Heroes of the French epic

"Heroes of the French Epic contains verse translations of six of the best chansons de geste to have come down to us from the middle ages. This performance genre provided the chief means of cultural and imaginative expression in the French language for over one hundred years, and its surviving examples offer an insight into the matters and manners of their times. As art, they form a vital and varied body of verse, the literary achievements of which have been represented, up to now, almost exclusively, and to some extent atypically, by the Chanson de Roland."

"The poems translated in this volume - Gormont and Isembart, The Song of William, Charlemagne's Pilgrimage, Raoul of Cambrai, Girart of Vienne and The Knights of Narbonne - are taken from all three Old French epic song cycles, and apart from their individual merits, display the complete range of themes, episodes and character types which were the lifeblood of the chanson de geste genre. They vary considerably in metre and narrative length, tone and diction, but as a selection reflect the general development in the artistic modes and social purposes of this heroic poetry during the main period of its popularity."

"The translations preserve the dynamic, musical qualities of their oral-based originals, and are intended for both general and more specialised readers. Introductions and Select Bibliographies accompany each poem."--Jacket.