Heurs et malheurs du cœur, des chansons de geste au planh de Sordel
Woes and Misfortunes of the Heart, from the Songs of Gesture to the Plan of Sordel

Summary/Abstract: This analysis focuses on exploring the images of the heart in the epic genre, including a singular case of imaginary heart-eating (cardiophagia) that is highlighted in le planh written by the troubadour Sordel. This wild behavior associated with otherness, above all with the cannibals of the Far East, stands out from the medieval literary corpus focused on the punishment of an illicit love. It also reveals, like other images of the heart present in the chansons de geste, a very subtle play between the concrete appearance of an organ and its metaphorical significations. In other words, this game enables a symbolic quantification of such abstract notions as courage, bravery, physical strength or, on the contrary, cowardice.

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