorical significance, the illustrations depict daily life, providing insight into the changes in culture and society over a 400-year period in French history.
The Roman de la Rose was originally written in two parts with different tones and thematic foci. The first was composed by Guillaume de Lorris around 1230. This section of the poem describes a courtier's attempts to woo his beloved, and it is set in a walled garden or locus amoenus, one of the traditional devices of medieval epic and chivalric literature. The second part written by Jean de Meun around 1275. This section is philosophical and didactic. You can learn more about the poem by reading a historical essay in the Roman de la Rose digital library.
The Roman of the Rose is an important text in French literary culture, and it shaped the imaginations of Geoffrey Chaucer and other early English authors after part of the story was translated from Old French into Middle English as The Romaunt of the Rose. It also shaped the thinking of Dante Alighieri, Petrarch, and influential Italian authors.
The Roman of the Rose digital library plans to offer 150 digitized manuscripts by the end of 2009. Amy Ciccone, Deb Holmes-Wong, Lana Litvan, and Danielle Mihram helped to bring the resource to USC.