The Ethos of the Song of Roland

by George Fenwick Jones

Book by Jones, Professor George Fenwick

Genres: History

453 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

Reviews

[Winnie Thornton]

Excellent research. Jones begins with the correct premise that since the Song of Roland reveals the “moral physiognomy” of the century, we should judge the Song in light of the standards of that century. However, instead of concluding that Roland was innocent of démesure, Jones simply asserts that pride and foolhardiness must have been the heroism of the day.