Perceptions of Syncope in Medieval French Literature of the High Middle Ages: the Function and Cultural History of Fainting

346 Pages·2015·1.513 MB·English

by  Angela Moots

Perceptions of Syncope in Medieval French Literature of the High Middle Ages:
the Function and Cultural History of Fainting
By
Angela Moots

Submitted to the graduate degree program in French & Italian and the Graduate Faculty of the
University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy.

________________________________
Chairperson Caroline Jewers
________________________________
Van Kelly
________________________________
John T. Booker
________________________________
Misty Schieberle
________________________________
Anne D. Hedeman

Date Defended: April 27, 2015
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The Dissertation Committee for Angela Moots
certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation:

Perceptions of Syncope in Medieval French Literature of the High Middle Ages:
the Function and Cultural History of Fainting

________________________________
Chairperson Caroline Jewers

Date approved: May 11, 2015
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Abstract
This dissertation analyzes the diverse instances of syncope in Old French Literature from
the first appearance of the verb to faint, “pasmer,” in the eleventh-century hagiographical text La
Vie de saint Alexis, to the epics, the romances based on classical antiquity, the works of Chrétien
de Troyes, and the thirteenth-century romances of the Arthurian Lancelot en prose. In literature,
syncope ranges from a simple collapse or swooning to an extended period of unconsciousness or
trance-like paralysis, and results from factors such as distress, injury, illness, love, joy, fear, or
indecision. In addition to being physical, psychological, or emotional, fainting can be gendered
in unexpected ways, as the male characters lose consciousness most frequently. In this study, I
show that syncope highlights certain events and characteristics, externalizes emotions,
dramatizes illnesses, unveils hidden love, shows the effects of broken relationships, and depicts
the consequences of actions. Moreover, it can have a deeper signification, symbolizing an outer
manifestation of sin or a loss of power. Interestingly, the increasing role of syncope in literature
coincides with the increasing popularity of medical learning, treatments, and herbals during the
High Middle Ages.
The first chapter shows that hagiography uses fainting to emphasize overwhelming
emotions after the loss of a loved one, while the masculine world of epic poetry illustrates that a
loss of consciousness can be ideological, showing the knights’ unwavering devotion despite
suffering. Transitioning to the romans d’antiquité of chapter two, the paradigm of syncope
extends, and the poets emphasize love’s emotional toll with fainting as a symptom of
lovesickness in both men and women. In the third chapter, fainting and trances are visible in the
protagonists of Chrétien de Troyes’s romances, as characters struggle to restore relationships,
escape to be with a lover, hide emotions, obey a courtly lady, and understand God’s love. In the
concluding chapter, syncope aids in characterization in the Lancelot en prose, and the greater
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psychological focus on the characters is evident in instances of trance-like unconsciousness.
Syncope is much more than a dramatic spectacle, and authors use the motif to redirect attention
to important characters, themes, or events.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Caroline Jewers for her guidance and support throughout this
project. I am also thankful to the members of my committee, Van Kelly, Tom Booker, Misty
Schieberle, and Anne D. Hedeman, for their advice. Thank you to the Department of French &
Italian, Graduate Studies, and the Hall Center of the University of Kansas for funding to support
my research.
I could not have completed this dissertation without the love and encouragment of my
friends and family, specifically my parents, Jon and Denise Hendrickson. To my wonderful
husband, Brian Moots, thank you. I give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May all that
I do honor Him.
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Table of Contents

Introduction......................................................................................................................................1

Medieval Medicine…..………………………………………………..............................13

Chapter Organization...…………………………………………………………………..20

Chapter One .........................…………………………………………………….21

Chapter Two…………..........................………………………………………….23

Chapter Three……………….......………………………………………………..25

Chapter Four……………………………………………………….................….28

Chapter One: Distressing Faints in Hagiography and Epics..........................................................30

La Vie de saint Alexis.........................................................................................................32
La Vie de saint Gilles.........................................................................................................39
La Chanson de Roland.......................................................................................................44
La Chanson d’Antioche......................................................................................................57
Le Cycle de Guillaume d’Orange......................................................................................69
La Chanson de Girart de Roussillon.................................................................................79
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................85

Chapter Two: From Distress to Love:
Emotional Syncope in the Twelfth-Century Verse Romances......................................................89

Le Roman de Thèbes..........................................................................................................90
Pyrame et Thisbé..............................................................................................................110
Le Roman d’Enéas...........................................................................................................118
Lais de Marie de France..................................................................................................137

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................150
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Chapter Three: Fainting and Trances in Chrétien de Troyes’s Romances……….........…….....153

Erec et Enide....................................................................................................................154

Cligès...............................................................................................................................167

Le Chevalier au Lion.......................................................................................................183

Le Chevalier de la Charrette ..........................................................................................196

Le Conte du Graal...........................................................................................................214

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................231

Chapter Four: The Rise and Fall of Lancelot in the Lancelot en prose.......................................234

Lancelot du Lac................................................................................................................236

La Queste del Saint Graal................................................................................................275

La Mort le roi Artu...........................................................................................................288

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................302

Conclusion...................................................................................................................................305

Bibliography................................................................................................................................317

Primary Sources...............................................................................................................317

Secondary Sources...........................................................................................................321
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Perceptions of Syncope in Medieval French Literature of the High Middle Ages:
the Function and Cultural History of Fainting
Medieval medicine interests scholars from diverse disciplines because of what it reveals
about science, history, culture, and literature. While much has been written on the disabled or
diseased body, particularly leprosy, the plague, or wounds, this study examines the ubiquitous
aspect of syncope in medieval French literature. Fainting enriches the narration and authors do
much more than simply state that a character loses consciousness, as detailed descriptions
illustrate the reasons behind their state, the changing physical appearance of the fainting
character, the reactions by other characters, or the return to consciousness. The frequency of
collapses in myriad texts, characters, and situations makes fainting a fascinating area of research,
and analyzing the broad paradigm of syncope clarifies why authors chose to employ it in
medieval narrative. This interdisciplinary project combines medieval medicine, cultural and
disability studies, manuscript studies, and Old French literature of the eleventh to thirteenth
centuries. Focusing on these centuries allows a broad analysis from the earliest literary
appearances of fainting in the hagiographical text La Vie de saint Alexis to the prose romances of
the Lancelot en prose where narrative description is more elaborate, and the visual descriptions
and development of characters are more complex. Syncope follows the same pattern, as
descriptions and expression of emotions or injuries that often cause fainting become more
detailed in prose. In the eleventh to thirteenth centuries, diverse hagiographical texts, epics, verse
romances based on classical antiquity, short narrative poems, and verse and prose Arthurian
romances feature episodes of fainting that are much more than dramatic and often humorous
scenes. Analyzing the different instances of fainting in these texts is of interest because it
elucidates the narrative functions of syncope, provides insight into medical practices and
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treatments, illustrates how literature expresses perceptions of fainting, and reveals how the
spectacle of men and women fainting represents a gendered phenomenon.
The semantic field of the word syncope coming from a Greek root meaning “ to cut off”
or “to weary” includes many types of loss, suppression, and omission. Its meanings range from a
syncopated rhythm or shifting accent in music, a grammatical suppression resulting in the
contraction of a word, to a heart condition1, but it is commonly associated with a medical loss of
consciousness. Old French literature first expresses the idea of medical syncope with the verb
“pasmer” beginning in the eleventh century hagiographical text, La Vie de saint Alexis.
Etymologically, the modern French verb “(se) pâmer” comes from the Old French “pasmer” and
the Latin “pasmare” or “spasmare,” meaning to spasm. 2 Texts most frequently employ a form of
the verb “pasmer” to define a character’s condition, and variations occur to illustrate the types of
syncope. For example, planctus or mourning scenes containing syncope in hagiography and the
epics commonly add that the character falls fainted to the ground, using forms of the verbs
“choir” and “pasmer” to illustrate a character’s collapse. On the other hand, a loss of
consciousness during battle often includes the details that knights faint on or off their horses.
These slight changes in phrasing develop a pattern for fainting in certain genres, and help the
reader understand the gravity of the situation, as similar descriptions continue to be used in later
texts. For example, instances of syncope in the romances that include a character falling fainted
to the ground highlight the complete devastation after a loved one’s death, first seen in the Vie de

1 “syncope, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2014.

2 This etymology provides insight into the earliest appearances of “pasmer” in Old French literature.
“évanouir,” “pamer.” Grand dictionnaire etymologique & historique du francais. 2005.
“esvanir,” “pasmer,” “pasmir,” “pasmee.” Dictionnaire de l’ancien francais. 1999.

“Spasmare” derives from the noun “spasmus,” which originated with the Greek word meaning “to pull.”
“spasm, n.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2014.
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saint Alexis. On the other hand, Roland in the Chanson de Roland is the iconic character that
cannot be defeated and constantly faints on his horse. In Chrétien de Troyes’s romances, causing
a knight to faint from his horse is an important sign of defeat.
In addition to the verb “pasmer,” the twelfth-century Roman de Thèbes uses a form of the
verb “esvanir” to describe a loss of consciousness from despair, and the Roman d’Enéas employs
“espamir” to explain fainting as a symptom of lovesickness. As the paradigm of syncope
enlarges to include a trance-like state mimicking a loss of consciousness, the adjective “esbhaiz”
and other verbs such as “s’entroblier,” “s’oblidar,” and “panser” or “penser” become frequent to
describe lovesickness or Arthurian characters lost in thought in Chrétien de Troyes’s romances
and the Lancelot en prose. As we will see, syncope diversifies from the earliest texts and it is
interesting to analyze the variations in phrasing and verb uses in order to understand the nuances
in meaning throughout the High Middle Ages.
The complex paradigm of fainting extends from a simple collapse, as characters can feel
weak and nearly faint, to collapsing several times in succession, swooning from love, remaining
in an extended period of unconsciousness, or being lost in thought and entering a trance
mimicking syncope. Occurring in numerous texts, characters, and circumstances, instances result
from diverse factors such as injury, illness, love, despair, joy, fear, or indecision. In addition to
being physical, psychological, or emotional, fainting can be gendered in unexpected ways. While
the epics present a few women characters, fainting is almost exclusively reserved for men and
relates to injury or death on the battlefield. On the other hand, the increased focus on emotions in
the twelfth-century verse romances offers many instances of lovers’ swoons and emotional faints
in both men and women. Continuing with Chrétien de Troyes’s verse romances and the prose
romances of the Lancelot en prose, syncope is not strictly masculine or feminine.