The Song of Roland

A contemporary prose rendering of the great medieval French epic, The Song of Roland is as canonical and significant as the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf. It extols the chivalric ideals in the France of Charlemagne through the exploits of Charlemagne's nephew, the warrior Roland, who fights bravely to his death in a legendary battle. Against the bloody backdrop of the struggle between Christianity and Islam, The Song of Roland remains a vivid portrayal of medieval life, knightly adventure, and feudal politics. The first great literary works of a culture are its epic chronicles, those that create simple hero-figures about whom the imagination of a nation can crystallize, observed V. S. Pritchett.

The Song of Roland is animated by the crusading spirit and fortified by national and religious propaganda. This edition features W. S. Merwin's glowing, lyrical translation.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 02/13/2001
ISBN: 9780375757112
Pages: 160
Weight: 0.28lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.14w x 0.36d
Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 50684 / Song of Roland
Reading Level: 9.8 / Interest Level: Upper Grade / Point Value: 7