Sir Dégaré au château de la damoiselle silencieuse : motifs traditionnels et invention narrative

oleh: Anne Mathieu

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Institut du Monde Anglophone 2014-04-01

Deskripsi

The passage in Sir Degaré relating the hero’s evening at the silent castle (v. 739-847) testifies to the author’s capacities for narrative invention. The narrative combines in an original way the three motifs of the desert castle, the silent dwarf and the fair hostess. It also introduces several puzzling elements: the four huntresses, reminiscent of Nivienne, the ‘Dame Cacheresse’ of the Suite-Merlin; the incongruous costume of the dwarf, which signals, as it does in the Vengeance Raguidel, that something is amiss which the hero will have to put right; the eerie silence of the lady of the castle and her maidens, which makes it difficult to decide whether they are women or fairies; the unexpected end that is put to the musical entertainment, as Degaré falls asleep, overjoyed – or overpowered – by the melody; the surprising behaviour of the lady, lying down beside him, so that the two spend the night together, in a parody of Perceval and Blanchefleur’s night at Beaurepaire. Thanks to these innovations, the passage resonates with a myriad of intertexts, most of them of Arthurian origin, which give it depth and mystery.