Romance: Integrating heterosexual relations into homosocial narrative literature Anonymous College

Written at a time where the conventions of marriage were being challenged and transformed, Le Bel Inconnu charts a tale of romance and self-discovery ultimately ending in the abandonment of true love and instead acceptance of a royally approved marriage. Given the relative power of the ‘woman’ in the story, and the prominent part played by femininity in the forming of Guinglain’s identity, Le Bel Inconnu constantly portrays and problematizes the exchange between men and women. In doing so, Beaujeu arguably integrates heterosexual relations into a narrative literature characterized by the interaction between males and the dominance of masculinity.

From the opening verses of the poem, Renaut subtly asserts the homosocial nature of the society in which the story is set. In verses 31-52, a great long list gives the names of all the men present in the room, not only emphasizing the Bel Inconnu’s lack of a proper name and therefore identity, but also highlighting the significance of the men over the women in the hall, about whom the narrator writes, ‘ne les dames ne puis nommer’.[1] This signals that although names are essential markers for men, and it is a requirement for the Bel Inconnu to be given a name, women are not worthy of...