Heralds of Death: Narrative Representations of Death in Northern France, 1180-1280

This thesis explores the cultural representations of death in Northern France between 1180 and 1280 through a close reading of three literary sources: Les Vers de la Mort by Helinand de Froidmont, Li troi mort et li troi vif by Baudouin de Condé, and the chanson de geste La Chanson d’Aliscans. This study focuses on the thirteenth century, a period rich in vernacular literary expression and deeply embedded cultural preoccupations with mortality. The research analyzes how death was conceptualized, personified, and emotionally internalized by different social groups, particularly clergy, knights, and laypeople. It argues that each text mirrors the moral, spiritual, and social priorities of its respective audience and that these works together reveal a culture unified by its shared concern for death. This thesis contributes to the study of medieval death culture by highlighting the diversity of emotional and narrative strategies employed to engage with mortality, demonstrating how...Show moreThis thesis explores the cultural representations of death in Northern France between 1180 and 1280 through a close reading of three literary sources: Les Vers de la Mort by Helinand de Froidmont, Li troi mort et li troi vif by Baudouin de Condé, and the chanson de geste La Chanson d’Aliscans. This study focuses on the thirteenth century, a period rich in vernacular literary expression and deeply embedded cultural preoccupations with mortality. The research analyzes how death was conceptualized, personified, and emotionally internalized by different social groups, particularly clergy, knights, and laypeople. It argues that each text mirrors the moral, spiritual, and social priorities of its respective audience and that these works together reveal a culture unified by its shared concern for death. This thesis contributes to the study of medieval death culture by highlighting the diversity of emotional and narrative strategies employed to engage with mortality, demonstrating how literary depictions of death served as mirrors of identity, belief, and social structure in thirteenth-century Northern France.Show less

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Heralds of Death: Narrative Representations of Death in Northern France, 1180-1280