This study attempts to show that women play an important role in the French chanson de geste, that literary form traditionally considered to be dominated by men. For this purpose, we focus upon the seven French versions (Oxford, Venise IV, Venise VII, Chateauroux, Cambridge, Paris, Lyon), the French fragments (Lorrains) and two foreign adaptations (Conrad and Ronsasvals) of the most famous of all French epics, the Song of Roland. The study is based on the manuscripts transcribed by Raoul Mortier, Les Textes de la Chanson de Roland. / Although present-day criticism is turning more and more to the epic woman, this is the first overall study of the subject with regards to the Song of Roland. It compares the evolution of the role of the four women characters named in the various versions (Aude, Bramimonde, Guibourc, Berte-Gille) and the group of anonymous women. / We find that the women characters do indeed play a role in the structure of the Song of Roland and that their increasing presence in it reflects not only the evolution of the genre itself, but also the literary tastes of a society which was becoming courtoise. / Drawing a parallel between the Roland's Aude and Anouilh's Antigone, we point out in conclusion that it is because of the role played by women in this French masterpiece that the work itself attains that universal quality which transcends time and geography. It is partly for this reason--the camouflaged yet considerable role of women--that the Song of Roland has remained not merely a work of the medieval period but continues to live today. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-12, Section: A, page: 3905. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74990 |
| Contributors | TANENBAUM, JOANNE DE LOVE., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 128 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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