The vermeil Tree Baghdad and the genesis of the courtly garden in Floire et Blanchefleur and its rewrites

By reconstructing the tale of Floire and Blancheflor with the help of historical data, this article assesses the function of the garden across its different depictions in texts written by authors from Boccaccio to Shakespeare. The pattern of the “Tree-fountain” described in Bagdad by Al Khatib before 1071 suggests a new way to understand the courtly fountain of Love used by Guillaume de Lorris. Moreover, the tale’s reception history sheds light on the generic distinctions (allegory vs tragedy) that are present in later versions of the narrative.