Chapter IV
The Old French Epic
( Chansons de Geste )
| Lateness of the extant versions | 287 |
| Competition of Epic and Romance in the twelfth century | 288 |
| Widespread influence of the Chansons de geste—a contrast to the Sagas | 289 |
| Narrative style | 290 |
| No obscurities of diction | 291 |
| The "heroic age" imperfectly represented but not ignored | 292 293 |
| Roland—heroic idealism—France and Christendom | 293 |
| William of Orange—Aliscans | 296 |
| Rainouart—exaggeration of heroism | 296 |
| Another class of stories in the Chansons de geste, more like the Sagas | 297 |
| Raoul de Cambrai | 298 |
| Barbarism of style | 299 |
| Garin le Loherain—style clarified | 300 |
| Problems of character—Fromont | 301 |
| The story of the death of Begon unlike contemporary work of the Romantic School | 302 304 |
| The lament for Begon | 307 |
| Raoul and Garin contrasted with Roland | 308 |
| Comedy in French Epic—"humours" in Garin in the Coronemenz Looïs, etc. | 310 311 |
| Romantic additions to heroic cycles—la Prise d'Orange | 313 |
| Huon de Bordeaux—the original story grave and tragic converted to Romance | 314 314 |