Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6)

Book Description

Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, The Dark Tower series is unlike anything you have ever read. Here is the penultimate installment.

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"Stephen King The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah with 10 full-color illustrations by Darrel Anderson The next-to-last novel in Stephen King's seven-volume magnum opus, Song of Susannah is at once a book of revelation, a fascinating key to the unfolding mystery of the Dark Tower, and a fast-paced story of double-barreled suspense. To give birth to her ""chap,"" demon-mother Mia has usurped the body of Susannah Dean and used the power of Black Thirteen to transport to New York City in the summer of 1999. The city is strange to Susannah...and terrifying to the ""daughter of none,"" who shares her body and mind. Saving the Tower depends not only on rescuing Susannah but also on securing the vacant lot Calvin Tower owns before he loses it to the Sombra Corporation. Enlisting the aid of Manni senders, the remaining katet climbs to the Doorway Cave...and discovers that magic has its own mind. It falls to the boy, the billy-bumbler, and the fallen priest to find Susannah-Mia, who, in a struggle to cope -- with each other and with an alien environment -- ""go todash"" to Castle Discordia on the border of End-World. In that forsaken place, Mia reveals her origins, her purpose, and her fierce desire to mother whatever creature the two of them have carried to term. Eddie and Roland, meanwhile, tumble into western Maine in the summer of 1977, a world that should be idyllic but isn't. For one thing, it is real, and the bullets are flying. For another, it is inhabited by the author of a novel called 'Salem's Lot, a writer who turns out to be as shocked by them as they are by him. These are the simple vectors of a story rich in complexity and conflict. Its dual climaxes, one at the entrance to a deadly dining establishment and the other appended to the pages of a writer's journal, will leave readers gasping for the saga's final volume (which, Dear Reader, follows soon, say thank ya)."

Customer Reviews:

A Must Read Series.......2007-10-09

Roland is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers. The world he lives in is quite different from our own, yet it bears striking similarities to it. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West, as well as bearing magical powers and the relics of a highly advanced, but long vanished, society. Roland's quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to either be, or be located at, the nexus of all universes. Roland's world is said to have "moved on," and indeed it appears to be coming apart at the seams -- mighty nations are being torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish from the face of the earth without a trace, time does not flow in an orderly fashion; even the sun sometimes rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland's motives, goals, and even his age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries.

This series was mostly inspired by the epic poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" by Robert Browning, the full text of which was included in an appendix to the final volume. In the preface to the revised 2003 edition of The Gunslinger, King also identifies The Lord of the Rings, the Arthurian Legend, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as inspirations. He identifies Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" character as one of the major inspirations for Roland. King's style of location names in the series, such as Mid-World, and his development of a unique language abstract to our own, are also influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien's work.

The Dark Tower is often described in the novels as a real structure, and also as a metaphor. Part of Roland's fictional quest lies in discovering the true nature of the Tower. The series incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy fiction, science fantasy, horror, and western elements. King has described the series as his magnum opus; beside the seven novels that comprise the series proper, many of his other books are related to the story, introducing concepts and characters that come into play as the series progresses.

Gutsy.......2007-09-25

If you think you have Stephen King pegged think again. In this ingenious novel we follow the continued story of Roland of Gilead's ka-tet as they split up to fulfill their destinies and, hopefully, save the Dark Tower and all of the worlds it encompasses.

Roland and Eddie head to Maine in 1977 to save the life of Calvin Tower who owns the lot on which the Rose, the incarnation of the Dark Tower on Earth, grows. Along the way they meet a character who is possibly the strangest and the biggest risk of Stephen King's career. Either King is a genius or on an immense ego trip. I go with the former, and enjoyed that scene immensley. Meanwhile Mia has totally taken over Susannah Dean's body in order to get to New York in 1999 so she can bear her "chap" for the Crimson King. There are suprises in store in this thread of the story and you will learn who Mia actually is. In another story-line Pere Callahan and Jake follow Susannah-Mia to 1999 New York to save Susannah from the clutches of the Crimson King.

Dark Tower fans will love this sixth installment. It was one of the most satisfying and down-right fun books I've read all year.

Dumber than part five........2007-08-31

If part five wasn't crappy enough, we get this. The writting and story are worse here than the last one. The great tale that was was strong with books 1-4 is soured here. Ignore 5-7 and stick with 1-4.

Dark Tower VI - Song of Susannah.......2007-08-11

Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6)
This is a great continuance of the Dark Tower series. Reading the DT series I-V is a must to fully appreciate all the nooks and crannies of Song of Susannah. It always amazes me how King ties the smallest details into completely different scenarios and goes back to explain why and how other events happened based on that.
If you're a Stephen King fan, you don't want to pass up the Dark Tower series!

good!.......2007-07-28

It was a really good read! Since it wasn't as thick as the others, I finished it quickly and was able to start The Dark Tower a few days later. :)

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The Song of Roland
Free SF Reader
another fine classic
The Franks Homer
Are you Kidding? Buy This Book!

The Song of Roland (Penguin Classics)
Anonymous
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140440755

Customer Reviews:

The Song of Roland.......2007-10-09

I have yet to read the book but it is one of my professor's favorite books. The book came in great time and in great condition

Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Your average heroic stand type story. Recommended for those that like
the knights, armor, chivalry thing. A knight of the super shining white
variety, a stalwart of his boss in the royalty, makes a
self-sacrificing effort to do what he believes is the right thing.
This, of course, is not good for his bodily integrity.

another fine classic.......2007-05-13

In "Mont St. Michel and Chartres" Henry James assures us that William the Conquerer listened to the Song of Roland in Mt. St. Michel before departing to conquer England. Besides, a number of operas are based on this story, notably Vivaldi's "Orlando Furioso." So this (along with the Arthur stories) was one of the basic stories of Western culture that I didn't know.

Well, now I do. I can recommend "Song of Roland" to anyone curious. It is what it is famous as: a fascinating look at the feudal chivalry of the Middle Ages, before the popularity of romances. If you are more interested in Renaissance than in Medieval cultures, you should consider Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso," which was also the basis of Vivaldi's opera.

I certainly got my money's worth with this book, but I'm not thrilled with the translator's efforts to reproduce the "feel" of the original in rythm and line-ending assonances; I would have prefered the most literal rendering possible rather than imaginatively warping things this way and that, with the result being a feeble imitation anyway. I'm also not overawed with the introduction. It had a little helpful historical background, but most of it was a retelling of the story and an analysis of the characters. It is probably, I'll admit, a good introduction for students, especially students who might not figure out the characters simply by reading the story. Of course, the thing could've been easier to read if not for the assonance scheme...

The Franks Homer.......2004-10-03

An utter epic that deserves to be read by anyone with an intrest in either literature or history.

Although there is controversy over the exact historical accuracy of this classic poem, it is based around the Charlemagne's campaigns against the Muslims in Northern Spain, around the late eighth century.

It reads like a Frankish iliad, real events draped in myth.

The poem has it all: enthralling plot, colourful charcaters, perfect timing.....

A gem!

Are you Kidding? Buy This Book!.......2004-08-28

This is "The Song Of Roland," as Dorothy Sayers remarks in the introduction to this fine translation, is 'the earliest, the most famous, and the greatest of those Old French epics which are called Songs of Seeds.'

This book, written around the end of the eleventh century, and recalling an actual disaster in 778 A.D., the anonymous poet describes in detail the betrayal and slaughter by Saracens the rearguard of Charlemagne's army under ROLAND at Rencevaux and Charlemagne's bitter revenge. Nowhere in literature is the medievel Code of Chivalry more perfectly expressed than in this masterly and exciting poem.

This text includes an extensive introduction to the Eurpoean Medieval world and provides explanations on civil and military costume.

"When Thierry feels the blade bite through his flesh,
And sees the blood upon the grass run red,
Then he lets drive a blow at Pinabel.
Down to the nasal he cleaves the bright steel helm,
Shears through the brain and spills it from his head,
Wrenches the blade out and shakes it from it dead.
With that great stroke he wins and makes an end.
The Franks all cry: "God's might is manifest!"

Yes!!!! Buy this book! You will not be disappointed.
Five stars. Without equal.

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Song of Roland: Library Edition

Manufacturer: Blackstone Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 0786113642

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Roland, toot that horn!
great book, but i have a question
The slaughter and glory of battle
Epic poetry at its best.
Medieval Literature at its best

The Song of Roland (Penguin Classics)
Anonymous
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140445323

Customer Reviews:

Roland, toot that horn!.......2006-02-24

The Song of Roland is an epic "song of deeds" from Medieval France. As epic poems go, this is a quick, easy read. It's also lively and pretty fun. The battle scenes are terrific, with lots of shining armor, clashing of steel, spouting blood, cleaved heads, and strewn corpses. On the other hand, it is historically inaccurate and it is nowhere near the towering quality of Homer, Virgil, or Ovid.

The poem comes from a long oral tradition, and it seems that the author tried to capture all of the different variations on the same verse. While reading, this is kind of weird. It's a lot like hearing variations on a popular joke told back-to-back (the same punch line, but slightly different setups). As a result, many verses are highly repetitive. But overall, the poem has some great lines and some very memorable scenes.

As epics go, this is a lesser work. So don't expect a life-changing read. But you can expect to be entertained. So if you enjoy epic poems, I recommend it.

I read the Glyn Burgess translation, which is smooth and very readable. His introduction is informative, too. For an excellent comparison of the different translations that are available, be sure to read the customer review by Boris Bangemann.

great book, but i have a question.......2005-01-28

hello experts, i need some assistance. i am doing research in regards to what actually happened in Spain in 778. i know that much of this story is fact but some is also fiction. are there any books or sources you can recommend that might lead me to a more truthful detail of the events? thanks.

The slaughter and glory of battle.......2004-04-17

The Song of Roland is the most famous of the "chansons de geste" (songs of deeds) of the Middle Ages. It provides a fascinating view into the spirit of warriors of that time and their motivation. The Song of Roland gives an idealized picture, of course, and if we can believe the historians, the medieval knights never lived up to their chivalric ideal.

The Song of Roland is not commonly included in the canon of must-read classics. Except in France, maybe. I assume the reason is that people in our time do not trace back their roots to the feudalism of the Middle Ages, and that they consider the chapter of chivalry closed after Cervantes's satirical portrait of knighthood in "Don Quixote". In one respect, however, this gory tale of slaughter, martyrdom and revenge is very contemporary. It illustrates the mindset of crusaders who see the world in terms of Good and Evil, and the language they use to incite contempt of the other party.

Apart from its historical value, the Song of Roland is also worth reading as literature - as an outstanding example for the heroic epic and as a piece of art whose "simple yet elevated style and tone of high moral purpose" (R. Harrison) is reminiscent of the Old Testament.

The three most easily available translations of the Song of Roland in the market are:

W.S. Merwin's 1963 prose translation with introduction, re-published in paperback by Random House's "Modern Library" in 2001 (ISBN 0375757112). His nine-page introduction is a succinct but sufficient overview of the historical events of AD 778 that became the basis of the Song of Roland. The translation stands out for its readability, and Merwin's choice of modern English makes the descriptions of violence even more direct and graphic: "And Oliver rides through the battle, with his spear shattered to a stump, charges against Malun, a pagan, breaks his gilded shield with the flowers painted on it, knocks the eyes out of his head and brings his brains tumbling down to his feet." (page 43).

Robert Harrison's 1970 translation for Penguin Book's budget line "Mentor Books" (ISBN 0451528573) captures the throbbing, urgent rhythm of the verse form best: "Olivier now gallops through the fray - / his lance has snapped, he only has a stump - / and goes to strike a pagan, Malsaron. / He breaks his gilt, fleuron-emblazoned shield, / bursting both his eyeball from his head - / his brain comes tumbling downward to his feet - " (page 93). "Fleuron-emblazoned" is quite enigmatic compared to Merwin's clear "with the flowers painted on it", but Harrison redeems himself by choosing "bursting" to emphasize the violence of the attack. The big plus of Harrison's book is his 42-page introduction. He explains the logic of medieval chivalry, why cruelty coexisted with sensitivity, and butchery with prayer. One interesting concept is the medieval "ethos of success," or in other words the idea that the outcome justifies the means: When a knight killed another knight it was the will of God that this had happened, no matter by what means. Make the opponent trip and chop off his head - see, God is on your side. Harrison goes to quite some length to introduce the instruments of war, the armor and weapons, which is very helpful since the main body of the Song of Roland is about the glory and slaughter of battle.

Glyn Burgess's 1990 translation for Penguin Classics (ISBN 0140445323) is the most recent translation of the three. He stays closest to the form of the original, which gives his translation a certain wooden inflexibility but also a not entirely unbecoming pathos. His translation of Olivier's attack on Malun is quite telling: "Oliver rides through the thick of the fray; / His lance shaft is broken, only a stump remains. / He goes to strike a pagan, Malun; / He breaks his shield, wrought with gold and flowers, / and smites both his eyes out of his head. / His brains come spilling out over his feet;" (page 72) While the use of "wrought" and "smite" sounds a bit old-fashioned, "spilling" is an excellent choice. Burgess added a 19-page introduction to his translation. It focuses mostly on the literary qualities of the Song of Roland; for the first-time reader of the Song of Roland, Harrison's introduction is more helpful. The additional value of the Penguin Classics edition lies in an Appendix with about one third of the original version of the "Chanson de Roland" - the key passages of the work in Old French.

While all three translations have their pros and cons, I tend to recommend Harrison's book over the two others. It strikes a good balance between the clarity of Merwin's prose translation and the wooden feel of Burgess's more literal verse translation. In addition, it impresses with its useful introduction and its unbeatable value for money.

Epic poetry at its best........2003-11-05

I have read many a fine epic,The Iliad,Beowulf,The Kalevala etc. This was one of the first I read, and it was one of the first books that showed me the power that epic poetry can have on the mind. The war scenes are vivid and exciting yet the tragic death of Roland is definetely the high point of the poem. The whole work is truly a masterpiece; it is a swift moving and gripping tale which I recommend in the most optimistic terms possible.

Medieval Literature at its best.......2003-02-11

I was told to read this book by my College Western Civ. teacher, and im glad I did.

It took me a little while to get into the poem writing of the book, but I ended up loving it and couldnt put it down. The battles were graphic and very detailed and you get very drawn into them, feeling as if you are on the battlefield yourself.

Book Description

Now YOU can sing these all-time great TV Themes:

Mr. Ed, The Beverly Hillbillies, Secret Agent, Laverne and Shirley, Green Acres, The Brady Bunch, Maverick, Dobie Gillis, 77 Sunset Strip, Courtship of Eddies Father, The Roy Rogers Show, Cheyenne, Happy Days, Casper The Friendly Ghost, Dragnet, Hawaiian Eye, The Addams Family, Petticoat Junction, Welcome Back Kotter, All in the Family, Mighty Mouse, I Married Joan, The Jeffersons, Felix the Cat, Wyatt Earp, George of the Jungle, Beany and Cecil, Popeye, Perry Mason and More!

Leave the unknown lyrics to the themes from:
Star Trek, Leave It to Beaver, Bonanza, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show and More!!

Plus:
Plot Summaries
Vital Statistics
and...
Special Bonus!
Your All-Time Favorite Commerical Songs!

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful, but not spectacular........2001-05-25

I thought this book was a very good over-view of different classic TV theme songs...but there were a few problems with it. As with Javna's other books, it seemed to be thrown together, and not carefully checked: for instance, some of the trivia was incorrect. I think it is a handy book to have around just in case you feel like plunking the "Mr. Ed" theme song out on the piano...but definitely not a theme-song bible.

Essential for TV show theme song lovers........1999-04-06

This book contains information on some of the greatest theme songs of all time. Its list ranges from the Beverly Hillbillies to Hawaii Five-O to the original lyrics for I Love Lucy. Each theme song contains detailed information on the TV show, interesting facts, and fun trivia questions. This book gave me something to do for days. This book is great for TV fans of all ages and a must for theme song lovers.

Approaches to Teaching the Songs of Roland (Approaches to Teaching World Literature)

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Approaches to Teaching the Songs of Roland (Approaches to Teaching World Literature)

Manufacturer: Modern Language Association of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0873529987

Ecclesiastes/Song of Songs (People's Bible Commentary)

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Perfect for the lay Christian

Ecclesiastes/Song of Songs (People's Bible Commentary)
Roland C. Ehlke
Manufacturer: Concordia Publishing House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0758604297

Customer Reviews:

Perfect for the lay Christian.......2006-09-28

Roland Cap Ehlke is an ordained minister in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church (WELS) and authors this volume in the People's Bible Commentary Series. The series is not intended for pastors, but is rather aimed toward lay people who want to know more about the various books of the Bible, but do not have the educational background to tackle some of the theologically thicker books on their pastor's bookshelf. To that end, the books in this Series strive to offer the lay reader what he is looking for. Specifically, the books in this series intend to 1) offer the historical/cultural background of the text, 2) explain what difficult texts actually mean, 3) give life applications, and 4) show the centrality of Jesus in all of the Scriptures--both Old and New Testament. These books are written from a Lutheran background and thus assume the inerrancy of Scripture.

Ehlke's contribution to this series is an excellent one as Ecclesiastes and (especially) Song of Songs are difficult texts to make sense of let alone apply them to your life or find the Christ-centered message within. The author rises to the challenge presented by these Biblical books and achieves the aims of the Commentary Series. Arguing for Solomon's authorship throughout, Ehlke provides helpful historical and cultural background. His knowledge of the Ancient Near East geography, customs, and culture (including the widespread use of Aramaic during Solomon's time) made the Biblical text more accessible.

He also does an admirable job in explaining what the text actually means. This is so for Ecclesiastes where Ehlke points out the twofold division of the book and the competing worldviews they represent (chapters 1-6 and 7-10) and where he points the reader toward clues concerning which worldview he is speaking from (e.g. "under the sun" indicates a world-centered, faithless standpoint). This is even more true of Song of Songs, where Ehlke eloquently demonstrates that the Song is a series of love-poems between great King Solomon and a simple peasant-girl. Moreover the Song is a unified whole, taking the reader through courtship, to marriage, to a period of stagnation in their love, to a renewed feeling of love for one another. While the Song of Songs employs many idioms and figures of speech that quite simply baffle the modern Western reader, Ehlke (seemingly) effortlessly explains the idiom/metaphor/etc. and incorporates it into the unified whole of the book.

Ehlke also fulfills the goal of the series by applying Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs to the life of the Christian reader. As wisdom literature, it is not difficult for one to point out life lessons, and Ehlke finds no shortage of sage advice to highlight for the reader. He successfully shows how Ecclesiastes is Solomon's autobiographical experience: that he attempted to find meaning in life without God (through pleasure, accomplishments, worldly wisdom, etc.) yet fell into despair at the prospect of meaningless death and knowing that the cycle of life will continue without ever missing him. Yet Solomon discovered in his old age that faithful belief in God gives the blessing of meaning, renewed perspective, and happiness. Song of Songs seems to be more difficult for Ehlke when it comes to providing life lessons. Two themes that appear over and over are the importance of chastity and the knowledge that Jesus (like the Lover) will guide, protect, and lift up his Church (the Beloved).

The Christ-centered nature is also clear in the book, but this is where the author seems to fall short of the Series' goals. While parallels are drawn between the text of Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes, it appears to come last in terms of importance. This author walks away wishing Ehlke would have drawn more connections to our Savior.

Finally, something should be said about Ehlke's writing style. Whereas the purpose of this series is to inform the lay reader, Ehlke's writing style fits perfectly. He is conversational, easy to read, and engaging. He keeps the main theme of the text in mind throughout and shows how the particular sections relate to material both before and after it; he provides many illustrations and anecdotes, and his sentences are short (unlike mine). In all, a pastor or serious theologian probably won't take much away from this commentary, but it is perfect for the lay Christian. Recommended.

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (New International Biblical Commentary)

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The Complete Guide to the Book of Proverbs is better.
The Complete Guide to the Book of Proverbs is better!

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (New International Biblical Commentary)
Roland Edmund Murphy , and Elizabeth Huwiler
Manufacturer: Hendrickson Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1565632214

Book Description

Murphy, on Proverbs, pays particular attention to parallelism in the book of Proverbs. This Â“collection of collectionsÂ” was formed over many centuries and reflects generations of wisdom poems and sayings, symbolism, theology, and anthropology. Huwiler, on Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs, enhances the readerÂ's appreciation through her exposition of the themes and images in two biblical books devoted to such human exploration and experience.

"Murphy and Huwiler's lively commentaries on the NIV text bring the wisdom tradition into critical focus for questions of faith. Armed with the insights of biblical scholarship, they situate their texts within the thought world of the Hebrew Bible, but with an eye to a modern reader's concerns about meaning, coherence, and authority. Together, they produce a work that is readable and useful for the general reader and is a real treat for those believers who find most academic studies of the Bible dry and daunting."
Â—Carole R. Fontaine, professor of Hebrew Scriptures, Andover Newton Theological School

Customer Reviews:

The Complete Guide to the Book of Proverbs is better........2000-01-11

Overall this is an in-depth yet very readable and interesting scholarly study of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes & Song of Songs. Most of the commentary is on Proverbs (155 pages) with 60 pages on Ecclesiastes and 70 pages on Song of Songs. There are no photos, charts or index and the translation used is the New International Version which is 16 years old (1984). A better study for Proverbs is THE COMPLETTE GUIDE TO THE BOOK OF PROVERBS by Cody Jones. It features 6 translations of Proverbs in parallel to aid understanding including more recent ones: New Living Translation (1996), New Century (1991) & New Revised Standard (1990). There are many historical drawings and photos to give you a sense of the culture of the time, an index, topical guide, maps, charts and glossary and pronunciation guide. Numerous characters from the Bible are pointed out who illustrate King Solomon's witty observations on human nature. Many of the riddles & mysteries of Proverbs are explored with surprising new answers.

The Complete Guide to the Book of Proverbs is better!.......2000-01-11

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poetic
Part poetry, part propaganda
This book is about a brave Frenchmen?
The slaughter and glory of battle
A Note to English Teachers

The Song of Roland (Signet Classics)
Anonymous
Manufacturer: Signet Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451528573
Release Date: 2002-09-03

Book Description

It is a timeless story of war and vengeance, of Good versus Evil. And at the center of this heroic epic stands Roland-the supreme embodiment of chivalry and honor.

Customer Reviews:

poetic.......2007-03-11

although the song of Roland is a very poetic, i just could not follow the story, this rating is my own opinion, i know many historians that believe this is one of the most beautiful stories ever written.

Part poetry, part propaganda.......2005-07-29

There's no denying this long epic poem was written at a certain place and time, and many of the lines reflect that. Unlike some other epics of this nature, there doesn't seem to be a lot of equanimity; the French Christians are depicted as the good guys, epitomes of courage and bravery (apart from a few instances of pride, vanity, and hubris, but those are individual characteristics and not attributed to their race or religion), while the Arab Muslims are demonised and made out to be horrible "heathens" and "pagans" who deserve to be murdered in really graphic ways, routinely depicted as worshipping Mohammad (which is completely untrue), Apollo, and Tergament, and having their souls carried away by Satan. Obviously most people in Europe at this time weren't very enlightened about other religions and cultures, and while I agree it's ridiculous to want people of another era and culture to think and behave exactly like people of the 21st century, it is still pretty hard to read a lot of these passages with slander against Islam and the Moors in Spain. I was actually rooting for them and not the French, and wished it could have given a more balanced view, showing the faults and virtues of both sides, or letting the reader make up his or her own mind about which side is the righteous side, or if neither side is any better or worse than the other. Particularly chilling is the passage towards the end, after the battle is over, when Charlemagne and his remaining army go through the city destroying all of the mosques and synagogues and force-converting the remaining civilian population. Still, as uncomfortable as such things are to the average modern reader, it's still a quite good story, with a lot of good descriptions and poetry, and as one-sided as it may be, as well as having some probable exaggerations or falsifications in order to make the French and Charlemagne seem even more victorious and virtuous, it also does a good job of depicting politics and warfare in the later part of the early Middle Ages. Most of the classic works of Medieval literature most people are most familiar with hail from after the year 1000, but this takes place in the 700s.

This book is about a brave Frenchmen?.......2004-10-21

Yes it is true Frenchmen appreciate Bravery too. A little missed fact by many people calling them sissies due to politics and sheer American pride, is that they conquered many empires at one time.And the fighting was more brutal than any American combat(except possibly Vietnam) This political talk should be irrelevant except while I was reading this book, as a proud american, I came to the realization that French people dont totally suck. Amateur(and very amateurish) political thought aside, the book Songs of Roland is masterfully written. It is fast paced, and an enjoyable( as opposed to SOME classics, not going to name anything mr German Ne..) If you have ANY interest in medeival literature, then you should own this book. Its only 7 bux.

The slaughter and glory of battle.......2004-04-17

The three most easily available translations of the Song of Roland in the market are:

A Note to English Teachers.......2003-05-31

Cost being a factor in determining books to be purchased by students, I strongly recommend this translation by Leonard Bacon (1914). The lines are mainly in iambic heptameter (seven beats per line) with a clear caesura, which facilitates a student's oral reading of the poem. Though the original French used assonance more than end rhyme, Bacon does rhyme his English lines. Compared to the iambic pentameter of the Dorothy L. Sayers translation, Bacon's is a little faster paced, but one senses the hoofbeats of the horses with two more beats per line, which isn't altogether bad for an epic poem about a military massacre. Though a good choice in terms of price, Bacon's translation lacks glosses of archaisms (e.g., the word "eme" is not explained as an archaism of "uncle"). Still, the teacher can supply these as necessary. For [the money], you can't go wrong!

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