Aucassin and Nicolette

Aucassin et Nicolette is a literary work of old French literature, which was probably written around 1225 by an unknown author.

This chantefable how the writing in dialect pikardischem author calls his work, the first Prosimetrum (a mixture of prose and verse) in French literature. It tells in verse 21 and 20 prose passages with sympathy and fine humor the story. That's not very long work shows not only the art, but also by the erudition of its author, as it contains numerous, partly parodic allusions to the literature of the period, such as the Chanson de geste, courtly poetry, the courtly novel, Tristan and Isolde novel, the new prose romance of chivalry, etc. the work is preserved in only one manuscript.

Content

Aucassin, the son of the Count of Beaucaire, loves the beautiful Nicolette, a Saracen, who once purchased a count's officials as a child on the slave market, baptized and brought up with him. When enemies attack, the county said Aucassin his father that he only goes to war when he may marry Nicolette, but the Count rejects this Mesalliance. Also, the officials tried to dissuade Aucassin marriage and blocks, as that does not help, Nicolette one. However, it may flee and comforts by a wall column Aucassin, who now sits in prison for his part, because he indeed accomplished feats in battle, but after new dispute with the indomitable father has had. Now it builds himself a hut in the forest, and sends him when he is free at last, signs of life there.

Once he found them, they go together to a foreign country, but there are caught in a raid of North African pirates abducted and separated. While Aucassin just comes free with a shipwreck at Beaucaire again, learns of his father's death and a new count is Nicolette gets to Carthage. Here it turns out that she is the daughter of the king's stolen, who wants to marry her at once with a Muslim prince. She escapes and makes his way to Beaucaire, where she dressed up as a minstrel Aucassin both their history recites. When he asks seized the supposed minstrel to seek his beloved to him, it comes to a happy ending.

Expenditure

• Jean Dufournet (ed.): Aucassin et Nicolete. Flammarion, Paris, 1995, ISBN 2-08-070261-0.
• Wolfgang Lange ( ed.): The story of Aucassin and Nicolete. Insel-Verlag, Frankfurt / M. 1987, ISBN 3-458-19071-6.

Sekundsärliteratur

• Roger Pensom: Aucassin et Nicolete. The Poetry of gender and growing up in the French middle ages. Lang, Frankfurt / M. 1999, ISBN 3-906761-41- X.
• Julius Schlickum: The word order in Old French poem " Aucassin et Nicolete ". Sändig reprints, Walluf 1976, ISBN 3-500-30280-7 ( Repr ed d Heilbronn 1832)