Aucassin et Nicolette is a unique medieval work that blends elements of chivalric romance, adventure, and satire. Unlike traditional chansons de geste, this chantefable—a hybrid of prose and verse—subverts expectations with its playful tone and unconventional hero. Written in the late 12th / early 13th-century, the story follows Aucassin, a nobleman whose love for Nicolette leads him on a series of misadventures that challenge the ideals of knighthood and courtly love. Among its most peculiar episodes is the Battle of Torelore, a scene that overturns medieval norms in a strikingly comedic way.
Building on this playful and subversive tone, the Battle of Torelore stands out as one of the most absurd and burlesque episodes in the story. Instead of the bloody and heroic confrontations typical of epic narratives, this battle unfolds with fresh cheeses and rotten apples in a world where values and social roles are completely inverted. Long misunderstood by critics, this episode is crucial in defining Aucassin’s character and reinforcing the work’s overarching parody of chivalric conventions
An Upside-Down World: The Madness of Torelore
1910 illustration by Maxwell Armfield for the Anglo-American edition of Eugene Mason’s Aucassin and Nicolette .
When Aucassin arrives in Torelore, he discovers a universe that defies medieval societal norms. Men, instead of waging war, participate in the couvade, caring for infants like mothers, while women lead the army and make decisions. This inverted world, where chivalric values are mocked, challenges Aucassin’s perception of the world and his own role within it. The knight, destined to embody the courtly and virile ideal, finds himself plunged into a society where these ideals are ridiculed, reinforcing the satirical tone of the passage.
The Burlesque Battle: Cheese and Rotten Apples
Eugene Mason’s translation of Aucassin et Nicolette .
One of the most striking moments in this episode is the battle between the army of Torelore and an undefined enemy. Instead of fighting with swords or lances, the combatants hurl fresh cheeses and rotten apples—a choice of weaponry that accentuates the ridiculousness of the situation. The battle, fought with fresh cheeses, overripe woodland apples, and mushrooms, serves no purpose other than to offer Aucassin another opportunity to display his somewhat haughty demeanor and to mock everything effeminate and perverse. In reality, it is Aucassin who appears absurd and out of place in this scene, as he insists on fighting with his sword and physically eliminating his opponents. This is why, in this joyous kingdom, the inhabitants demand that the king banish him. This contrast with the conventions of chivalric literature underscores the author’s satirical intent. It is a farce in which heroism is ridiculed, and Aucassin, far from covering himself in glory, finds himself trapped in a grotesque world.
A Critical Misunderstanding
1910 illustration by Maxwell Armfield for the Anglo-American edition of Eugene Mason’s Aucassin and Nicolette .
Despite its thematic significance, the Battle of Torelore was long misinterpreted by critics. Gaston Paris deemed the episode both absurd and tedious, while Gustave Michaut relegated it to an appendix in his translation, considering it an unnecessary digression. However, as Lucien Pauphilet pointed out, this episode is neither an interpolation nor an inconsistency but rather a key element of the work’s parodic vein.
A Contrasting Effect: Elevating Aucassin’s Character
The episode in Torelore serves as a trial for the hero. In Beaucaire, Aucassin was ridiculed for his excessive love for Nicolette and his inability to meet chivalric expectations. But in Torelore, he regains a sense of grandeur in contrast to the absurdity of the world around him. This reversal reaffirms his identity and distinguishes him from true fools. Thus, this absurd adventure becomes a tool for elevating the character, granting him a more noble stature as he leaves Torelore to return to a reality more aligned with chivalric ideals.
The Battle of Torelore is far more than a simple comedic interlude; it plays a subtle game of contrasts and reversals that characterizes Aucassin et Nicolette. Far from being a dissonance in the narrative, this episode allows us to gauge the hero’s evolution and enhances the satirical scope of the work. By contrasting the established order with total absurdity, the chantefable invites reflection on the relativity of norms and the very nature of medieval heroism.
Violence in the chantefable serves multiple functions. It acts as a purgative force, eliminating tensions, deficiencies, and frustrations. It also heightens drama by emphasizing the suffering of victims. As an essential element of the courtly romance, violence reinforces a security-driven ideology. It is initiatory, marking chivalric belonging, and celebrates youthful strength and virility. For the audience, it provides an emotional outlet, compensating for social, economic, or personal frustrations by allowing them to vicariously experience both hardship and triumph through the hero.
While the era was not one of true resistance against established values, the author’s irony in this text casts doubt on the privileged place medieval literature often gave to physical force and the aristocratic elite’s unshakable belief in their own wisdom and righteousness.
Dr Lorris Chevalier, who has a Ph.D. in medieval literature, is a historical advisor for movies, including The Last Duel and Napoleon. Click here to view his website.
By Lorris Chevalier
Aucassin et Nicolette is a unique medieval work that blends elements of chivalric romance, adventure, and satire. Unlike traditional chansons de geste, this chantefable—a hybrid of prose and verse—subverts expectations with its playful tone and unconventional hero. Written in the late 12th / early 13th-century, the story follows Aucassin, a nobleman whose love for Nicolette leads him on a series of misadventures that challenge the ideals of knighthood and courtly love. Among its most peculiar episodes is the Battle of Torelore, a scene that overturns medieval norms in a strikingly comedic way.
Building on this playful and subversive tone, the Battle of Torelore stands out as one of the most absurd and burlesque episodes in the story. Instead of the bloody and heroic confrontations typical of epic narratives, this battle unfolds with fresh cheeses and rotten apples in a world where values and social roles are completely inverted. Long misunderstood by critics, this episode is crucial in defining Aucassin’s character and reinforcing the work’s overarching parody of chivalric conventions
An Upside-Down World: The Madness of Torelore
When Aucassin arrives in Torelore, he discovers a universe that defies medieval societal norms. Men, instead of waging war, participate in the couvade, caring for infants like mothers, while women lead the army and make decisions. This inverted world, where chivalric values are mocked, challenges Aucassin’s perception of the world and his own role within it. The knight, destined to embody the courtly and virile ideal, finds himself plunged into a society where these ideals are ridiculed, reinforcing the satirical tone of the passage.
The Burlesque Battle: Cheese and Rotten Apples
One of the most striking moments in this episode is the battle between the army of Torelore and an undefined enemy. Instead of fighting with swords or lances, the combatants hurl fresh cheeses and rotten apples—a choice of weaponry that accentuates the ridiculousness of the situation. The battle, fought with fresh cheeses, overripe woodland apples, and mushrooms, serves no purpose other than to offer Aucassin another opportunity to display his somewhat haughty demeanor and to mock everything effeminate and perverse. In reality, it is Aucassin who appears absurd and out of place in this scene, as he insists on fighting with his sword and physically eliminating his opponents. This is why, in this joyous kingdom, the inhabitants demand that the king banish him. This contrast with the conventions of chivalric literature underscores the author’s satirical intent. It is a farce in which heroism is ridiculed, and Aucassin, far from covering himself in glory, finds himself trapped in a grotesque world.
A Critical Misunderstanding
Despite its thematic significance, the Battle of Torelore was long misinterpreted by critics. Gaston Paris deemed the episode both absurd and tedious, while Gustave Michaut relegated it to an appendix in his translation, considering it an unnecessary digression. However, as Lucien Pauphilet pointed out, this episode is neither an interpolation nor an inconsistency but rather a key element of the work’s parodic vein.
A Contrasting Effect: Elevating Aucassin’s Character
The episode in Torelore serves as a trial for the hero. In Beaucaire, Aucassin was ridiculed for his excessive love for Nicolette and his inability to meet chivalric expectations. But in Torelore, he regains a sense of grandeur in contrast to the absurdity of the world around him. This reversal reaffirms his identity and distinguishes him from true fools. Thus, this absurd adventure becomes a tool for elevating the character, granting him a more noble stature as he leaves Torelore to return to a reality more aligned with chivalric ideals.
The Battle of Torelore is far more than a simple comedic interlude; it plays a subtle game of contrasts and reversals that characterizes Aucassin et Nicolette. Far from being a dissonance in the narrative, this episode allows us to gauge the hero’s evolution and enhances the satirical scope of the work. By contrasting the established order with total absurdity, the chantefable invites reflection on the relativity of norms and the very nature of medieval heroism.
Violence in the chantefable serves multiple functions. It acts as a purgative force, eliminating tensions, deficiencies, and frustrations. It also heightens drama by emphasizing the suffering of victims. As an essential element of the courtly romance, violence reinforces a security-driven ideology. It is initiatory, marking chivalric belonging, and celebrates youthful strength and virility. For the audience, it provides an emotional outlet, compensating for social, economic, or personal frustrations by allowing them to vicariously experience both hardship and triumph through the hero.
While the era was not one of true resistance against established values, the author’s irony in this text casts doubt on the privileged place medieval literature often gave to physical force and the aristocratic elite’s unshakable belief in their own wisdom and righteousness.
Dr Lorris Chevalier, who has a Ph.D. in medieval literature, is a historical advisor for movies, including The Last Duel and Napoleon. Click here to view his website.
Click here to read more from Lorris Chevalier
Further Readings:
Houdeville-Augier, Michelle, “L’autre et la violence dans Aucassin et Nicolette,” La violence dans le monde médiéval, Presses universitaires de Provence, 1994, .
Jodogne, Omer, “La parodie et le pastiche dans “Aucassin et Nicolette,” Cahiers de l’Association internationale des études francaises, 1960, n°12. pp. 53-65.
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