Raoul de Houdan
Raoul de Houdan or Raoul de Houdenc (* probably well before 1200, probably in Houdain in the Artois ; † probably before or around 1226) was a poet, his texts are written in Old French.
Little is known about his life. He seems to have originally received training as a scribe, possibly in a monastery in his home country. There is evidence in his writings that he later made a living as a juggler and was only occasionally able to prove his poetic qualities in large houses - with rather modest success. His works suggest that he was very familiar with the city of Paris and may have spent a greater part of his life there. Some of his traditional works are in the tradition of Chrétien de Troyes , whose style he successfully takes up in his two Arthurian novels. His other writings have an innovative, allegorical character and could thus have influenced Guillaume de Lorri's rose novel.
Works
- Meraugis de Portlesguez , novel from the Arthurian saga
- Vengeance Raguidel , novel from the Arthurian saga (Raoul's authorship is very uncertain)
- Songe d'Enfer ( “Dream of Hell” ), allegorical story about the poet's stay in hell , 678 verses
- Li Romanz des Ailes de la Proèce , a "novel of the wings of excellence" about the knightly virtues, 660 verses
Web links
- Information on Raoul de Houdan in the database of the Bibliothèque nationale de France .
Footnotes
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Raoul de Houdan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Raoul de Houdenc |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Old French poet |
| DATE OF BIRTH | before 1200 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | uncertain: Houdan near Arras , Artois |
| DATE OF DEATH | around 1226 |