The Apocalyptic Mule La mule sans frein as Parody and Moral Allegory

This article examines the apocalyptic resonances of the eponymous antihero of La mule sans frein (also known as La demoiselle à la mule). Viewing the unbridled mule as a symbol of the body politic that is no longer controlled by the forces of reason, this work conclude that the mule’s apocalyptic resonances provide ethical reflection on the workings of the French monarchy one or two generations after Chrétien de Troyes.