The Carolingian Epic in the Traditional Liège Marionette Theatre - A Case Study of Huon de Bordeaux and Les Quatre Fils Aymon

Aug 25, 2026

Uploaded by Xiajie

Carolingian epics occupy a central place in the traditional Liège puppet repertoire, yet they remain insufficiently studied. This essay uses Les quatre fils Aymon and Huon de Bordeaux to analyze how narrative prose is transformed into dramatic text and how it is adapted for regional puppetry. By tracing changes from annotated novel editions to modern stage plays, it explains the development of dramatisation and the staging process, emphasizing regional identity and the role of Tchantchès.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research focus and case studies

From narrative to dramatic text

Adaptation for the regional puppet stage

Regional identification and the role of Tchantchès

THE CAROLINGIAN EPIC IN THE TRADITIONAL LIÈGE MARIONETTE THEATRE: A CASE STUDY OF * HUONDE BORDEAUX AND LES QUATRE FILS AYMON Yanna Kor Project ERC PuppetPlays / Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 Abstract: Although Carolingian epics are at the heart of the traditional Liège puppet repertoire, they remain a little explored field of research. This essay focuses on two epics, Les quatre fils Aymon and Huon de Bordeaux, which serve as case studies to examine the transition from narrative to dramatic text and its transposition for the regional puppet stage. Following the stories from the annotated novels to the modern plays, the first part shows how the dramatisation of the prose text gradually developed. The second part examines the creation process of staging the story of the paladins of France from the point of view of regional identification, focusing on the role of Tchantchès, the typical character of the Liège puppet theatre. Key-words: Carolingian Epics, Liège puppet theatre, Tchantchès, Les quatre fils Aymon, Huon de Bordeaux, Children auditory, Popular puppet theatre, Regional identification, Chivalric novel Riassunto: Nonostante l’epopea carolingia sia al centro del repertorio tradizionale delle marionette di Liegi, rimane un campo di ricerca poco esplorato. Questo saggio tratta due poemi epici, Les quatrefils Aymon e Huon de Bordeaux, per esaminare la transizione dal testo narrativo a quellodrammatico e la sua trasposizione sul palcoscenico regionale delle marionette. Seguendo le storiedai romanzi commentati alle opere teatrali moderne, la prima parte mostra come si è progressivamente sviluppata la drammatizzazione del testo in prosa. La seconda parte esamina il processo dicreazione della mise-en-scene della storia dei paladini di Francia dal punto di vista dell’identificazione regionale, particolarmente concentrandosi sul ruolo di Tchantchès, il personaggio tipico del teatro delle marionette di Liegi. * This research has been funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement 835193. AOQU –L’epica e il teatro difigura mondiale / World Epics and Puppet Theater, IV, 2 (2023) [https://riviste.unimi.it/aoqu-ISBN 9791280664747-DOI:](https://riviste.unimi.it/aoqu-ISBN 9791280664747-DOI:) 10.54103/2724-3346/22147 Yanna Kor Parole chiave: Epica carolingia, teatro delle marionette di Liegi, Tchanches, I quattro figliAymon, Huon di Bordeaux, ascolto dei bambini, teatro popolare delle marionette, identificazione regionale, romanzo cavalleresco *** The Carolingian epics established the reputation of the Liège marionette theatre and continue to do so to this day. Plays recounting the story of the paladins of France, such as Les quatre fils Aymon, are classics in the traditional repertoire, adapted by puppeteers from the editions ofthe Bibliothèque bleue, especially those by Alfred Delvau, the favourite author of today’s puppeteers and of their predecessors. It is generally agreed that the history of the Liège puppets began with a certain Conti who came from Italy to Liège in the middle of the 19th century.1 According to the testimony of Léopold Vandervelden in 1860, Conti performed plays «in which Emperors are cast down»,2 thus probably the Carolingian epics. Dieudonné Salmé (1888) gives more precise information, naming among the great plays performed in the Conti theatre «Les qwatre fils Raymond (Les Quatre Fils Aymon)».3 For Joseph Médard (1895) Les quatre fils Aymon, as well as Oger le Danois, Huon de Bordeaux, and Roland le furieux, are the old plays of chivalry that are often performed without audiences ever tiring of them.4 In 1911, Alexis Deitz divided the Liège puppet repertoire into five categories: the romances of chivalry, religious plays (La Naissance and La Passion), plays based on popular tales, novels, and the Walloon plays.5 After 1931, that is, after the creation of the Museum of Walloon Life puppet theatre, the «classical» repertoire, com

FAQs

Which two Carolingian epics are analyzed in this case study?

The essay focuses on Les quatre fils Aymon and Huon de Bordeaux as its main case studies.

What transformation does the essay examine?

It examines the transition from narrative (prose) texts to dramatic text, and how these are transposed for the regional puppet stage.

How is regional identity linked to the puppet adaptations?

The staging process is examined from the perspective of regional identification, highlighting the role of Tchantchès as a typical character of the Liège puppet theatre.

Aug 25, 2026

Uploaded by Xiajie