Hierarchical segmentation of Chrétien's Chevalier au Lion in ms. Montpellier, Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire, Section Médecine, H 252 (ff. 1r-12v)

The paratextual system of Chrétien’s Chevalier au Lion featured by the manuscript Montpellier, Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire, Section médecine, H 252 features textual tituli in association with champie initials which clearly reflect a hierarchic divisio operis, that is a meaningful and planned partition of the romance in sections which are themselves divided in smaller segment. This study shows that the paratextual indications are intrinsically interconnected with the text, as clearly demonstrated by the fact that the distribution of pen-flourished letters is often associated with interpolations. Essentially, the medieval writer edited the text so as to fit it into his peculiar divisio operis, making the transition from one segment or section to another smoother in his own terms. Indeed, the interpolated verses conclude or introduce sections or segments with concise and consistent expositions which seems to make the text clearer with regard to the examination of the other manuscripts. The evident and uncontroversial correlations between textual variation and the placement of paratextual indications strongly support the idea that scribes used pen-flourished and/or champie initials, eventually associated to miniatures and/or tituli , so as to embed a single or multilayered divisio operis in the text they were copying.