The Song of Roland's place in contemporary theoretical discussion is marked by ambiguity. On the one hand, the text is cited on nearly every question of importance to medieval philology and literary studies, a practice which certainly evinces general consensus regarding the importance of the work. On the other hand, these citations often take the form of appeals to an oracular authority; that is, rather than encourage theoretical reflection, they replace it. Paradoxically, it is precisely the Song of Roland's omnipresence in critical discourse today that occludes a serious critical engagement with the text. Everyone «knows» about the Song of Roland; the text is dissolved in philological discourse. Perhaps only a second reading can save it. The situation commands modesty on the part of a critic who would take up the Song of Roland, and it is a modest task I have set for myself here. I will analyze the text from a fresh perspective: semiotics. The language and the story of the Song of Roland are largely constituted by signs. For example, the text's characters frequently encounter «signs» of their destiny. They are, however, bound by Christian notions of fate to accept those signs, even when they augur death. Charlemagne, with (semiotic) foreknowledge of Roland's death is powerless to alter the course of events. He can interpret signs. But, he is unable to act on their messages. That is the semiotic bind of the medieval Christian world. Signs have another level of meaning in the Song of Roland. They have mnemonic significance. Since the Song of Roland is an oral text (and, here, I will make use of philological evidence), signs are an «aide-mémoire» that enable the text's reader to recall the narrative. I will argue, then, that the text's semiosis is a formulaic strategy: in other words, the same signs occur throughout the text -- a sort of set semiotic pattern generating the narrative. I will also use semiotics to classify the types of discourse (political, poetic, religious, etc.) which characterize the work. For instance, I will show that the Church and the King authorize the text in a bid to enlist crusaders. I will offer no final decisions on the issues of the Song of Roland debate such as the question of origins, nor any contributions to philological concerns about sources and etymologies. I will simply try to adhere as closely as possible to the meaning(s) of this single text and, through semiotics, to re-new critical interest in the Song of Roland. / Arts, Faculty of / French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1974. / "The poem presents a thematic and chronological introduction to the Chanson de Roland to which it will frequently be compared in the present study." Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliography.

Thesis--Münster. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 299-308) and index.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo destacar a importância da presença do personagem de cavalaria Orlando nas relações intertextuais que existem entre a obra de Italo Calvino e os clássicos da literatura italiana. Para tanto elaborou-se um histórico do personagem ao longo dessa tradição literária desde as canções de gesta até O Castelo dos Destinos Cruzados, tendo em vista o levantamento de características comuns entre as obras e os temas do amor e da loucura, que demonstram como tais variantes são retomadas ou modificadas ao longo do tempo, ou seja, a seleção dos elementos que apontam para uma reescritura da tradição literária cavaleiresca italiana. Mais especificamente foram analisados três poemas: La Chanson de Roland (1100), Orlando innamorato (1483) e Orlando furioso (1516), e duas narrativas escritas por Italo Calvino, La pazzia dOrlando, publicada no livro Orlando Furioso raccontato da Italo Calvino (1970), e História de Orlando louco de amor, em O castelo dos Destinos Cruzados (1973). / This study aims to show the importance of the presence of the cavalry character Orlando in an intertextual relation between Italo Calvinos literary work and the Italian literary classics. In order to reach this goal we elaborate the character history through out this literary tradition from the chanson de geste to The Castle of Crossed Destinies, regarding to mapping common features between the literary works and the literary topic of love and madness, that demonstrate how those variants are resumed or modify over time, in other words, the selection of elements that point to a rewriting of the Italian cavalry literary tradition. More specifically we analyzed three poems from the literary tradition: La Chanson de Roland (1100), Orlando innamorato (1483), Orlando furioso (1516), and two narratives written by Italo Calvino, La pazzia dOrlando, published in Orlando Furioso raccontato da Italo Calvino (1970), and Storia dellOrlando pazzo per amore, in the book The Castle of Crossed Destinies (1973).

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo destacar a importância da presença do personagem de cavalaria Orlando nas relações intertextuais que existem entre a obra de Italo Calvino e os clássicos da literatura italiana. Para tanto elaborou-se um histórico do personagem ao longo dessa tradição literária desde as canções de gesta até O Castelo dos Destinos Cruzados, tendo em vista o levantamento de características comuns entre as obras e os temas do amor e da loucura, que demonstram como tais variantes são retomadas ou modificadas ao longo do tempo, ou seja, a seleção dos elementos que apontam para uma reescritura da tradição literária cavaleiresca italiana. Mais especificamente foram analisados três poemas: La Chanson de Roland (1100), Orlando innamorato (1483) e Orlando furioso (1516), e duas narrativas escritas por Italo Calvino, La pazzia dOrlando, publicada no livro Orlando Furioso raccontato da Italo Calvino (1970), e História de Orlando louco de amor, em O castelo dos Destinos Cruzados (1973). / This study aims to show the importance of the presence of the cavalry character Orlando in an intertextual relation between Italo Calvinos literary work and the Italian literary classics. In order to reach this goal we elaborate the character history through out this literary tradition from the chanson de geste to The Castle of Crossed Destinies, regarding to mapping common features between the literary works and the literary topic of love and madness, that demonstrate how those variants are resumed or modify over time, in other words, the selection of elements that point to a rewriting of the Italian cavalry literary tradition. More specifically we analyzed three poems from the literary tradition: La Chanson de Roland (1100), Orlando innamorato (1483), Orlando furioso (1516), and two narratives written by Italo Calvino, La pazzia dOrlando, published in Orlando Furioso raccontato da Italo Calvino (1970), and Storia dellOrlando pazzo per amore, in the book The Castle of Crossed Destinies (1973).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Exeter. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-210).

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Exeter. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-210).

Thesis--Zürich. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. v-xi).

This project begins by examining current trends in the study of medieval literature, particularly in the area of medieval literature dealing with religious conflict. Literary review demonstrates that since the late 20th century, critical examination of medieval literature has been dominated by postcolonial analyses. A dedication to postcolonial analyses, in effect, has stagnated the field of medieval literary analysis, particularly in regard to those texts representing religious differences. By focusing examination on two seminal medieval texts, "The Prioress's Tale" from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales and the anonymous Song of Roland, this dissertation argues that traditional, postcolonially-inspired analyses are ineffective and inconsequential for modern, post-9/11 audiences, particularly high school students. More substantial and authentic readings are revealed through an application of Jeffrey Jerome Cohen's monster theory, a hypothesis articulated in his essay "Monster Culture (Seven Theses)" (1996) which, when coupled with conventionally psychoanalytic concepts of psychical reality and jouissance, reveals that the cultural creation of monsters is unchanging across time and culture. By illustrating this phenomenon through the Christian creation of Jewish and Muslim monsters, through literary examinations of "The Prioress's Tale" and Song of Roland respectively, this project hints that the same cultural forces feeding monster creation in the Middle Ages are alive in our modern age in the creation of terrorist monsters. The project culminates by arguing that the most effective way to teach literature of the Middle Ages to post-9/11 students is to focus on literature ripe with religious conflict in order to tap into affective connections to be found between modern students and the people of the Middle Ages. This is a bond best forged through a discussion-driven approach to literary instruction. / A future for medieval studies -- Monster Jews in the creation of the Christian psychical reality -- The necessity of Saracen monsters in the formation of the Christian self -- The future of medieval studies : teaching The prioress's tale and Song of Roland in contemporary high school classrooms. / Department of English