Ring Around the Roses

 

There are three ‘classics’ that I have confused for years because of their titles. They’ve circulated on the edges of my awareness, and I’ve even seen versions in bookstores that I’ve considered buying. I decided yesterday that I would track them down and finally set them straight in my head. I still have none of them and may never get any, but now I’m at least sure of what they are. 

The Romance of the Rose (Le Roman del la Rose) … Guillaume de Lorris & Jean de Muen

Le Roman de la Rose (The Romance of the Rose) is a medieval poem written in Old French and presented as an allegorical dream vision. As poetry, The Romance of the Rose is a notable instance of courtly literature, purporting to provide a "mirror of love" in which the whole art of romantic love is disclosed. Its two authors conceived it as a psychological allegory; throughout the Lover's quest, the word Rose is used both as the name of the titular lady and as an abstract symbol of female sexuality… The Romance of the Rose was written in two stages by two authors. In the first stage of composition, circa 1230, Guillaume de Lorris wrote 4,058 verses describing a courtier's attempts at wooing his beloved woman. The first part of the poem's story is set in a walled garden, an example of a locus amoenus, a traditional literary topos in epic poetry and chivalric romance. Forty-five years later, circa 1275, in the second stage of composition, Jean de Meun or Jehan Clopinel wrote 17,724 additional lines, in which he expanded the roles of his predecessor's allegorical personages, such as Reason and Friend, and added new ones, such as Nature and Genius. – Wikipedia. It was one of the most popular and foundational books in the Middle Ages, and first came to my attention in C. S. Lewis’ The Allegory of Love.

The Rose and the Ring … W. M. Thackery

The Rose and The Ring is a satirical work of fantasy fiction written by William Makepeace Thackeray, originally published on Christmas in 1854, even though the first edition is dated 1855. It criticises, to some extent, the attitudes of the monarchy and those at the top of society and challenges their ideals of beauty and marriage. Set in the fictional countries of Paflagonia and Crim Tartary, the story revolves around the lives and fortunes of four young royal cousins, Princesses Angelica and Rosalba, and Princes Bulbo and Giglio. Each page is headed by a line of poetry summing up the plot at that point and the storyline as a whole is laid out, as the book states, as "A Fireside Pantomime". The original edition had illustrations by Thackeray who had once intended a career as an illustrator. - Wikipedia. 

The Ring and the Book … Robert Browning

The Ring and the Book is a long dramatic narrative poem, and, more specifically, a verse novel, of 21,000 lines, written by Robert Browning. It was published in four volumes from 1868 to 1869 by Smith, Elder & Co. … he book tells the story of a murder trial in Rome, Papal States in 1698, whereby an impoverished nobleman, Count Guido Franceschini, is found guilty of the murders of his young wife Pompilia (née Comparini) and her parents, having suspected his wife was having an affair with a young cleric, Giuseppe Caponsacchi. Having been found guilty despite his protests and sentenced to death, Guido then appeals—unsuccessfully—to Pope Innocent XII to overturn the conviction. The poem comprises twelve books, ten of which are dramatic monologues spoken by different characters involved in the case (Count Guido speaks twice), usually giving a different account of the same events, and two books (the first and the last) spoken by the author. – Wikipedia. I have to say this is the work I have the least interest in, but because of the title it trails across the path of the others like a red herring.