The Franklin, Sir Orfeo and the Breton lai

Does the Franklin's Tale function as a Breton lai, keeping with tradition of a lai like Sir Orfeo ? Throughout the Franklin's Tale characters like the company of each other, and the activities it generates, to a degree beyond that of most players in the Canterbury Tales. The companionship of friends, relatives, and associates is evidence that the story consciously evokes the community from which the characters emerge. Further, these characters take a clear responsibility for public opinion; consider Arveragus's "To no wight telle thou of this aventure." Most significantly, perhaps, is a social status that does not always respond to the level of aristocracy, seen especially in the role of the clerk of Orleans. In short, the Franklin's Tale addresses the concerns of an actual society in ways that are not found in most romance. The prominence of the social situation lies in Chaucer's conscious choice of the Breton lai as the genre of this tale, and for his discretion in observing the conventions of the form throughout. A closer look at social references in the extant lays strongly supports the view that Chaucer inserted them into his poem in imitation. The lays place considerable emphasis on social order as well as on human relationships. Sir Orfeo's responsibility is almost as much with the continuing well-being of the state as with recovery of the abducted queen. Equitan comes to an evil end because he neglects his royal responsibilities to woo a woman of inferior status. Similar demands of society are present in the Franklin's Tale, not just peripherally, but centrally. The social milieu detailed in this tale thus fits the social context of other Breton lais, both French and English. Is this coincidence or intent? There is compelling reason to believe that Chaucer was familiar with the lai form and that he used its social dimensions with enormous art. Chaucer is far too cautious a writer to use the term Breton lai just to induce a romantic subject matter and a geographical background. He was well aware of the ways in which the lai departed from typical romance conventions and used them easily and skillfully, embroidering in the same way, although for a different purpose, than he did conventions of the metrical love in Sir Thopas later.