Orality and Performance in Early French Romance

Book excerpt: This book proposes a fundamental revision of the history of early French romance: it argues that oral and performed traditions were far more important in the development of romance than scholars have recognised. Starting with issues of orality and literacy, it is argued that the form in which romances were composed was not the invention of clerics but was, rather, an oral form. The second part of the book looks at performance, and shows that romances such as those of Chretien invited voiced presentation; moreover, they were frequently recited from memory, sung, and acted out in dramatic fashion. Romances can, and should, still be performed today.