Marie de France was a medieval poet who lived in the late 12th century. She is best known for her collection of narrative poems called lais, which are short stories often featuring themes of love, chivalry, and the supernatural. Her works were written in Old French and are among the earliest examples of literature by a woman in the Middle Ages. Little is known about her life, but she is believed to have been of noble birth and possibly lived in England or France. Marie's writings reflect the cultural influences of both regions, and her unique voice contributed significantly to the development of courtly love literature.