Summary
Summary of The Geste of Duke Jocelyn
The Geste of Duke Jocelyn at a glance
Summary: 8 min to read
- Reading time
- About 4 h 10 min3 h 15 min fast, 4 h 55 min slow
- Length
- 59,200 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1919by Jeffery Farnol
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
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Key ideas
Key idea 1
Jocelyn hides his rank for love
Duke Jocelyn wants Yolande to love the man rather than his wealth and title. Scarred by a boar attack and mocked behind his back, he takes to the road dressed as a jester, with the doubtful Sir Pertinax beside him. His disguise puts that hope to the test.
When rogues attack, Jocelyn overpowers one but spares him, asks for a song, and gives him gold. The outlaw promises repayment, linking Jocelyn's search for love with his willingness to show mercy.
Key idea 2
A portrait divides the man
At a crowded inn, Jocelyn turns a threatening quarrel into laughter with a song.
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Key idea 3
Protection takes two different forms
When Sir Gui crushes Yolande's wrist and threatens to take her by force, Jocelyn steps out to defend her.
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Key idea 4
Friendship brings hope into prison
Chained in a dungeon, Jocelyn finds Robin, the outlaw he once spared, awaiting the gallows.
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Key idea 5
Fear becomes a tool of rescue
After a fight in the streets, a wounded Jocelyn still insists on saving Robin.
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Key idea 6
Mercy travels beyond the greenwood
Robin offers Jocelyn a place in the hidden camp, but the Duke's heart draws him back toward Canalise.
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Key idea 7
Love looks beyond the face
Jocelyn's scars are not the only appearance that troubles its owner.
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Key idea 8
A daughter helps shape the tale
Farnol tells the romance with his daughter Gillian interrupting along the way.
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Key idea 9
Folly and mercy guide the wager
Jocelyn's journey rests on a wager: by hiding his rank beneath a jester's clothes, he hopes to be loved for himself.
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Who it’s for
You will love this if you enjoy swashbuckling adventure, outlaws in the greenwood, songs and wordplay, and romances where love is tested by disguise.
What this book is
What would you do if your face frightened everyone who saw it, and you were a duke who wanted to be loved for yourself? Duke Jocelyn puts on a jester's cap with donkey's ears, picks up a lute, and walks the dusty road to woo a lady in disguise. His grumbling knight, Sir Pertinax of Shene, trudges beside him.
The Geste of Duke Jocelyn is a medieval romance by Jeffery Farnol, told in rhyme, blank verse, and prose, with a song on almost every page. He wrote it for his daughter Gillian, who keeps breaking in to object. You meet an outlaw king, a rhyming dwarf, and a witch with a face of green fire. You also meet the question that drives the book: can love see past a scar?
In this summary
- 1A scarred duke disguises himself to find loveFree
- 2Two travelers reach Canalise and meet its people
- 3The Fool woos Yolande with a painted face
- 4A rival is dunked and a knight goes fishing
- 5A dungeon cell becomes a place of hope
- 6A witch's fire brings a hanged man back
- 7The greenwood, a hangman's pardon, and a tournament
- 8Looks fool the eye while love sees clearly
- 9Folly, mercy, and fairness run through every scene
- 10A story told by a father and his daughter
Key point 1 of 10
A scarred duke disguises himself to find love
Two travelers trudge down a hot, dusty road. One is tall and broad, dressed as a jester with ringing bells and donkey's ears. His face is badly scarred, yet when he smiles, his blue eyes shine. This is Duke Jocelyn of Brocelaunde.
As a young man, a boar gored his horse and tore his face. People began to call him the ugly Duke behind his back. Now he has heard of Yolande, a lady of famous beauty, and he wants to woo her. He fears that if he arrives as a rich lord, she will love his rank and not the man. Sir Pertinax thinks this is madness.
A first test comes when four rogues leap from a thicket. Jocelyn wrestles the tallest to the ground, then makes him earn his life with a song. He pays the man five gold pieces, and the outlaw swears the greenwood will repay the favor.
Treat even a rogue with mercy, because a spared life may repay you more than a hanging ever could.
That’s 1 of 10 key points.
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Check yourself
Why does Jocelyn hide his rank when he sets out to woo Yolande?
Right. “He fears that if he arrives as a rich lord, she will love his rank and not the man.”Not quite. “He fears that if he arrives as a rich lord, she will love his rank and not the man.”
What makes the dungeon guards promise obedience to Pertinax?
Right. “Ranulph sees the Crystal Heart in his hand, and the guards fall to their knees and swear to obey whoever holds it.”Not quite. “Ranulph sees the Crystal Heart in his hand, and the guards fall to their knees and swear to obey whoever holds it.”
What does the romance suggest about love and appearance?
Right. “It says that those who love well look past them.”Not quite. “It says that those who love well look past them.”
Go deeper: the whole of The Geste of Duke Jocelyn
About 4 h 20 min to read.Start freePaperback, hardcover and large print, printed for you at cost, are on their way.Email me when it is printed
Questions about The Geste of Duke Jocelyn
What is The Geste of Duke Jocelyn about?
It tells of a scarred duke who disguises himself as a jester to woo Yolande without revealing his rank. With his grumbling knight, an outlaw king, a rhyming dwarf, and a witch, he faces rivals, prison, and a tournament.
Who is Joconde in The Geste of Duke Jocelyn?
Joconde is the name Duke Jocelyn gives himself while disguised as a jester. He carries a lute, wears a cap with donkey's ears, and claims to woo Yolande on behalf of the Duke.
Why does Gillian keep interrupting the story?
The author wrote the book for his daughter Gillian, and she appears as a character who comments, objects, and asks for more romance. Her interruptions give the tale a warm, playful, father and daughter voice.
What does the Crystal Heart mean in the story?
It is a jewel showing a crowned heart inside a crystal heart. A rhyme says that whoever takes it takes all, and those who know the saying promise obedience to its holder.
Is The Geste of Duke Jocelyn a true story?
No, it is an invented romance by Jeffery Farnol, written in the style of old medieval tales. It mixes verse, blank verse, and prose, with songs, jokes, and a lively cast of knights, outlaws, and a witch.
Cite this edition
Farnol, Jeffery. The Geste of Duke Jocelyn. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-geste-of-duke-jocelyn.
Farnol, J. (2026). The geste of Duke Jocelyn. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-geste-of-duke-jocelyn (Original work published 1919)
Farnol, Jeffery. The Geste of Duke Jocelyn. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-geste-of-duke-jocelyn.
@book{farnol2026geste,
author = {Farnol, Jeffery},
title = {The Geste of Duke Jocelyn},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-geste-of-duke-jocelyn},
note = {First published 1919}
}
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