"My name is Legion, for we are many": one could not better define the protean aspect of the Romance of Renart than with this quote from the Gospel of Mark. Renard's stories are defined by a propensity for development: there are countless twists, digressions, and amplifications that augment the narrative. Enumeration, whether by Renart or the narrators, therefore finds its place in the Romance: we recall the numerous confessions of the eponymous character, whether in the section aptly named Confessions of Renart, or in that of The Siege of Maupertuis, where the fox greedily lists all his abuses. ... These linguistic intensities are at the origin of numerous lists within the different branches of the Romance. ... The Renardian narratives can be considered one of the types of medieval texts most rich in lists, along with chansons de geste. Certain lists in the Romance de Renart have often been associated with epic lists: these are those that list a group of animals or men. - [Author]

Language: French

Locators: DOI: 10.4000/questes.5997