This monograph offers a comprehensive study of the topos of the malmari-/I> or the unhappily married woman within the thirteenth-century motet repertory, a vocal genre characterized by several different texts sounding simultaneously over a foundational Latin chant. Part I examines the malmari-/I> motets from three vantage points: (1) in light of contemporaneous canonist views on marriage; (2) to what degree the French malmari-texts in the upper voices treat the messages inherent in the underlying Latin chant through parody and/or allegory; and (3) interactions among upper-voice texts that invite additional interpretations focused on gender issues.
Part II investigates the transmission profile of the motets, as well as of their refrains, revealing not only intertextual refrain usage between the motets and other genres, but also a significant number of shared refrains between malmari-/I> motets and other motets. Part II furthermore offers insights on the chronolo
