There she takes up the post of Prioress, essentially second-in-command of the abbey. Seventeen-year-old Marie is sent to the convent on the orders of Queen Eleanor. Groff takes this theory as the starting point for her protagonist’s journey. Notable among these is Mary, Abbess of Shaftesbury and illegitimate half-sister to King Henry II of England. ” Historians have proposed several possible candidates for the “real” Marie’s identity. In fact, we only know her name thanks to a single comment in the epilogue of the Fables: “Marie ai nun, si sui de France. She is an interesting choice for a protagonist, considering we know so little about her. Marie’s works are now considered classics of Medieval literature, and the Lais in particular are viewed as emblematic of the “Courtly Love” tradition. Marie was a real historical figure, best known for composing twelve Lais (also spelled Lays), or narrative poems, and a collection of Fables based on those of the Greek author Aesop. The novel is a fictional chronicle of the life of Marie de France, beginning with her arrival at an abbey in the English countryside at the age of 17 and following her through decades of conflicts both personal and political. While the author takes some creative liberties, she has written a fascinating novel about a complex, powerful woman carving out a place for herself and other women in a highly patriarchal society. As I read, I kept comparing Groff’s fictional retelling of familiar history with what I remembered from my classes and independent study. I have been interested in the history of the Middle Ages since high school, and reading historical fiction about the period inspired me to pursue Medieval Studies as one of my majors at Rutgers. I had seen positive reviews for Matrix by Lauren Groff, so when I found the book listed in the Recreational Reading Collection, I picked it up.

The matrix by lauren groff