Mental Representation Theory in Old French Allegory From the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries

This study illustrates the usefulness of using contemporary philosophies of literary criticism to elucidate old texts. Mental Representation theory propounded by Umberto Eco, Gilles Fauconnier, and other contemporary scholars lends itself well to the interpretation of dream allegory. This study provides a breakdown of the mental components of the dream text and shows how they fit together to form a cohesive whole. Providing a new way to read these texts, The Romance of the Rose, The Dream of Hell, The Tournament of the Antichrist, and others, Mental Representation theory interprets interpretation in a new, clearer, more complete fashion by looking at the dream, the cosmic nature of allegory, and its linguistic and mental structures.