The song in the story : lyric insertions in French narrative fiction, 1200-1400

__The Song in the Story__ is the first full-length examination of lyric insertions in medieval French literature. Boulton's discussion of the function of the literary device is firmly placed in the context of contemporary rhetorical theory and the literary trends of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Contents 7 Preface 11 1. Introduction 15 2. Songs as Monologues: The Hero as Singer 38 3. Songs as Description 94 4. Songs as Plot 134 5. The Song as Message 157 6. The Song and the Dit: The Poet as Hero 195 7. The Song as Refrain: Lyrics as Elements of Form 257 8. Conclusion 286 Appendix 1: List of Narrative Works Containing Lyric Insertions 309 Appendix 2: Music in the Manuscripts 312 Bibliograph 315 Index 337 The Song in the Story is the first full-length examination of lyric insertions in medieval French literature. Boulton's discussion of the function of the literary device is firmly placed in the context of contemporary rhetorical theory and the literary trends of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.