Chapter VII

THE 'FOX,' THE 'ROSE,' AND THE MINOR CONTRIBUTIONS OF FRANCE.

The predominance of France. The rise of Allegory. Lyric. The _Romance_ and the _Pastourelle_. The _Fabliaux_. Their origin. Their licence. Their wit. Definition and subjects. Effect of the _fabliaux_ on language. And on narrative. Conditions of _fabliau_-writing. The appearance of irony. Fables proper. _Reynard the Fox._ Order of texts. Place of origin. The French form. Its complications. Unity of spirit. The Rise of Allegory. The satire of _Renart_. The Fox himself. His circle. The burial of Renart. The _Romance of the Rose_. William of Lorris and Jean de Meung. The first part. Its capital value. The rose-garden. "Danger." "Reason." "Shame" and "Scandal." The later poem. "False-Seeming." Contrast of the parts. Value of both, and charm of the first. Marie de France and Ruteboeuf. Drama. Adam de la Halle. _Robin et Marion._ The _Jeu de la Feuillie_. Comparison of them. Early French prose. Laws and sermons. Villehardouin. William of Tyre. Joinville. Fiction. _Aucassin et Nicolette_ 265

CHAPTER VIII.

ICELANDIC AND PROVENÇAL.

Resemblances. Contrasts. Icelandic literature of this time mainly prose. Difficulties with it. The Saga. Its insularity of manner. Of scenery and character. Fact and fiction in the sagas. Classes and authorship of them. The five greater sagas. _Njala._ _Laxdæla._ _Eyrbyggja._ _Egla._ _Grettla._ Its critics. Merits of it. The parting of Asdis and her sons. Great passages of the sagas. Style. Provençal mainly lyric. Origin of this lyric. Forms. Many men, one mind. Example of rhyme-schemes. Provençal poetry not great. But extraordinarily pedagogic. Though not directly on English. Some troubadours. Criticism of Provençal 333

CHAPTER IX.

THE LITERATURE OF THE PENINSULAS.

Limitations of this chapter. Late Greek romance. Its difficulties as a subject. Anna Comnena, &c. _Hysminias and Hysmine._ Its style. Its story. Its handling. Its "decadence." Lateness of Italian. The "Saracen" theory. The "folk-song" theory. Ciullo d'Alcamo. Heavy debt to France. Yet form and spirit both original. Love-lyric in different European countries. Position of Spanish. Catalan-Provençal. Galician-Portuguese. Castilian. Ballads? The _Poema del Cid_. A Spanish _chanson de geste_. In scheme and spirit. Difficulties of its prosody. Ballad-metre theory. Irregularity of line. Other poems. Apollonius and Mary of Egypt. Berceo. Alfonso el Sabio 375

CHAPTER X.

CONCLUSION 412

INDEX 427

THE FLOURISHING OF ROMANCE

AND THE

RISE OF ALLEGORY.