Performability of medieval French narrative

FAIN: FT-54842-07

Evelyn Birge Vitz
New York University (New York, NY 10012-1019)

Much medieval literature is meant to be heard and seen, not read. This project explores performance of French verse narratives from the late 11th through the 13th centuries. PERFORMABILITY OF MEDIEVAL FRENCH NARRATIVE focuses on performance of romance and the art of the solo storyteller in relation to performance of the competing genres of epic, theatre, and fabliau; it shows how works contain valuable clues about their performance, which are supported by historical, literary, and musical documents, and by iconography. Works examined are versions of LA CHANSON DE ROLAND, songs about Guillaume d'Orange, romances of Chretien de Troyes, AUCASSIN ET NICOLETTE, WISTASSE LE MOINE, FLAMENCA, and LE ROMAN DE LA ROSE.