For this post I read The Legend of Melusina” (Penguin, pgs. 85-88)
While I can talk about how the story can be interpreted as power, with Melusine’s incredible power (her wealth and being able to build “the castle of Lusignan”(87)), and or that it is about the trust in relationships (Melusine making her husband promise not to come see her on Saturdays when she’s transformed). I would like to highlight how different this story is from the usual ones of its time and type, where such a secret would have seen Melusine not only shamed and hunted for her curse, but demonized heavily. Which the prelude text highlights that in different tellings, most likely NOT created by the original author, allude to. But rather the husband, Raymondin,“is not horrified but only saddened” (85). This is where I liked the story, because rather than immediately judge Melusine and her condition, showing that he truly only loved her for her looks, he becomes what I interpreted as relief, because he was egged on by someone else, driven by jealously. It wasn’t his words that convinced Melusine to ultimately leave, but Geoffroi, to be honest I would kick him in the shins for calling my wife a “snake and odious serpent” (88).
This also highlights my next interesting point, when Raymondin witnessed Melusine’s hybrid form the text described it as “in a snake, gray and sky-blue, mixed with white”, but this doesn’t actually apply to snakes, but to fish. As the beginning text said, “fish and water hold a redemptive symbolism”, which tells me that possibly Raymondin would’ve accepted Melusine for her curse and redeemed the curse (not her) in her eyes. Considering when their children were born, they were described as deformed, yet for Raymondin, “Raymond’s love for the beauty that ravished both heart and eyes remained unshaken”. Considering how common a trope it is for the husband to blame and scorn the mother if a child ends up with anything undesirable, it proves how much he genuinely loved Melusine. That she found someone accepting of her but another had to go off and ruin it. I can see the story having a message of acceptance as well, but that’s the tragedy.
Glad to see you focusing on specific words from the text– saddened is different than horrified, as you rightly note .You also go on to point out the very real role of humans in this story– gossip as a key element. Let’s start here tomorrow!
Hi Bryan,
I really enjoyed reading your post as you focused on details and/ or interpretations that I feel like I missed when I was reading it. Initially I had felt a lot of sympathy for the women in this story that after you highlighted the quote in which Raymondin did not see his “deformed children” with no ill intention just heightened the love for his wife was very well put. It’s very unfortunate that Raymondin’s love was not strong enough to avoid the temptation of knowing what was going on Saturday’s with his wife. However, I think it’s a reflection of his relationship with not only his wife but as a person with natural human nature( or non-human).
Hi Bryan,
I must say that I really enjoyed your interpretation of Raymodin’s view of his hybrid wife as not one of vitriol and horror, but one of sadness and possible acceptance. I for one, was very quick to judge his actions within the story and gave him no sympathy due to the betrayal of his wife’s trust. However, I had completely missed the descriptions symbolism for “redemptive symbolism” so thank you for pointing that out and giving me a new perspective
Hi Bryan,
I agree with you noting how the more common trope is for the man/father to blame the mother for any shortcomings that the child they conceive together has. In many ways this seems like a story ahead of its time, because acceptance of anything beyond the lines of whats considered “normal”, is more the exception other than the norm for society within this time period. It makes me wonder if there were other accepting allys such as Raymodin during the time period of his story.