The Song of Roland is the single oldest surviving work of French literature. An mediaeval epic poem par excellence, it describes a minor historical event (namely, the defeat of Charlemagne and the Franks in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass), and elevates it into a high-stakes spiritual and heroic drama.
In so doing, the poem offers a window into many aspects of mediaeval life in the lands of the former Frankish Empire: namely, chivalry, feudalism, war and peace, empire and power, religious conflict and toleration, and so on. Of note especially is the way in which the structure and content of The Song of Roland reflect its early roots in oral storytelling traditions, and show the subsequent...
