Eugene Vance

Eugene Vance has produced a very useful introduction to the epic French poem “The Song of Roland.” Vance lays out the background of the poem, places it in the context of medieval French epic poetry and the Crusades, and helps the reader who is new to “the Roland” gain some traction in understanding something separated from us by so many centuries.

This text was my introduction to Roland. After reading this text, I returned to the poem and reread it, then found other criticism which expanded on the groundwork laid by Vance. I highly recommend this work to readers who are new to this style of poetry.… (mer)