I have argued extensively elsewhere that memory represents the most prevalent theme in all the works attributed to the late-twelfth-century poet, Marie de France. However, other themes appear with notable frequency in the twelve tales that she assembles in her first work, the Lais. Adventure, the marvelous, love, and the juxtaposition of fecundity and sterility all enjoy special status in this collection, and in one way or another structure the narratives contained in it. For example, from the first lai, Guigemar, to Eliduc, the final lai, all of these brief, courtly stories are shaped around the subject of love, often around adulterous love, but occasionally around love that would appear impossible to obtain, as in Fresne and Les Deus Amanz.
Marie also frequently organizes her narratives around the interplay of fecundity and sterility. Vocabulary, places, events, objects, and animals in her stories may highlight life, or they may reinforce death. She may engage discourse that is productive, or that which is destructive, depending on the lesson she seeks to portray through her characters. Desire may be honest and lead to love that flourishes, or it may be inappropriate and carry negative consequences for the human relationships she presents.