The article analyses the figures of hermits and recluses presented in The Quest for the Holy Grail, and functioning in this anonymous Arthurian romance of the 13th century as variants of the figure of a spiritual mentor, complementing the figure of a master in chivalry. These characters shape the narrative discourse and enrich the sapiential, moral and formative aspects of the work. They also re-define the courtly ethos by introducing the idea of celestial chivalry, which complements the idea of terrestrial chivalry, typical of the Arthurian romance of the 12th century.
FR
L’article propose une étude approfondie et interdisciplinaire de deux types de personnages emblématiques et inspirateurs qui manifestent leur présence dans la Queste del Saint Graal, texte arthurien français en prose du XIIIe siècle : le personnage de l’ermite et celui de la recluse. Figures du maître par excellence, ils sont porteurs du savoir et de la sagesse qui dépassent largement le cadre d’un simple didactisme et de la parénèse. Leur présence témoigne de l’ouverture de la littérature occidentale au souffle puissant de la spiritualité du christianisme oriental. Elle importe également pour la construction et le sens de l’univers représenté de l’ouvrage analysé.
The desert is a favourite setting for adventures in the Roman d’Alexandre composed by Alexandre de Paris, around 1188. The space of anxiety, of fear, of transgression, of initiation into the mysteries of life and death, it all belongs to one of the most important parts of the medieval imagination, fed by myths and tales of exotic travels, inherited from oriental and occidental Antiquity. There are many things going on in this area, such as quests, conquests, victories, defeats, friendships, love, hardships, death and treason.The motif of a desert becomes a dream carrier, expressing the protagonists will of surpassing themselves, the will which could be shared with the public to whom the text was addressed. Instead of being a simple element of oriental decoration, it expresses a certain vision of the world, as it transforms itself from a simple geographic and climatic space into a mythic Le désert dans le Roman d’Alexandre d’Alexandre de Paris (XIIe sičcle) space. Its representation, connected with the omnipresence of marvels, echoes the images of the Orient, as they were perceived by the medieval Occident. The marvels of the desert, seen as projections of desires, dreams, and occidental traumatisms and nightmares, create a complex figure of a mysterious Elsewhere – dangerous, disturbing, fascinating and irresistibly attractive.
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