The Problem of Women: Price or Gift?
(p.25) 1 The Problem of Women: Price or Gift?
Although the Oxford Roland may have been the subject of numerous criticisms and may have had acquired relatively positive feedback in terms of its quality, compliance with what is required by academic syllabuses, and the interests of publishing houses, the need arises to have a more thorough examination of how it has attained its canonical status. While Roland focuses on traditional definitions of the chanson de geste wherein there exists an unconventional all-male community, this chapter attempts to investigate how scholars illustrate the chansons de geste as a genre where female characters are allowed in the absence of objection rather than acquiring genuine approval, and where such characters appear only after paying a particular price instead of being significant figures within narratives. Also, the chapter discusses the poetics of this particular genre.
Keywords: Roland, all-male community, female characters, gifts, price, poetics