La Hontan Dialogues Curieux

of viols. La Chanson de Roland, which belongs to the first group, is one of the finest examples of the genre. The style is plain, images are rare, and if the slaughter is conveyed in repetitive, conventional terms, a third of the text is made up of dialogue which, in performance, added to the drama. If the manner is unadorned, the values are as stern as in any saint’s life. Chivalry here is not courtly dalliance but the defence of the faith by epic heroes who are sharply individualized. THE MIDDLE