chanson de geste

American  

[shahn-sawn duh zhest] / ʃɑ̃ sɔ̃ də ˈʒɛst /

noun

plural

chansons de geste

1. (in medieval French literature) an epic poem written in assonant verse or rhyme about historical or legendary events or figures.

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chanson de geste British  

/ ʃɑ̃sɔ̃ də ʒɛst /

noun

1. one of a genre of Old French epic poems celebrating heroic deeds, the most famous of which is the Chanson de Roland

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Etymology

Origin of chanson de geste

1865–70; < French: literally, song of deeds; see chanson, gest

Example Sentences

His sense of conduct had the enameled air of a chanson de geste; by turning himself into an Arthurian legend he could sublimate the horror of war.

From Time Magazine Archive

And these comic touches have a little disturbed those who wish to find in the pure chanson de geste nothing but war and religion, honour and generosity.

From The Flourishing of Romance and the Rise of Allegory (Periods of European Literature, vol. II) by Saintsbury, George

Like that of the French it began with a chanson de geste, and if France has Roland, Spain has the Cid.

From Initiation into Literature by Gordon, Home, Sir, Bart.

But it is in the crowd of looser and later poems, less fully characterized, less steeped in the individuality of their authors, that we can best study the form of the typical chanson de geste.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7 "Cerargyrite" to "Charing Cross" by Various

What these bald statements mean the chanson de geste can tell us better.

From Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535 by Power, Eileen