Tradition et renouvellement dans la chanson de geste tardive : "Doon de Mayence" et "Gaufrey"

Written towards the close of the Middle Ages (late 13th - early 14th centuries) and rather neglected until now, the epic songs of Doon de Mayence and Gaufrey deserve nonetheless a study, because, in addition to their considerable literary value, they make it possible for us to understand the evolution of French medieval epic poetry. The object of the research is to evaluate the importance of tradition in these comparatively late works and, at the same time, to examine the innovations, laying particular emphasis on the authors' originality. To study intertextual references to other epic songs and Arthurian romances, to analyze versification and composition of the given songs, to take a look at epic rhetoric and the system of characters, - such are the stages of the present study. First conclusion : Doon de Mayence and Gaufrey are both at the junction of epic and romance traditions. Second conclusion : the epic songs in question borrow differently from these two genres. Third conclusion : realistic features add to the narration, making it, consequently, less archaistic.Arts, Faculty ofFrench, Hispanic, and Italian Studies, Department ofGraduat