Abstract

The main aim of the present study is to examine the appropriateness of myth criticism methods in the context of medieval French literature. The first part of the essay is conceived as a brief confrontation, opposing the theory of Mircea Eliade concerning the repetition of the Hero Archetype in traditional epics to some textual elements in the chansons de geste, analogous to “visible mythemes” which tend to appear in popular epic poetry. Through a series of comparisons, we come to the conclusion that the interpretation to which the “eliadian” scheme leads us expands the boundaries of a literary myth and rather aspires to a “theology of text”. The second part of the article provides the reader with a practical application of the results of the preceding reflections, and includes an interpretation of the story of Vivien based on the Christian concept of Imitatio Christi.