What is a song?

The Song of Roland

 Culture: If we know
about the culture we
can explain the lyrics.
Style

Lyric
What is
s a
song?
Songs to Consider
E-40, “Tell Me When to
Go”
Usurla Rucker, “L.O.V.E.”
M1: from “Confidential”
Gyptian, “Serious Times”
Musiq Soulchild, “
Akon, “Don’t Matter”
The Roots: Interview
The Roots: Blog and
YouTube
Link
 More Essential Questions
• Why are stories important to the way
we organize our lives?
• What is a hero?
• Where does the world come from, and
is there something after this life?
• What is good, true, evil, bad, real?
Painting of
the death
of Roland,
with angels
carrying
his soul to
heaven.

From a
medieval
illuminated
manuscript.
 chanson de geste
Culture
A song of great deeds
Style

Lyrics The Songof laisses:

Roland French for
“stanzas” or
sets of verses
•Intended to be a performance in song
•Memorized
•To inspire and instruct and entertain
•Audience: wealthy individuals in their
residences
 The Song of Roland is
a chanson de geste
portraying a
medieval European view of
Moslem*- Christian*
conflict
 What really happened?
• We have few historical records.
• 778: the rearguard of Charlemagne's army
was slaughtered in the Roncesvalles (old
French: Rencesvals) pass of the Pyrenees
mountains.
• The most reliable European account of the
event comes from Einhard,
Charlemagne's own biographer.
 Comparison:
History & The Song
History of Roland
The Song of Roland
• Basque adversaries • Moslem adversaries
• Roland is mentioned but • Numerous characters play
not others who play important roles
roles in the Song. • Charlemagne revenges
• Revenge not possible for the defeat of Roland’s
Charlemagne forces
• Charlemagne is not able • Charlemagne is able to
to conquer all of Spain: conquer and dominate all
The defeat forces him to of Spain.
take a defensive
position in France
• The Spanish March
Roncesvalles:
Now a Spanish
village in the
Pyrenees.
 Literary Terms
to Know and
• chanson de Use
geste: French for “tales of
great deeds”
• laisses: French for “stanzas”
• anachronism: When an element of the
story isn’t appropriate for its time
period
 Structure of laisse
within The Song of
• laisse Roland
– 10 syllables to each line
– stress on 4th and 10th syllable
– pause in the middle of the line: caesura
– each line is independent: parataxis
– series of factual statements
– a conclusion
– Many (but not all) laisse are riddles.
IF this set of facts exists and
IF x is the conclusion
Then what action will be required to bring about
the conclusion?
Riddles within laisse of The
Song of Roland
are usually in this format:
IF this set of facts exists
and
IF x is the conclusion

Then What action will

be required to bring
about
the conclusion?

The reader is left

with a question
 Laisse example

• Facts • Game against Classical

• Conclusion Magnet
• Actions needed • Getting better
• Won last game
• Shooting defense
• Win in Basketball
• Ball control
• Rebounding
• Stand up under
pressure
 Sean Walker’s Laisse
• Game against Classical • Comin down it’s a game
Magnet FACTS • Got no shame
• Getting better • Classical Magnet’s the name
• Won last game • Warhawks fame
• Shooting defense
• We Won last game
• Win in Basketball
• Defense the same
CONCLUSION• Today we win
• Ball control • The Ball control
• Rebounding ACTION
• Rebounding all
• Stand up under presNsEuErDeED•
The pressure
done by all
 The Song of Roland
.

Fragmento del Cantar de Roldán,

conservado en el Archivo General de
Navarra (Pamplona).
 Selected laisse
• Ganelon’s plot: laisse: 30-31, 44
• Roland assigned to rear guard: laisse 56-57,
58, 59, 60
• Pagan attack seen by Oliver: laisse 66, 68,
80
• “Sound the Horn!” Roland Refuses: laisse 83,
85, 86, 87
• Defeat is near, laisse, 92, 105, 121
• The horn is sounded, laisse, 128, 133, 134,
156, 166, 172, 177
 Song of Roland
• Choose ONE group of laisse from the list
provided.
• Read each of the assigned laisse. You
will want to read the all of the “in between”
ones as well.
• Create a response to these laisse
– A News Report of the Event.
– A series of 4 or more drawings about the event(s)
– A poem, song, flow or rap about the event
– An illuminated manuscript of one laisse
 Song of Roland
• Choose ONE group of laisse from the list provided.
• Read each of the assigned laisse. You will want to read the
all of the “in between” ones as well.
• Create a response to these laisse
– A News Report of the Event.
– A series of 4 or more drawings about the event(s)
– A poem, song, flow or rap about the event
– An illuminated manuscript of one laisse

Selected Laisse
• Ganelon’s plot: laisse: 30-31, 44
• Roland assigned to rear guard: laisse 56-57, 58, 59, 60
• Pagan attack seen by Oliver: laisse 66, 68, 80
• “Sound the Horn!” Roland Refuses: laisse 83, 85, 86, 87
• Defeat is near, laisse, 92, 105, 121
• The horn is sounded, laisse, 128, 133, 134, 156, 166, 172, 177
Plot of The Song of Roland
 The Song of Roland

Illustrations by Javere Pinnock

 Setting
• Mountains between Spain and France.
• Conflict between Moslems and Christians
• Conflict has lasted long.

Remember, this is a fictional story!

 Marsilla is
tired of fighting
and has no
hope of
beating
Charles.

Blancandrin
Marsilla
advises
tricking
Charles to
Blancandrin leave Spain by
offering him
gifts and
loyalty.
Marsilla sends Blancandrin to the
camp of Charles with his offer.
 Charlemagne’s
men must
choose
someone to go
to the pagan
(Moslem)
camp to
receive their
formal
surrender.

Ganelon This is a
dangerous
task.

Roland
recommends
Ganelon for
the task.
But Ganelon
doesn’t want
the job.
 Ganelon is
very angry at
Roland
because
Roland was the
one who got
him sent on the
dangerous
mission.

Ganelon
conspires with
Blancandrin the enemy,
Blancandran,
Ganelon
to ambush
Roland.
Ganelon has returned
and says that the pagans
will surrender and be
baptized after we return
to France.

Now we can go home.

King
Charlemagne
They send gifts and
hostages.
Oliver warns
Roland that
Ganelon is
scheming.

Roland is not
worried.
Oliver was right,
the pagans, led
by Marsillas,
attack Roland’s
group.
Oliver begs Roland to blow his horn
(the Olipahnt) to call for Charlemagne
to help them. Roland refuses twice.
 So how can we explain the
radical differences between the
plot of Roland and the history of
the conflict?
Roland Falls
at
Roncesvalles
How does understanding the
context help us?
Context Clue 1: Charlemagne
A portrait of
Charlemagne by
Albrecht Dürer that
was painted several
centuries after
Charlemagne's
death.
 1. Charlemagne
Charlemagne was regarded as the first great
Christian king.

– crowned by the pope in 800.

– exercised a degree of authority over much of
modern France and Germany
– his legacy was part of what later made the
Crusades possible.
– supposed personal relationship with God
– reception of divine messages from angels
 The poem describes what was impossible
for Charlemagne but what would be possible
during the Crusades:

conquest of fabulously rich Moslem lands .

Context Clue 2: Crusades
 1095: Pope Urban
II Calls for
Crusade
• The Pope exhorts all Christians to
fight for the recapture of the land
of Christ.

• Warriors who fought for the Holy Land

would receive full penance.
 The poet has no qualms
about changing facts to fit in
with the spirit of the new Holy
Wars.
The Song of Roland can be
considered
propaganda
for the Crusades
Context Clue 3: chanson de
geste
How can knowing the genre of a
piece of literature help us to
understand that literature?
 What if
we knew that
The Song of
was
Roland

somewhat like a poetry

slam?
 What if
we knew that
The Song of
Rolandis
a song
intended to be performed
meant for an upper-
class audience
performed in Medieval
Europe
(for an audience that is
mostly illiterate)
“Charlemagne installs
Roland as his
representative in
Spain
and presents him with a
gonfanon as a sign of
sovereignty. He then takes
his leave with a wave of
the hand while Roland
vainly tries to ram the staff
of the banner into the
rocky ground."
Credit: St. Gallen,
Municipal Library.
 Main
• Characters
Roland: rash, strong, prideful, fortitude,
piety, heroic, bold, and brave. Stands for
the ideal Christian warrior.
• Ganelon: jealous, mean, trickster figure,
well respected, clever. Stands for
jealousy, selfishness, and
treason/treachery.
 Main
• Characters
Charlemagne: diplomatically savvy, good
leader, moderate, great conqueror. Stands
for the ideal Christian king.
• Oliver: calm, wise, brave, Roland’s foil
character. Stands for wisdom and reason.
 Main
Characters
• Blancandrin: brave, wise, loyal, foil to
Ganelon; advisor to King Marsilion
• King Marsilion: disloyal, fickle, shadow
figure to Charlemagne.
 Characters
• Roland: rash, strong, prideful, fortitude, piety, heroic,
bold, and brave. Stands for the ideal Christian warrior.
• Ganelon: jealous, mean, trickster figure, well respected,
clever. Stands for jealousy, selfishness, and
treason/treachery.
• Charlemagne: diplomatically savvy, good leader,
moderate, great conqueror. Stands for the ideal Christian
king.
• Oliver: calm, wise, brave, Roland’s foil character. Stands
for wisdom and reason.
• Blancandrin: brave, wise, loyal, foil to Ganelon.
• King Marsilion: disloyal, fickle, shadow figure
to Charlemagne.
 Hero Myth The hero of a
hero myth:
• The hero usually a demi-god, or has a god in his
family.
• The hero has some kind of super-natural power or
has the strong support of a god.
• The hero is usually on a quest. He has a task or a
challenge (or more than one) that an ordinary
mortal could not carry out.
• The hero is always seeking fame, glory and most
important, honor. These are more important than life
itself.
• The hero is braver, stronger, bolder and some times
more clever than most men. He is close to the gods.
• The hero usually has a weakness, usually too much
pride or a terrible temper. This can lead to problems
for him, and usually to his downfall.
 The Song of Roland
as Hero Myth
• The catalyst is when Ganelon is
appointed to speak to Marsilion.
• Roland receives help from Oliver, Turpin,
and his sword (Durendal).
• Roland faces many battles, particularly
the initial confrontation with the Saracens.
• Hero hits rock bottom when Oliver dies
and his army is decimated and knows he’s
going to be defeated.
 Epic: An epic or heroic poem
is
• A long narrative poem;
• On a serious subject;
• Written in a grand or elevated style;
• Centered on a larger-than-life hero.
• Epics also tend to have the following characteristics:
– An opening in medias res; (in the midst of action)
– An invocation to the Muse;
– A concern with the fate of a nation or people;
– A correspondingly large scale, often ranging around the world (and in Milton's
case, beyond the earth and into heaven);
– The intervention of supernatural figures, who are interested in the outcome of the
action (the system of gods, demons, angels, and such is often called machinery);
– Extended similes, generally called epic similes;
– Long catalogues, whether of ships, characters, or places;
– Extensive battle scenes;
– Recognizable epic episodes such as a visit to the underworld.
 The Song of Roland
as Epic
• Roland is a legendary hero of great stature.
• Charlemagne is the historical hero.
• Vast setting because it’s set across France and Spain.
• Roland had superhuman courage, and committed
deeds of great valor.
• Supernatural forces were more like visions and
dreams, and God is at work here, though in limited
ways.
• A high literary style.
• The poet is somewhat subjective and favors the French.
• Some of the epic devices are used.
Stained glass
window
depicting a
scene from
The Song of
Roland in
Chartres
cathedral.
 sources
• Original notes: faculty.nwacc.edu/aalbrigh/English%202213/ The%20Song
%20of%20Roland.pdf –
• See also:
http://faculty.nwacc.edu/aalbrigh/English%202213/powerpointpresentations.
• The original powerpoint was by Angie Albright, English Instructor, NWACC
• All above are accessed 4/7/06
• “Epic.” http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Terms/epic.html.
• Hero Myh Definition:
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1983/2/83.02.06.x.html
• Wikipedia site has links to original mss and audio files of the first laisse read
in Old French.
• An awesome site with notes about named weapons and links.
http://www.home.ix.netcom.com/~kyamazak/myth/roland/roland-items-e.htm
• Gutenburg file: ibiblio.org
 Image sources
• www.gutenberg.org/files/ 11951/11951-h/11951-h.htm of The
Project Gutenberg EBook of A Popular History of France From The
Earliest Times, by Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot –
• All above are accessed 4/7/06
• Image of Charlemagne installing Roland. Source: Neubecker
Comments: Again, this illustration is frustratingly undated. Is that
comment at the end about Roland and the rocky ground significant?
Cited in http://gateway.kwantlen.bc.ca/~donna/sca/flags/f011.html
• Image on Master Slide “Death of Roland, with angels carrying his
soul to heaven, from a medieval manuscript.” Bibliotheque
Nationale
de France.
http://newman.baruch.cuny.edu/digital/2000/c_n_c/c_04_medieval/
m
. Access 5/15/07
Roncesvalles
 Epic
• Epic
• An epic or heroic poem is:
• A long narrative poem;
• On a serious subject;
• Written in a grand or
• elevated style;
• Centered on a larger-than-
• life hero.
• Epics also tend to have the following characteristics:
• An opening in medias res;
• An invocation to the Muse;
• A concern with the fate of a nation or people;
• A correspondingly large scale, often ranging around
• the world (and in Milton's case, beyond the earth and
• into heaven);
• The intervention of supernatural figures, who are interested in the outcome of the action (the system of gods, demons, angels, and such is often called machinery);
• Extended similes, generally called epic similes;
Long catalogues, whether of ships, characters, or places;
Extensive battle scenes;
A few stock episodes, including a visit to the underworld.
Homer wrote the oldest surviving epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, from around the eight century B.C. To be precise, change wrote to composed: Homer, even if there was
a single individual called Homer, was probably illiterate, and probably composed orally. (There's a huge literature on this; you'll find a swell overview in Bernard Knox's
introductory material in Robert Fagles's translation of the Iliad.) Virgil, although thoroughly literate, consciously imitated many of Homer's techniques, and produced the most
• famous epic poem of Augustan Rome, the Aeneid. Many of the characteristics of later epic derive from the quirks of oral composition. In both Greek and Latin, the most
common epic meter was dactylic hexameter. That's a difficult meter to pull off in English, though; English epics aren't associated with any one meter, though most of them
beginning with Spenser are in pentameter. Famous English epics include the Old English poem Beowulf (written in alliterative meter); in the Renaissance, Spenser's Faerie
• Queene (with its complicated Spenserian stanza) and Milton's Paradise Lost (in blank verse). In the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, heroic couplets were
considered the best form for epics; Dryden's translation of Virgil and Pope's translation of Homer use heroic couplets.
The history of the epic is worth studying in some detail. The Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid are the most famous epics of antiquity, but not the only ones; Statius' Thebaid, for
instance, is worth reading. In the Middle Ages, the dominant long narrative form is the romance, which is epic's kissin' cousin. Exactly what to call Beowulf is unclear, but
• Dante's Divine Comedy is probably best described as an epic
As you get into the Renaissance, the familiar pattern of the classical epic becomes more visible: Ariosto's Orlando Furioso (1516) mixes romance with epic, but Tasso's
Gerusalemme Liberata (1575) is clearly modeled on the epics of Homer and Virgil. Camoens's Lusiads are the great Portuguese epic. The first great English epic of the
Renaissance is Spenser's Faerie Queene (1590-96), followed by Milton's Paradise Lost (1667-74).
•
But then the form seems to disappear, or at least to trasform itself radically. In the late seventeenth century, most writers were convinced that epic was the highest form —
and yet, according to most conventional histories of English literature, no one succeeded in writing a great one. There are good translations of the classical epics by Dryden
and Pope; there are also brilliant mock epics. Henry Fielding incorporates many epic features into his novels (he calls Joseph Andrews a "comic epic-poem in prose"). In
the early nineteenth century, Wordsworth tries to write a kind of epic, The Prelude, but it's a very loose fit with the traditional definitions.
Sometimes it's unclear whether a particular work is best called an epic. Gilgamesh, for instance, works on a scale similar to most epics, but it's not directly related to the
• Homeric tradition, and lacks many of the characteristics of the Western epic. Ditto the Indian Ramayana and Mahabharata. In the West, many works of the Middle Ages and
Renaissance blend qualities of the epic with the romance — there were plenty of squabbles between the supporters of Tasso and Ariosto in sixteenth-century Italy over how
much romance can be admitted into epic. And after the decline of the traditional epic in the seventeenth century, many works borrow many epic characteristics, though
• again, it's unclear whether they should really be called epics. Melville's Moby-Dick, Tolstoy's War and Peace, Joyce's Ulysses, Derek Walcott's Omeros — all have epic
characteristics, but it's unclear whether they're properly epics themselves.
• Whatever you do, though, don't use the term epic loosely for anything large in scope. Although networks will try to convince you every miniseries and telemovie is "epic,"
don't believe 'em — or, at least, don't use that sort of advertising cant in an English class.
From the Guide to Literary Terms by Jack Lynch.
Please send comments to Jack Lynch.
Note: This guide is still in the early stages of
development.
Three question marks mean I have to write more
on the subject. Bear with me.
» In medias res
» In medias res is Latin for "into the middle of things." It
usually describes a narrative that begins, not at the
beginning of a story, but somewhere in the middle —
usually at some crucial point in the action. The term
comes from the ancient Roman poet Horace, who
advised the aspiring epic poet to go straight to the
heart of the story instead of beginning at the
beginning.
 Hero myth
• From:
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1983/2/83.02.06.x.html
• The students should also become aware of some of the
characteristics of hero myths:
• 1. The hero is usually a demi-god, or has a god in his
family.
• 2. The hero has some kind of super-natural power or has the strong
support of a god.
• 3. The hero is usually on a quest. He has a task or a challenge (or
more than one) that an ordinary mortal could not carry out.
• 4, The hero is always seeking fame, glory and most important,
honor. These are more important than life itself.
• 5. The hero is braver, stronger, bolder and some times more clever
than most men. He is close to the gods.
• 6. The hero usually has a weakness, usually too much pride or a
terrible temper. This can lead to problems for him, and usually to his
downfall.
 Study questions from Spark
Notes
• How are Muslims portrayed in The Song of Roland?
• Compare and contrast Roland and Olivier.
• What techniques does the poet use to unify the many events of The Song of
Roland into a whole?
• Describe the narrative voice of The Song of Roland. How does this voice,
and the relation it takes to the story it tells, affect the story?
• Describe the function of the supernatural and the miraculous in The Song of
Roland.
• Compare and contrast the way that the Franks and the Saracens view their
relation to God in The Song of Roland.
• What does the trial of Ganelon tell us about the medieval conception of
justice?
• What does the glove signify in The Song of Roland?
• What are the characteristics of the ideal knight, as inferred from The Song
of Roland?
• How does the poet use laisses similaires?
 Context of the Song of
Roland
• Reflects the ambitious self-righteous attitude of the Crusades
• Charlemagne’s personna is magnified by history as one of the
first great Christian kings,
– his legacy was part of what later made the Crusades possible.
– supposed personal relationship with God
– reception of divine messages from angels
• The poem describes what was impossible for Charlemagne but
what would be possible during the Crusades: conquest of fabulously
rich Moslem lands.
• 1095, Pope Urban II: speech at the council of Clermont: exhorts all
Christians to fight for the recapture of the land of Christ.
– Warriors who fought for the Holy Land would receive full penance.
• The poet has no qualms about changing facts to fit in with the spirit
of the new Holy Wars.
• Study Questions - Song of Roland
• From http://www.wou.edu/las/humanities/english/hardingc/sq_roland.htm
• 1. What restricts how Charlemagne can act? How does his role of king fit into the
social structure?
2. Compare the ideals in this warrior society with the Greeks & Romans - what is
familiar and what has changed?
3. Why is Ganelon upset at the honor of being ambassador? What acts while he is
ambassador are wrong and how does he justify his actions?
4. Read Roland's death scene carefully - what causes his death?
5. Does Turpin fit your image of a Catholic archbishop? Explain.
6. What role does religion play in this work, both in the battles and otherwise?
7. Compare the kings, Charlemagne and Marsilla. What traits are emphasized for
each? What do they share? what not?
8. How is the trial by combat pictured - approval? disdain? What is significant about its
outcome?
9. Describe the picture of Islam drawn in this text; what does it tell you about the
Christians?
10. Discuss the traits of oral-formulaic composition that come through in the text.
 Assignment:
Understanding the laisse
Please do the following work:
– Choose four consecutive laisse and read
them carefully.
– From your four laisse choose one of about 10
lines.
– Write the laisse number.
A.FACTS: list the facts
B. CONCLUSION: identify and write the conclusion
C. Summarize the laisse in 1-3 sentences.
D.Make note of any unusual terms, or items, or
locations or actions that you notice.
 Classwork
Read your assigned laisse and summarize it
by stating
• Who is speaking?
• What action is occurring?
• What question is at the end of the laisse?