Kariera lisa w średniowiecznej Francji
Tracing the career of Reynard the Fox in Medieval France

Author(s): Maciej Abramowicz
Subject(s): Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Middle Ages; animals; trickster; satire; comedy
Summary/Abstract: The flourishing of vernacular bestiaries of the High Mediaeval Period bespeaks a lively interest in animals in the French culture of that period. Amongst the genres that gained widespread popularity and provided an alternative to the chiefly scholarly and moral character of the bestiary was the beast fable. Reynard the Fox (Roman de Renart), a cycle of fables about animals in 30 000 eight-syllable verses edited between the late 12th and early 13th century, is arguably the most notable example of the genre. The characters of the fable are animals inhabiting the kingdom of King Noble the Lion, which is modelled on the feudal monarchy. The protagonist, the titular "Reynard the fox", uses his cunning – a virtue that the tale centres on – to wreak havoc in the animal community. Although this work fails to offer a reliable representation of the animal kingdom, it constitutes a valuable historical source in its examination of the social and economic conditions of the Northern French countryside during the reign of Philip II of France. "Reynard the Fox" is an example of epic comedy. The comic aspects of this work are twofold. On the one hand, the fable satirises the representatives of the higher echelons of the feudal hierarchy. However, as the point of departure for the satire is not so much the social order of the day as its literary representation, Reynard the Fox can be also classified as a literary satire in its adoption of the elements of the courtly love tradition (amour courtois), which has its pedigree in the Troubadour poetry and chivalric romance. On the other hand, the fable heavily relies on the aspects of the Gallic jeer (rire gaulois), a genre that does not employ humour for satirical or moralising purposes. The main source of both the first and the second types of comedy is the relentless oscillation between the characters’ animal nature and their adherence to the norms of feudal society. Figuring in numerous French literary works and their foreign adaptations, the character of Reynard the Fox enjoyed immense popularity in the Middle Ages. But the character’s renown is not limited to mediaeval culture. He has also featured in some contemporary adaptations of the mediaeval tale, such as the 1979 "Kryminał o Renarcie" ("Reynard the Fox: A Crime Novel").

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