Orality and Performance in Early French RomanceDiscussion of the importance of oral and performance traditions in the history of early Frence romance. This book proposes a fundamental revision of the history of early French romance, arguing that oral and performed traditions were far more important in the development of romance than scholars have recognised. It begins by dealingwith issues of orality and literacy, and argues that the form in which romances were composed was not the invention of clerics but was, rather, an oral form. It shows how early versions of the Tristan story, by Béroul, Thomas andMarie de France, express the complex interplay between oral and written traditions, then goes on to focus in greater depth on Benoît de Sainte-Maure, Chrétien and the anonymous author of the Roman de Thèbes. The second part of the book looks at performance, showing that romances such as those of Chrétien invited voiced presentation; moreover, they were frequently recitd from memory, sung, and acted out in "dramatic" fashion. Romances can, and should, still be performed today. EVELYN BIRGE VITZ is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at New York University. |
Contents
The orality of the octosyllabic rhymed couplet | 3 |
Béroul | 26 |
Clerc or ménestrel? | 47 |
Further reflections on orality and | 86 |
The case of Chrétien de Troyes | 139 |
Romance as recited sung and played | 164 |
On the memoryfriendliness of verse romance | 228 |
On the advantages of a performanceoriented approach to | 267 |
| 285 | |
| 303 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Anglo-Norman appear audience autre Benoît Benoît de Sainte-Maure Béroul bien Calogrenant cest chansons de geste Chapter characters Chrétien de Troyes Chrétien's romances Clanchy clergie clerical clerk Cligés composed court culture dramatic early entertainment epic event example Faral France French Gauvain genres gestures hear heard important Iseut issue jongleurs king knight l'autre Lancelot Latin Laudine learned letters lines lion lire listeners literary literature livre lord lovers Lunete manuscripts Marie Marie de France mean medieval romances memory ménestrel minstrels mnemonic molt narrative Occitan octo oral tradition passage Perceval perhaps played poetic prose public reading qu'il read aloud readers recited references Rhetoric rhymed couplet Roman de Thèbes Saint says scene scholars scribe sing songs speak Statius story story-telling tell theatre Thebaid Thèbes poet thirteenth century told Tristan Troie trouvère twelfth century vernacular verse voice words writing written Yvain Zumthor