The underlying theme of this new edition is that the poem is a Christian hero. As imagined by the poet Turoldus—writing about 1100, at the time of the First Crusade—Roland, the nephew of Charlemagne, had no faults and accomplished mighty deeds in warring against the Saracens. The introduction compares the known historical facts about the Battle of Roncevaux with the Roland legend, with various versions of the poem, and with the Oxford text. Christian thought and sensibility are shown to permeate the , in its character portrayal and narrative development, as well as in its tone and diction—and to provide its thematic unity and metaphorical consistency. Influences of the oral tradition of the are demonstrated, as are evidences of the accompanying gestures used by the jongleurs in interpreting these works. The Commentary organizes discussion of the 4002 verses into 49 units. The method of analysis is eclectic, combining thematic criticism with philology, exegetical interpretation with iconography. The 66 illustrations, primarily from Romanesque works of art, clarify key passages