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Heroines of the French Epic A second selection of chansons de geste 1st Edition

SKU: 9781787446281

Original price was: $30.00.Current price is: $9.00.

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Additional information

Full Title

Heroines of the French Epic A second selection of <I>chansons de geste</I> 1st Edition

Author(s)
Edition

1st Edition

ISBN

9781787446281, 9781843843610, 9781782042853

Publisher

D. S. Brewer

Format

PDF and EPUB

Description

The epic tales of medieval France, called chansons de geste, or “songs of deeds”, provided the chief means of cultural and imaginative expression in the French language for over one hundred and fifty years (c.1100-1250), during one of the most significant periods of social change in the history of Western civilisation. Yet they remain largely unknown to most English-speaking readers of the twenty-first century. In Heroes of the Old French Epic (Boydell, 2005) Michael Newth translated a selection of the traditional militaristic narratives dominated by male heroes. This oral-based epic genre was increasingly influenced by the ethos of romance, and the present volumeoffers full English verse translations of six more of these songs, each chosen this time to illustrate the range of roles gradually accorded to women in these originally militaristic narratives. Four key narrative roles have beenselected – woman as helpmeet, woman as lover, woman as victim, and woman as spiritual model – in order to illustrate some major changes in the social status of women that took place during the period of this popular genre’s existence. These poems are a key witness to the final stages of the chansons de geste before they were overtaken by the new fashion for the fictions of courtly romance. Apart from “The Capture of Orange”, which has never been translated into modern English verse, none of the poems have yet appeared in English translation.

Availability: In Stock

Heroines of the French Epic A second selection of chansons de geste 1st Edition

SKU: 9781782042853

Original price was: $30.00.Current price is: $9.00.

Access Heroines of the French Epic A second selection of chansons de geste 1st Edition Now. Discount up to 90%

Additional information

Full Title

Heroines of the French Epic A second selection of <I>chansons de geste</I> 1st Edition

Author(s)

Michael A.H. Newth

Edition

1st Edition

ISBN

9781782042853, 9781843843610, 9781787446281

Publisher

D. S. Brewer

Format

PDF and EPUB

Description

The epic tales of medieval France, called chansons de geste, or “songs of deeds”, provided the chief means of cultural and imaginative expression in the French language for over one hundred and fifty years (c.1100-1250), during one of the most significant periods of social change in the history of Western civilisation. Yet they remain largely unknown to most English-speaking readers of the twenty-first century. In Heroes of the Old French Epic (Boydell, 2005) Michael Newth translated a selection of the traditional militaristic narratives dominated by male heroes. This oral-based epic genre was increasingly influenced by the ethos of romance, and the present volumeoffers full English verse translations of six more of these songs, each chosen this time to illustrate the range of roles gradually accorded to women in these originally militaristic narratives. Four key narrative roles have beenselected – woman as helpmeet, woman as lover, woman as victim, and woman as spiritual model – in order to illustrate some major changes in the social status of women that took place during the period of this popular genre’s existence. These poems are a key witness to the final stages of the chansons de geste before they were overtaken by the new fashion for the fictions of courtly romance. Apart from “The Capture of Orange”, which has never been translated into modern English verse, none of the poems have yet appeared in English translation.