A Study of the Magic Elements in the Romans d'Aventure and the Romans Bretons reveals how magic threads through medieval French adventures, showing its influence on plots, beliefs, and everyday life.
This scholarly work surveys magic in two branches of Old French literature and traces its origins and connections across incidents and episodes.
Grounded in careful study, the book explains how enchantment, necromancy, astrology, and other marvels appear in the Romances, and how characters counter or endure such powers. It also discusses religious safeguards, charms, relics, and the role of sacred signs in combating magical forces.
- How enchantment and magical agency are portrayed in the Romances
- Ways readers encounter magic, astrology, and church-based protections
- Methods characters use to resist or lift enchantments
- Catalogs of magical objects, from jewels to relics, with their cited uses
Ideal for readers of medieval literature, folklore, and the history of magic in romance traditions.