Xerox University Microfilms
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the original submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or patterns which may appear on this reproduction. I.The sign or "target" for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is "Missing Page(s)". If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting thru an image and duplicating adjacent pages to insure you complete continuity. 2 When an image on the film is obliterated with a large round black mark, it is an indication that the photographer suspected that the copy may have moved during exposure and thus cause a blurred image. You will find a good image of the page in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., was part of the material being photographed the photographer followed a definite method in "sectioning" the material. It is customary to begin photoing at the upper left hand corner of a large sheet and to continue photoing from left to right in equal sections with a small overlap. If necessary, sectioning is continued again — beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. The majority of users indicate that the textual content is of greatest value, however, a somewhat higher quality reproduction could be made from "photographs" if essential to the understanding of the dissertation. Silver prints of "photographs" may be ordered at additional charge by writing the Order Department, giving the catalog number, title, author and specific pages you wish reproduced. 5. PLEASE NOTE: Some pages may have indistinct print. Filmed as received. Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 76- 18,045 ST, CLAIR, Jeffrey J., 1943- PARIS ET VIENNE; LEXICAL CHOICE, NARRATIVE TEcM Q U E , a n d m e a n i n g i n a ROMAN O'AVENTURE OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1976 Literature, medieval Xerox University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan48ioe Copyright by Jeffrey J. St. Clair 1976 PLEASE NOTE: Page 294- is lacking in number only, no text is missing. UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS PARIS ET VIENNE; LEXICAL CHOICE, NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE, AND MEANING IN A ROMAN D*AVENTURE OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University by Jeffrey J. St. Clair, B.A., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1976 Reading Committee: Approved by Dr. Hans E. Keller Dr. Albert Mancini Dr. Charles G. S. Williams Adviser Department of Romance Languages and Literatures ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincerest thanks go to Professor Hans E. Keller who served as my adviser in the area of medieval studies, and who was so help ful in the discovery of a topic for my dissertation. Without his wisdom and constant encouragement when going was rough, this study would not have been possible. The cooperation of the Instructional and Research Computer Center of the Ohio State University, and the help of Thomas ^■Jhitney who did the program for the concordance of Paris et Vienne, is very much appreciated. A special note of thanks is extended to Dr. Bruce A. Beatie, Chairman of the Department of Modern Languages at the Cleveland State University. His editorial suggestions and critical comments concerning the nature of medieval narrative gave inspiration and direction to my work. Finally, I would like to express my deepest appreciation for the support and warmth of my wife. Faith M. Aro, whose qualities and talents played an essential role in the completion of my dissertation. 11 VITA July 21, 1943 ........ Born - Canonsburg, Pennsylvania 1965................. B.A., The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 1965-1971 ........... Teaching Assistant/ Associate, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1967................. M.A., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1971-1975 ........... Instructor, Department of Modern Languages, The, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio 1975................. Part-Time Instructor, Lake Erie College, Painesville, Ohio FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: French Literature Medieval French Literature. Professor Hans E. Keller Seventeenth Century French Literature. Professor Hugh Davidson Eighteenth Century French Literature. Professor Robert Mitchell Minor Field: Italian Literature Italian Renaissance Literature. Professor Albert Mancini 1X1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOTÆEDGEMENTS................................................ il VITA ........... iii LIST OF FIGURES................................................ v Chapter I. GENERAL INTRODUCTION ................................... 1 The Roman d*Aventure as a Literary Genre .............. 2 Classification of the Roman d*Aventure into Thematic Groups.........................................13 Paris et Vienne in Historical Perspective................ 15 The Scope and Method of this S t u d y ..................... 46 II. NARRATIVE STRUCTURE....................................... 57 Background: Structural Studies on the Medieval Narrative................................. 57 The Interrelationships of the Episodes of Paris et V i e n n e ..................................... 70 Analysis of the Episodes of Paris et Vienne.............. 95 III. IDEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK.................................... 102 Evolution of a World View in Paris et V i e n n e ............ 104 R a i s o n .................................... 104 XV III. IDEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK (continued) Sens............... 117 V o l u n t e...................... 124 Cuer.................................................. 133 Dieu.................................................. 140 F o r t u n e .............................................. 150 World View: Summary and Conclusion..................... 160 IV. PROSE STYLE ............................................ 171 Characteristics of the Prose Style of Paris et Vienne ....................................... 171 Interpretatio and Conformatio ....................... 176 Digressio............................................ 179 Apostropha (Exclamatio) ............................. 181 Paris et Vienne and Remnants of Style from other Medieval Narrative Genres ........................... 185 Paris et Vienne and le Style C u r i a l ....................192 CONCLUSION................................ 203 BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................... 208 APPENDICES A — Plot Summary of Paris et V i e n n e ......................... 216 B — Table of Contents: Word-Frequency Lists ............... 267 Word-Frequency Lists........... 268 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Classification of "Bele Aiglentine" (Zumthor)............... 11 2. Classification of Paris et Vienne........................... 12 3. The Episodes of Paris et Vienne According to Divisions Suggested by Rhetorical Breaks in the Text .... 83 4. Schematic Representation of the Episodes of Paris et Vienne.......................................... 96 5. Paris and Fortune............................ 161 6. Paris et Vienne; Summary of World Vi e w ..................... 162 vx CHAPTER I GENERAL INTRODUCTION The acquaintance of the twentieth century reader with the medieval prose work Paris et Vienne is possible primarily due to the critical edition done by Robert Kaltenbacher and published in Volume XV of Romanische Forschungen in 1904. In this edition we are able to read a composite of six extant manuscripts, along with linguistic, historical, and literary analyses of the text. The story is intriguing, amusing, and at times inspiring and moving, even according to the demands and tastes of today's reading public. In spite of the availability and appeal of the work, it has remained almost completely ignored by literary critics as well as by students of literature. It is my purpose in this study to analyze Paris et Vienne on the level of its language, using words and their context as suggested by a computer concordance of the work. With this basis as a starting point, I will study the various manifestations of structure, ideological expression, prose style, and their interrelationships. An investigation of these aspects of the work gives us an idea not only of its unique qualities, but also of its important position in the history of the French narrative of the late Middle Ages. The presentation of several preliminaries is necessary before a meaningful analysis of the text may be undertaken. A discussion of the genre of the roman d*aventure, as Paris et Vienne has been traditionally considered to be, will shed some light on the literary parentage of the story. An enumeration of its popular success will provide an apprecia tion of its impact on the reading public of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries as well as an idea of the work's lasting appeal in various forms up to the present day. A summary of the critical studies devoted in part or in entirety to Paris et Vienne will give an idea of the utility of the present critical study. And finally, an overview of the scope and method of the present study will provide the. reader with an understanding of the rationale behind the chapters which follow. The "Roman d*Aventure" as a Literary Genre The most extensive discussion of the genre of the roman