Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Jean de Meun

Role / Field:

A pivotal French author, famous for continuing the epic poem, Roman de la Rose.

Born:

1240

Died:

1304

Century / Era:

1240s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Jean de Meun (or de Meung, French: [ʒɑ̃ də mœ̃]) (c. 1240 – c. 1305) was a French author best known for his continuation of the Roman de la Rose. He was born Jean Clopinel or Jean Chopinel at Meung-sur-Loire.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Tradition asserts that he studied at the University of Paris. He was, like his contemporary, Rutebeuf, a defender of Guillaume de Saint-Amour and a bitter critic of the mendicant orders. Jean de Meung says that in his youth he composed songs that were sung in every public place and school in France. Most of his life seems to have been spent in Paris, where he possessed, in the Rue Saint-Jacques, a house with a tower, court and garden, which was described in 1305 as the house of the late Jean de Meun, and was then bestowed by a certain Adam d'Andely on the Dominicans. He was buried in the now-demolished church of Paris's Dominican monastery, which was also on Rue Saint-Jacques.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In the enumeration of his own works he places first his continuation of the Roman de la Rose of Guillaume de Lorris. The date of this second part (lines 4,089–21,780) is generally fixed between 1268 and 1285 by a reference in the poem to the death of Manfred and Conradin...

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Frequently Asked Questions about Jean de Meun