graphic organic metaphor for “wearing the pants in the family.” Here, though, the
metaphor provides the pretext for physical punishment, and a brutal operation is
performed to “remove” the offending items. In case she has not learned her lesson, she is
told that any repeat of her unacceptable behavior will necessitate additional surgery.
In both theme and technique, the fabliaux exhibit a wide range, as indeed we should
expect of a group of some 150 texts composed over a century and a half. Some are little
more than dirty jokes; others are sophisticated and subtle compositions that indulge in
refined humor. Some append morals (although they often have little or nothing to do with
the preceding text), while others tell their story quickly and then stop. Most are simple
and economical narratives, stripped of all nonessential material, while a few go to some
lengths to establish character or tone. They do not always agree about women, priests,
nobles, or other subjects—or especially about the best way to tell a story. What most do
agree on is the need to please and amuse their audiences. Even when the authors draw
logical moral conclusions from their anecdotes, their primary purpose is in a broad sense
entertainment, if not always specifically humor. The fact that they succeeded in most
cases is demonstrated by their literary influence on Chaucer, Boccaccio, and other
authors, by their preservation and their survival in impressive numbers into the 20th
century, and by their continued ability to give us pleasure today.
Norris J.Lacy
[See also: ANTIFEMINISM; BAUDOUIN DE CONDÉ; CONDÉ, JEAN DE;
GAUTIER LE LEU; HENRI D’ANDELI; JEHAN BODEL; RUTEBEUF]
Eichman, Raymond, and John Duval, eds. and trans. The French Fabliaux: B.N. MS. 837. 2 vols.
New York: Garland, 1984–85.
Montaiglon, Anatole de, and Gaston Raynaud, eds. Recueil general et complet des fabliaux des
XIIIe et XIVe siècles. 6 vols. Paris: Librairie des Bibliophiles, 1872–90.
Noomen, Willem, and Nico van den Boogaard, eds. Nouveau recueil complet des fabliaux. 10 vols.
Assen: Van Gorcum, 1983-.
Bédier, Joseph. Les fabliaux: études de littérature populaire et d’histoire littéraire du moyen âge.
Paris: Champion, 1893; 5th ed., 1925.
Lacy, Norris J. Reading Fabliaux. New York: Garland, 1993.
Ménard, Philippe. Les fabliaux: contes à rire du moyen âge. Paris: Presses Universitaires de
France, 1983.
Muscatine, Charles. The Old French Fabliaux. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986.
Nykrog, Per. Les fabliaux. Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1957.
Rychner, Jean. Contribution à l’étude des fabliaux. 2 vols. Geneva: Droz, 1960.
FAIRS AND MARKETS
. The fair, or nundinae, had roots in the Roman era and can be distinguished from the
regional weekly market day by its occurrence once a year and for a period of several
days. The medieval fair resembled nothing so much as a wholesalers’ gathering or
merchandise mart, for the fair was geared to an economy that did not support the
existence during many centuries of daily retail markets. While for the most humble fair it
sufficed to make available a field and some tents, towns with well-established fairs
The Encyclopedia 639