The Allegory of Love in Roman de la Rose
The Romance of the Rose is an allegory of courtly society and courtly love. It is a narration of a love affair described through the device of dream vision. These two narrative devices (allegory and dream vision) provide the text with a form of authority and legitimacy.
The narrative device of dream vision has the following functions in the text: (1) it allows the free play of allegory, (2) it is a vehicle of didactism (through the character of Reason and God of Love) and (3) it makes the sometimes perplexing and mystifying world of personificati…
