English abstract
This article examines the figure of Old Age/The Old Woman in ‘The Romance of the Rose’ to re-evaluate the concept of the ‘narrative prosthesis’ from an intersectional perspective (age, gender, social status, disability). By cross-referencing texts and illuminations, it demonstrates that old age and disability are not mere metaphors: they contribute to the characterisation of the figure and to her evolution from a fragile authority towards failure. Signs of dependence and precariousness are made visible and situate the old woman socially. Rather than viewing this as a pure metaphor, the article treats La Vieille as a lens through which to examine the norms and emotions that shape medieval representations of disability and old age. By uncovering stereotypes, as well as echoes of medieval experiences of ageing, the article seeks to link the history of representations with the lived history of vulnerabilities.