One of the most widely read love poems of the Middle Ages, the Romance of the Rose narrates an erotic dream about a man’s seduction of a woman and includes episodes about other forms of desire. Join us to hear medieval scholars Christopher T. Richards and Eliza Zingesser in conversation on the unexpected imagery inspired by this iconic work of courtly literature.
Presented in conjunction with Spectrum of Desire: Love, Sex, and Gender in the Middle Ages, on view at The Met Cloisters through March 29, 2026.