5/13/2023 0 Comments La Chanson de Roland by Unknown![]() The story glorifies these barons by contrasting their honor, valor, and courage with the treachery of the Muslims, then called Saracens. Particular attention is given to naming specific barons who were, in fact, not contemporaries of Charlemagne but twelfth-century feudal lords, contemporaries of the anonymous author or authors of the Song of Roland. The story establishes the eighth-century Charlemagne as the father of France. By describing sweet France (la douce France) as consisting of a particular people, faith, and territory, the anonymous author lays the foundation for the emerging French nation-state. ![]() The epic draws a line between France and Islamic Spain. Starting in the late nineteenth century, scholars in France and Germany began to study the tale, noting its relevance to the formation of modern-day France. Versions of the tale were popular in England, Wales, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy until about 1500, but the story languished during the Renaissance (1500–1700). ![]() The work knew an astounding success throughout the Middle Ages. It is the preeminent example of the chanson de geste, or song of great deeds, a poetic form usually used to tell stories of heroism rather than the accounts of love relationships that became more popular later in the twelfth century. The Song of Roland ( Chanson de Roland), generally believed to have been composed around 1130, is the oldest surviving French epic. ![]()
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