The Song Of Roland

The Song of Roland is a book of poems by an anonymous author. It depicts a gory French tale of war, where General Charlemagne was ambushed in a remote Pyrenean pass, showcasing a symbolic struggle between Christianity and Islam.

"Presented here in a [new] translation, The Song of Roland offers fascinating insights into medieval ideas about heroism, masculinity, religion, race and nationhood which were foundational for modern European culture. [It] is accompanied here by tow other medieval French epics about Charlemagne, both of which show him to be a far more equivocal figure than that portrayed by the Roland: the Occitan Daurel and Beton, in which he is a corrupt and avaricious monarch; and the Journey of Charlemagne to Jerusalem and Constantinople, which gives the heroes of the Roland a comic makeover."--Back cover.

Each book contains a CD featuring performances of the Song of Roland. The Song of Roland is a well-known hallmark of medieval French literature, yet students often read only excerpts and receive general introductions to the poem and its context. The challenges of teaching Roland include its age and subject matter, its form and composition in Old French, and its representation of Christians and Muslims. This volume in the MLA series Approaches to Teaching World Literature aims to help nonspecialist instructors teach Roland more comprehensively and to offer seasoned medievalists ways to invigorate their pedagogical tactics. Part 1, "Materials," surveys available editions, a wide range of secondary studies devoted to the poem, and electronic aids to teaching. Essays in part 2, "Approaches," elaborate on the poem's contexts, avatars, language techniques, and characters and episodes; describe the diverse classroom strategies that experienced instructors have implemented; and review the voluminous critical canon about the poem. The musical quality of the Song of Roland is vital for students to grasp. A compact disc accompanying the volume showcases reconstructions of sung performances of the Song of Roland in Old French. The examples offered here illuminate the rich quality of Roland's archaic language and demonstrate a few efforts to recover its lost music. Paired with performances of Roland are melodies used as models for singing the poem.

When you want to read in both French and English, though, there

The Dark Ages—a time of great turmoil and the collision of empires! As the Frank kingdom prepares for war, Roland, young heir to the Breton March, has been relegated to guard duty until a foreign emissary entrusts him with vital word of a new threat to the kingdom. Now Roland must embark on a risky journey to save all he loves from swift destruction. And yet while facing down merciless enemies, he must also reveal the hand of a murderer who even now stalks the halls of power and threatens to pull apart a kingdom reborn under the greatest of medieval kings, the remarkable Charlemagne. For Roland to become the champion his kingdom needs, he must survive war, intrigue and betrayal. The Silver Horn Echoes pays homage to "La Chanson de Roland" by revisiting an age of intrigue and honor, and a fateful decision in the shadows of a lonely mountain pass—Roncevaux!

The Song of Roland focuses on the life and death of the father-in-law of Rabagliati's alter-ego Paul, who has been called "The Tintin of Quebec" By Le Devoir. The French edition, Paul Qu bec, was critically hailed, winning the FNAC Audience Award at France's Angouleme festival, a Shuster Award for Outstanding Cartoonist, and was nominated for the City of Montreal's Grand Prize, and the Audience Award at Montreal's Salon du Livre. The book is currently in production by Caramel Films. In his classic European cartooning style Rabagliati effortlessly tackles big subjects. As the family stands vigil over Roland in his hospital bed, Rabagliati weaves a story of one man's journey through life and the legacy he leaves behind. The Song of Roland is a mid-career masterpiece from one of Quebec's finest draftsmen.

The classic Romantic French epic poem, known as The Song of Roland (La Chanson de Roland), is here retold for younger readers by master storyteller H. E. Marshall. The Song of Roland is one of the oldest surviving major works of French literature, dating from around 1150 A.D, and possibly the greatest heroic and romantic poem of its genre. Although The Song of Roland is presented as part of the great war between the European Franks under Charlemagne and the Moorish invaders of Spain, it is a highly embroidered and romanticized version which is only very loosely based on real events. The Song of Roland unfolds as Charlemagne and his great army are fighting Muslim invaders in Spain, and follows the story of the great Frankish captain Roland until shortly after his death at the hands of a Muslim attack. The events are based loosely on the Battle of Roncevaux Pass of 778 A.D. Charlemagne's army was withdrawing from Spain after campaigning against the Muslims, when the rearguard commander, Roland, was killed in an ambush set by a local Basque army. The Song of Roland took these events and, mainly through oral tradition, romanticized them into a major conflict between Christians and Muslims-when in fact both sides in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass were Christian. Nonetheless, The Song of Roland remains a major work of heroic literature, and this retelling is the perfect way to introduce younger readers to an important part of European culture and heritage. This edition has been completely reset and hand-edited, and contains all the original illustrations by L. D. Luard.