De l'intempérance alimentaire à l'abstinence : contribution à l'étude du péché de Perceval dans le Conte du Graal

摘要

Until recently, Perceval's greed at the beginning of the work has been perceived to have a comic function and has been considered to be a simple demonstration of adolescent bad manners. However, until his stay with the hermit, the hero is torn between a complete expression of greed and relative fasting. The study of the numerous passages in which his attitude toward food is revealed, shows that this is, in fact, an additional factor in determining whether his trials will result in glory and validation or in the act of sin. This study equally contributes to our understanding of Perceval's accused sins by the hermit and of the significance of his nickname, which he cornes to understand only after his failed trial at the Castle of the Grail. There is a clear ontological dimension here : the quest for the grail can only be undertaken by Perceval, because this mythical object, chosen by the author for his hero, is precisely what reveals the latter's psychological constitution and weaknesses. It explains his inopportune silences and could prove that Chretien de Troyes' ultimate work is deeply resonant of the strong devotional practices common at the end of the twelfth c.