Matter of France

The Matter of France, also known as the Carolingian cycle, is a body of literature and legendary material associated with the history of France, in particular involving Charlemagne and his associates. The cycle springs from the Old French "chansons de geste", and was later adapted into a variety of art forms, including Renaissance epics and operas. Together with the Matter of Britain, which concerned King Arthur, and the Matter of Rome, comprising material derived from and inspired by classical mythology, it was one of the great European literary cycles that figured repeatedly in medieval literature.
Three Matters.
The Matter of France was one of the "Three Matters" repeatedly recalled in medieval literature. It was contrasted with the Matter of Britain, the legendary history of Great Britain, Brittany and King Arthur; and the Matter of Rome, which represented the medieval poets' interpretations of Ancient Greek and Roman mythology and history. The three names were first used by the twelfth-century French poet Jean Bodel, author of the "Chanson de Saisnes", a "chanson de geste" in which he wrote:
Description.
About 1215 Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube, in the introductory lines to his "Girart de Vienne", set out a subdivision of the Matter of France into three cycles, which have been adopted by many modern critics as a useful means of grouping the "chansons de geste". These are his words:
The cycles can be outlined as follows:
Central figures of the Matter of France include [[Charlemagne]] and his [[paladin]]s, especially [[Roland]], hero of "[[The Song of Roland]]", and his companion [[Oliver (paladin)|Oliver]], who was frequently cast in conflict with the [[Islam|Muslim]] champion [[Fierabras]]. Originally, the Matter of France contained tales of war and martial valour, being focused on the conflict between the [[Franks]] and [[Saracen]]s or [[Moors]] during the period of [[Charles Martel]] and Charlemagne. The "Chanson de Roland", for example, is about the [[Battle of Roncevaux Pass]] during the Moorish invasion of southern France. As the genre matured, elements of [[fantasy]] and [[magic (paranormal)|magic]] tended to accrue to the tales. The magic horse [[Bayard (legend)|Bayard]], for example, is a recurring figure in many of the tales.
The fundamental character of the "Matter of France" is feudal and Christian (in a crusading form). Although viewed as idolators, the Saracens were not necessarily depicted as un-chivalrous. The earliest "gestes" were likely sung by a "[[jongleur]]", accompanied by a fiddle. It is apparent that the authors were ignorant of the fact that Islam is monotheistic. D.J.A. Ross says that people of the Middle Ages appear to have regarded the "gestes" as generally historical.
Einhard's "Vita Caroli" describes the Basque ambush at Roncevaux as driving the Frankish rearguard down the valley. The poet who wrote the "Chanson de Roland" did not hesitate to update the military tactics to a set-piece cavalry charge on the part of the Saracens, although retaining a landscape unsuitable for couched lances.
List of works.
For a list of "chansons" that can be attached to each of these cycles, see [[Chanson de geste]].
In later literature.
After the period of the "chanson de geste", the Matter of France lived on. Its most well known survival is in the [[Italian language|Italian]] [[Epic poetry|epic]]s by [[Matteo Maria Boiardo]], [[Ludovico Ariosto]], and a number of lesser authors who worked the material; their tales of "[[Orlando innamorato]]" ("Roland in Love")" and [[Orlando furioso]]" ("Roland Gone Mad") were inspired by the "chansons de geste". These works, in turn, inspired [[Torquato Tasso]]'s "[[Gerusalemme liberata]]" and [[Edmund Spenser]]'s "[[The Faerie Queene]]", although these latter works have been separated from the Matter of France and put in the respective settings of the [[First Crusade]] and an imaginary faerie land.
Tales of the Matter of France were also found in [[Old Norse]], where the "[[Karlamagnus Saga]]" was written in the thirteenth century in [[Norway]]; it contains a synopsis of the main stories of the cycle. Indeed, until a major revival in the 19th century breathed new life into the Arthurian cycle, the Matter of France had enjoyed similar renown to the Matter of Britain.
Modern fantasy literature has used the Matter of France far less than the Matter of Britain, although [[L. Sprague de Camp]] and [[Fletcher Pratt]] set one of their [[Harold Shea]] stories ("[[The Castle of Iron]]") in the world of the Matter of France, and [[Poul Anderson]]'s "[[Three Hearts and Three Lions]]" references the Matter of France. Through Anderson's book, the Matter of France also had some influence on the popular "[[Dungeons & Dragons]]" game. [[Italo Calvino]]'s fantasy novel "[[The Nonexistent Knight]]" also takes place in this world.
External links.
[[Category:Matter of France| ]]
[[Category:Medieval literature]]
[[Category:Medieval legends]]
[[Category:History of literature]]
[[Category:Romance (genre)]]
[[Category:Metanarratives]]