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French Literature
French Literature in the Middle Ages
The first works that began appearing recorded
in French were epic stories told in verse form, called chansons
de geste. They were performed in aristocratic feudal
courts by minstrels or troubadours called jongleurs
or trouvèrs, who wandered from one town to
the next. The subject matter of these stories was based mainly
on courtly love and the heroic deeds of Christian knights.
Celtic folklore also provided the inspiration for many verse
tales and stories during this time. A popular poet of the
time, and a master at these verse tales was Chrétien
de Troyes, who lived in the 12th century.
When the 12th century came to a close and made
way for the new century, the fabliau, another kind
of verse tale became increasingly popular. Consisting of shorter,
simpler, realistic and sometimes coarse and ironic works,
some of these tales were adapted and included by Geoffrey
Chaucer, an English author, in his well-known work The Canterbury
Tales. Another popular collection of tales, rather more sophisticated,
was the collection of tales known as Le Roman de Renart
(Reynard the Fox). They were written by different authors,
many of them unidentified.
In the 13th century the work that attained
popularity was a verse allegory known as Le Roman de la
Rose (The Romance of the Rose). The poem was written
in parts, the first part having been created by Guillaume
de Lorris while Jean de Meun completed the second part. This
poem was so significant in that it provided very influential
for later writers such as 14th century Guillaume de Machaut.
The popularity of poetry continued increasing and by the 15th
century poetry contests with awards were held frequently.
The most prominent lyric poet of the time was François
Villon.
Theatre in medieval times was also mostly in
verse and until the 13th century, performed only by clerics
and main themes that were focused on were of a biblical nature.
Secular theatre began emerging in that same century and continued
throughout the subsequent centuries. By this time, plays were
being acted out by laymen such as jongleurs and tradesmen.
Prose was used very little in these times.
Literature consisted mainly of verse; however, historians
would record events using accounts written in prose. These
included accounts of the Crusades, the monarchy of the times
and other events of the period.
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