A review by deltabelta
The Song of Roland by Unknown

2.0

The first of the French Songs of Deeds, this book is mostly interesting in elucidating what the crusader states thought of muslims, or “paynims”. They apparently didn’t know much about them, believing they worshipped Roman gods and practiced sorcery. Yet fascinatingly, they also seem to reverse muslims as brave, noble and respectable, and repeatedly the author declares they’d make perfect knights “if only they were Christian”. I’m sure this book remained popular for centuries partly due to the middle ages’ ambivalence about and fascination with Muslims, particularly after details spread of Saladin’s magnanimity during the Third Crusade.