Roland à Saragosse parodie-t-il la courtoisie ?

This article aims at illustrating the problematic character of modern definitions of parody when applied to medieval vernacular literature. A case study of the courtly episode of Roland à Saragosse shows that the hypo-text must belong to the same genre, while ridicule and other comical elements do not appear to have a specific target. Many of the effects that might be construed as parodic may in fact be due to common epic techniques, cyclical constraints, the foreig” context, or the requirements of public performance.