PAPER IX MT09: LA CHANSON DE ROLAND Helen Swift, St Hilda’s

▪ WEEK 7: THE POETICS OF CDER: COMPOSITION, PERFORMANCE, AND

NARRATIVE STRATEGIES (1)

- composition:
o theories of origins; manuscript stemma.
- performance:
o jongleurs and performance context;
o orality and literacy;
o narrator-performer’s relationships with audience and with tradition.
- narrative strategies:
o ‘rules’ of orality:
 the laisse: structures and functions;
o repetition (→ Week 8).

▪ WORKS CITED / FURTHER READING

Joseph, Bédier La Chanson de Roland Commentée (1927. Rpt. Paris: Champion,
1968)
Dominique Boutet, La Chanson de geste: forme et signification d’une écriture épique
(Paris: PUF, 1993)
Joyce Coleman, Public Reading and the Reading Public in Late Medieval England
and France (Cambridge, 1996)
Joseph J. Duggan, The Song of Roland: formulaic style and poetic craft (Berkeley,
CA., 1973)
S. G. Nicholas, Formulaic Diction and Thematic Composition in the Chanson de
Roland (Chapel Hill, 1961)
R. R. Edwards, ‘History, Narrative, and Design in the Chanson de Roland’, in Ratio
and Invention: A Study of Medieval Lyric and Narrative (Nashville, 1989), pp.
88-101
F. Farnham, ‘Romanesque Design in the Chanson de Roland’, Romance Philology, 18
(1964), 143-64
Simon Gaunt, Retelling the Tale: An Introduction to Medieval French Literature,
‘Introduction’ (excellent discussion of oral culture)
Gaston Paris, ‘La Chanson de Roland et la nationalité française. Leçon d’ouverture
faite au Collège de France, 8 décembre 1870’, in La Poésie du Moyen Age,
leçons et lectures. 2 vols. (Paris: Hachette, 1885-95), vol. 1, pp. 87-118.
Andrew Taylor, ‘Was There a Song of Roland?’, Speculum 76 (2001), 28-65.
Id.,

▪ QUOTATIONS
1. Characteristics of literature produced by an oral culture, based on Ong:

i) Additive, rather than subordinative (i.e. paratactic rather than hypotactic)

ii) Aggregative (i.e. piles up formulaic expressions, ‘brave lord’, ‘fine
warrior’, in a cumbersome way)
iii) Redundant (i.e. ‘bloated with amplification’ and repetition of the ‘just
said’)
iv) Conservative (i.e. exhibits established wisdom; inhibits intellectual
experimentation)
 v) Close to the human lifeworld (i.e. stays within familiar terrain of human
beings)
vi) Agonistically toned (i.e. struggle and challenge)
vii) Empathetic and participatory, rather than objectively distanced
viii) Homeostatic (i.e. lives in a present which keeps itself in equilibrium)
ix) Situational, rather than abstract (i.e. concerned with action, concrete
realization, rather than conceptualization)

2. ‘[CdeR represents] an ongoing project that traverses the culture of orality and that
of writing, one moment of which was recorded in Digby 23’ (Haidu, p. 190)

3a. Asez oïstes de la lance parler

Dunt nostre Sire fut en la cruiz nasfrét (ls. 183, vv. 2503-4).

3b. De ço qui calt ? Car demurét unt trop.

[…]
De ço qui calt ? Car ne lur valt nïent :
Demurent trop, n’i poedent estre a tens (ls. 136, v. 1806 ; ls. 138, vv. 1840-1).

4a. Li quens Gerins set el ceval Sorel

E sis cumpainz Gerers en Passecerf ;
Ne l’oï dire ne jo mie ne l’ sai
Liquels d’els dous en fut li plus isnels (ls. 108, vv. 1379-82).

4b. Mil Sarrazins i descendent a piét,

E a cheval sunt quarante millers.
Men escïentre, ne’s osent aproismer (ls. 154, vv. 2071-73).

4c. La veïsez tant chevaler plorer,

Ki tuit le dïent : ‘Tant mare fustes ber !’ (ls. 27, vv. 349-50).

5. Il est escrit en la Geste Francor

Que bons vassals out nostre empereür.
[….]
Il est escrit en l’ancïene Geste
Que Carles mandet humes de plusors teres (ls. 111, vv. 1443-44 ; ls. 271, vv.
3742-43)

6a. Ço dist la Geste … (ls. 127, v. 1685)

6b. En plusurs gestes de lui sunt granz honurs (ls. 229, v. 3181).

7a. Clers fut li jurz e bels fut li soleilz (ls. 79, v. 1002)

7b. Clers est li jurz e li soleilz luisant (ls. 192, v. 2646)

8a. Li quens Rollant se jut desuz un pin,

Envers Espaigne en ad turnét sun vis.
[…]
Li reis Marsilie, cum il veit Baligant,
 Dunc apelat dui Sarrazin espans (ls. 176, vv. 2375-76 ; ls. 202, vv. 2827-28)

8b. ‘Laissez c’ester !’ dist Marsilies li reis.

Dist as messages : ‘Seignurs, parlez a mei !’ (ls. 197, vv. 2741-42).

8c. Puis qu’il l’ad dit, mult s’en est afichét (ls. 193, v. 2665).

9a. Sur sun genouill en fiert sun destre guant (ls. 192, v. 2664).

9b. Li emperere ne s’est mie esveillét (ls. 185, v. 2554).

10. Deus le guarit, que mort ne l’acraventet (ls. 285, v. 3923)

11a. Dïent Franceis : ‘Il nus i cuvent guarde !’ (ls. 13, v. 192).

11b. Naimes li dux en ad mult grant pitét (ls. 177, v. 2417)

12a. Paien s’en turnent, ne volt Deus qu’i remainent.

Or sunt Franceis a icels qu’il demandent.
263
Paien s’en fuient cum Damnesdeus le voelt (lss. 262-63, vv. 3623-25)

12b. Passet li jurz, la noit est aserie ;

[…]
Passet la noit, si apert le cler jor (ls. 266, v. 3658 ; ls. 267, v. 3675)

13. Veit cels de France e tuz les jugeürs,

De ses parenz trente ki od lui sunt.
Puis s’escrïat haltement, a grant voiz :
‘Pur amor Deu, car m’entendez, seignors !’
[…]
Quant Guenes veit que ses granz pleiz cumancet,
De ses parenz ensembl’od li out trente ;
Un en i ad a qui li altre entendent,
C’est Pinabel del castel de Sorence ;
Ben set parler e dreite raisun rendre,
Vassals est bons por ses armes defendre.
Ço li dist Guenes : ‘En vos ai jo fïance’ (ls. 273, vv. 3765-68 ; ls. 274, vv.
3780-86)

14. D’altre part est uns paiens Esturganz

[…]
Curant i vint Margariz de Sibilie
[…]
D’altre part est Chernubles de Muneigre (ls. 76, v. 940 ; ls. 77, v. 955 ; ls. 78,
v. 975)

15a. Oliver sent quë a mort est ferut

[…]
Oliver sent qu’il est a mort nasfrét
 […]
Oliver sent que la mort mult l’angoisset (ls. 146, v. 1952 ; ls. 147, v. 1965 ; ls.
150, v. 2010)

15b. ‘A grant dulor ermes hoi desevrez’

[…]
Par tel amur as les vus desevréd! (ls. 147, v. 1977 ; ls. 149, v. 2009)

15c. As vus Rollant sur sun cheval pasmét,

E Oliver ki est a mort nasfrét (ls. 149, vv. 1989-90)