The Song of Roland
by Anonymous · La Chanson de Roland
Assigned by 2 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 1100
- Era
- Medieval
- Form
- Epic poetry
- Language
- French
- Length
- Short · 120 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Song of Roland, translated by Glyn BurgessPenguin Classics, 1990Faithful line-by-line verse with a good introduction; the translation most often assigned.
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The oldest surviving French epic retells, as legend, the ambush of Charlemagne's rearguard at Roncevaux in 778. Roland's stepfather Ganelon, insulted by Roland, betrays the rearguard to the Saracen king Marsile. Roland refuses out of pride to blow his horn for help until his twelve peers and twenty thousand men are dying; he sounds it too late, dies facing Spain, and is received by angels. Charlemagne returns to avenge him in a great battle, and Ganelon is tried and torn apart by horses.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Song of Roland are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
