The author tries to investigate the changes occurring in the medieval epic heroes, concerning both the conception of the personage and the characters’ particular features. In the case of Guillaume d’Orange, the major differences between the epic poems devoted to him (in the 12th and 13th centuries) and the prose adaptation (15th century) are related to a few very important issues. The hero’s activity is less and less concentrated on the fight against the pagans and the protection of the royal power, thus enabling him to have a more personal motivation, especially love. His feelings are described more directly, and he himself isn’t presented only as a rude warrior any more, but also as a courtly lover, a strategist or a fine orator. The style of the scenes of which he is the protagonist becomes more unified due to the omission of most of the comical fragments involving him. As for Huon, who already in the 13th century poem hardly resembles a traditional epic hero, in the 15th century adaptation he becomes more coherent than in the epic source, which is obtained mainly by his idealization and sublimation. Although the evolution of both heroes reveals some similarities, there are some significant changes as well observed in the literary world regardless of the chronology, which cannot be ignored.
Autonomous reading in foreign language courses for adults This article analyses the possibility of teaching adult language learners how to become more autonomous through reading activities. Having defined the specificity of reading in learning a foreign language and discussed the notion of the learner’s autonomy, the author examines the autonomous reading in a school context and in adult education. Although reading seems particularly suitable for practicing autonomy, some obstacles often obstruct this process: the preselection of reading contents, imposed place, time and reading method... The author then analyses some propositions of autonomous reading and, in the conclusion, adds some elements that can help giving adult learners a new passion for reading in a foreign language.
This article examines various levels of reflection in language learning and teaching, such as reflecting on one’s own foreign language production, on the language system in general, on one’s learning habits and, in the case of the teacher, on the teaching process. The author hypothesizes that all of these are bound to change some of their characteristics depending on features such as age of the learner and learning context. The article examines reflection in adult students of commercial language courses, trying to point out that all the levels of reflection mentioned are supposed to increase in this group. Age is proved to increase language-focused reflectivity in the subjects, whereas the specific learning context might, for reasons of strong personal motivation, be an asset in encouraging learner reflections on their own learning strategies. These conclusions are nonetheless to be treated with caution, for some specific inhibitors to reflection might appear in this group as well, and further research is needed to confirm this possibility.
The author analyses the picture of family relationships in the 13th-century epics belonging to the cycle of William of Orange (Narbonnais), comparing it to the one presented in corresponding fragments of the 15th-century prose adaptation of this cycle, and alluding to the real, historical functioning of medieval families. At the level of mutual communication between the members of Narbonne family, some attenuation of the expression of anger can be noticed, by means of eliminating the invectives and other irrespectful forms. The same tendency appears in presenting other types of Narbonne family’s behaviour: in the adaptation, they are deprived of the epic vehemence and brutality (Aymeri doesn’t hit his wife, and his son doesn’t threaten him with his sword). In both versions, the family is strongly paternalistic, and the count dominates his wife as well as his sons. Nevertheless, whereas the epic song is concerned mainly by the differences between the maternal and paternal vision of their sons’ education, the adaptation focuses on the generation conflict. Finally, one can notice a change in the place of the family in the system of values: in the song, the social values are more important (position, wellness, welfare of the lineage as a whole), whereas the prose author seems to value more the relationships between family members defined as unique, irreplaceable creatures.
The author examines the utility of cognitive theories of emotions for scientific reflexion dedicated to teachers´ emotion. Emotions are a phenomenon relatively rarely described and often treated as irrational or uncontrollable. Cognitive approches enhance the mental contents of the emotional experience, viewing it as a conscious and fully informative act. Such a vision allows to understand teachers´ emotions better, to analyse their deep contents and to perceive them as valuable sources of knowledge.