It's quite geeky to admit that I have just read a thirteenth-century French romance for fun, but the story is actually just that--fun!
Brief rundown: a count in merry old England has a daughter as an only child. Since the king has declared that women cannot inherit property in England, the count raises his daughter as a son and calls her/him "Silence". The person named Silence goes on to win favor and fame throughout the land as a knight, but then raises the ire of the queen by turning down her sexual advances. Confusion ensues, sexual stereotypes and gender-bending are tossed about with abandon, and Merlin even makes an appearance to wrap things up and sow a little more bewilderment at the end. A jolly good read, indeed!
And, no. I did not read the story in the Old French. I stuck with the much-more-facile modern English translation. As should you.
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