The Song-Space of the Medieval Garden

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines a subset of the song genre known as the rondet that describes a beautiful girl dressing (the “Bele Aelis” songs) or a dance performed in the distance (the “C’est la jus” songs). Examining the topography described in these songs, this chapter locates the setting on the medieval estate, mainly in the intensively cultivated garden settings that had become increasingly common. Close readings show that some of the songs dramatize the dynamics of seeing and being viewed, hearing and overhearing. These songs construct noble female identity as tied to both garden settings and the desire for privacy.