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Perceptions of Syncope in Medieval French Literature of the High Middle Ages: the Function and Cultural History of Fainting

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Perceptions of Syncope in Medieval French Literature of the High Middle Ages: the Function and Cultural History of Fainting Perceptions of Syncope in Medieval French Literature of the High Middle Ages: the Function and Cultural History of Fainting By Angela Moots Submitted to the graduate degree program in French & Italian and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson Caroline Jewers ________________________________ Van Kelly ________________________________ John T. Booker ________________________________ Misty Schieberle ________________________________ Anne D. Hedeman Date Defended: April 27, 2015 ii The Dissertation Committee for Angela Moots certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Perceptions of Syncope in Medieval French Literature of the High Middle Ages: the Function and Cultural History of Fainting ________________________________ Chairperson Caroline Jewers Date approved: May 11, 2015 iii Abstract This dissertation analyzes the diverse instances of syncope in Old French Literature from the first appearance of the verb to faint, “pasmer,” in the eleventh-century hagiographical text La Vie de saint Alexis, to the epics, the romances based on classical antiquity, the works of Chrétien de Troyes, and the thirteenth-century romances of the Arthurian Lancelot en prose. In literature, syncope ranges from a simple collapse or swooning to an extended period of unconsciousness or trance-like paralysis, and results from factors such as distress, injury, illness, love, joy, fear, or indecision. In addition to being physical, psychological, or emotional, fainting can be gendered in unexpected ways, as the male characters lose consciousness most frequently. In this study, I show that syncope highlights certain events and characteristics, externalizes emotions, dramatizes illnesses, unveils hidden love, shows the effects of broken relationships, and depicts the consequences of actions. Moreover, it can have a deeper signification, symbolizing an outer manifestation of sin or a loss of power. Interestingly, the increasing role of syncope in literature coincides with the increasing popularity of medical learning, treatments, and herbals during the High Middle Ages. The first chapter shows that hagiography uses fainting to emphasize overwhelming emotions after the loss of a loved one, while the masculine world of epic poetry illustrates that a loss of consciousness can be ideological, showing the knights’ unwavering devotion despite suffering. Transitioning to the romans d’antiquité of chapter two, the paradigm of syncope extends, and the poets emphasize love’s emotional toll with fainting as a symptom of lovesickness in both men and women. In the third chapter, fainting and trances are visible in the protagonists of Chrétien de Troyes’s romances, as characters struggle to restore relationships, escape to be with a lover, hide emotions, obey a courtly lady, and understand God’s love. In the concluding chapter, syncope aids in characterization in the Lancelot en prose, and the greater iv psychological focus on the characters is evident in instances of trance-like unconsciousness. Syncope is much more than a dramatic spectacle, and authors use the motif to redirect attention to important characters, themes, or events. v Acknowledgements I would like to thank Caroline Jewers for her guidance and support throughout this project. I am also thankful to the members of my committee, Van Kelly, Tom Booker, Misty Schieberle, and Anne D. Hedeman, for their advice. Thank you to the Department of French & Italian, Graduate Studies, and the Hall Center of the University of Kansas for funding to support my research. I could not have completed this dissertation without the love and encouragment of my friends and family, specifically my parents, Jon and Denise Hendrickson. To my wonderful husband, Brian Moots, thank you. I give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May all that I do honor Him. vi Table of Contents Introduction......................................................................................................................................1 Medieval Medicine…..………………………………………………..............................13 Chapter Organization...…………………………………………………………………..20 Chapter One .........................…………………………………………………….21 Chapter Two…………..........................………………………………………….23 Chapter Three……………….......………………………………………………..25 Chapter Four……………………………………………………….................….28 Chapter One: Distressing Faints in Hagiography and Epics..........................................................30 La Vie de saint Alexis.........................................................................................................32 La Vie de saint Gilles.........................................................................................................39 La Chanson de Roland.......................................................................................................44 La Chanson d’Antioche......................................................................................................57 Le Cycle de Guillaume d’Orange......................................................................................69 La Chanson de Girart de Roussillon.................................................................................79 Conclusion.........................................................................................................................85 Chapter Two: From Distress to Love: Emotional Syncope in the Twelfth-Century Verse Romances......................................................89 Le Roman de Thèbes..........................................................................................................90 Pyrame et Thisbé..............................................................................................................110 Le Roman d’Enéas...........................................................................................................118 Lais de Marie de France..................................................................................................137 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................150 vii Chapter Three: Fainting and Trances in Chrétien de Troyes’s Romances……….........…….....153 Erec et Enide....................................................................................................................154 Cligès...............................................................................................................................167 Le Chevalier au Lion.......................................................................................................183 Le Chevalier de la Charrette ..........................................................................................196 Le Conte du Graal...........................................................................................................214 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................231 Chapter Four: The Rise and Fall of Lancelot in the Lancelot en prose.......................................234 Lancelot du Lac................................................................................................................236 La Queste del Saint Graal................................................................................................275 La Mort le roi Artu...........................................................................................................288 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................302 Conclusion...................................................................................................................................305 Bibliography................................................................................................................................317 Primary Sources...............................................................................................................317 Secondary Sources...........................................................................................................321 1 Perceptions of Syncope in Medieval French Literature of the High Middle Ages: the Function and Cultural History of Fainting Medieval medicine interests scholars from diverse disciplines because of what it reveals about science, history, culture, and literature. While much has been written on the disabled or diseased body, particularly leprosy, the plague, or wounds, this study examines the ubiquitous aspect of syncope in medieval French literature. Fainting enriches the narration and authors do much more than simply state that a character loses consciousness, as detailed descriptions illustrate the reasons behind their state, the changing physical appearance of the fainting character, the reactions by other characters, or the return to consciousness. The frequency of collapses in myriad texts, characters, and situations makes fainting a fascinating area of research, and analyzing the broad paradigm of syncope clarifies why authors chose to employ it in medieval narrative. This interdisciplinary project combines medieval medicine, cultural and disability studies, manuscript studies, and Old French literature of the eleventh to thirteenth centuries. Focusing on these centuries allows a broad analysis from the earliest literary
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