What was the purpose of chanson de geste?

Composed in Old French and apparently intended for oral performance by jongleurs, the chansons de geste narrate legendary incidents (sometimes based on real events) in the history of France during the 8th, 9th and 10th centuries, the age of Charles Martel, Charlemagne and Louis the Pious, with emphasis on their …

What is the most famous chanson de geste?

the Chanson de Roland
The most well-known chanson de geste, and possibly the most important, is the Chanson de Roland, or “Song of Roland.” Charlemagne legends are known as “the matter of France.”

What is chanson literature?

Definition of chanson : song specifically : a music-hall or cabaret song.

Is the Song of Roland a true story?

Based on the actual August 15, 778 Battle of Roncevaux de- scribed in Einhard’s The Life of Charlemagne in which Christian Basques ambush Charlemagne’s rearguard while traveling through a Pyrenees mountain pass, the Roland is a highly fictional, dramatized retelling of a relatively minor event in the emperor’s …

What is the moral lesson of The Song of Roland?

Written at the time of the First Crusade to the Holy Lands at the end of the 11th century, The Song of Roland reflects the fight between Christianity and Islam, or good and evil. The poem glorifies Christianity and its defeat over Islam, with the intention of encouraging Christians during the Crusades.

What is Roland’s tragic flaw?

Ganelon concludes that “his madness will surely bring him to ruin” (29.389)—the madness of arrogance, of loving war and its glory too much. Oliver, Roland’s BFF, also thinks Roland is flawed, but he thinks Roland is rash and unrea-sonable rather than arrogant.

What is the conflict of the story The Song of Roland?

The story’s main conflict revolves around Charlemagne’s determination to drive the Muslims from Christian lands, lands that were once Christian (Spain). Chalemagne sees this war as a defense of Christianity.