Review (PDF) The Complete Romances Of Chretien De Troyes
"[A]n eminently readable text, done clearly and accurately... it gives as good an idea as a translation can of the complexity and subtlety of Chrétien’s originals.... The text is provided by a translator who understands the spirit as well as the letter of the original and renders it with style.... [T]his translation should attract a wide audience of students and Arthurian enthusiasts." ―Speculum"[A] significant contribution to the field of medieval studies [and] a pleasure to read." ―Library Journal"These are, above all, stories of courtly love and of knights tested in their devotion to chivalric ideals (with passion and duty often at odds); but they are also thrilling wonder stories of giants, wild men, tame lions, razor-sharp bridges and visits to the Other World." ―Washington Post Book World"This tastefully produced book will be the standard general translation for many years to come." ―ChoiceThis new translation brings to life for a new generation of readers the stories of King Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Gawain, Perceval, Yvain, and the other "knights and ladies" of Chrétien de Troyes’ famous romances.
Paperback: 576 pages
Publisher: Indiana University Press; Reprint edition (January 22, 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0253207878
ISBN-13: 978-0253207876
Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1.2 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #610,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #92 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Regional & Cultural > European > French #260 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Genres & Styles > Gothic & Romance #491 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Literature > World Literature > European
This is without a doubt one of the finest translations into English of Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances, which includes the seldom found "William of England".In "Cliges" are many references to the "Tristan and Iseult" story found in other venues. The tale of Greek and English lovers is not typical of what one expects to find in Arthurian romances.The term "courtly love" wasn't introduced until the nineteenth century, but according to French scholars, the story of "Le Chevalier de la Charette", or "The Knight of the Cart" (AKA, Lancelot and Guinevere) is the first lyric poem that dealt with this subject. I'm sure I won't be the only person who finds surprises in this early version of the tale.For those who would like to see one of Sir Thomas Malory's sources, and enjoy a good read into the bargain, this is indeed a book to consider purchasing.
I've read several books on Arthurian literature, and this is one of my favorites. In Knight of the Cart, Chretien really makes Lancelot shine as he sacrifices more than anyone (Arthur particularly) to save Guinevere. Knight with the Lion is a little on the twisted side as Yvain falls in love with the wife of the man he kills, breaks a promise with her, then gets her back through trickery of words.Very solid, very readable translation by Staines.
Chretien de Troyes was a writer who was very, very sharp. The man knew at a deep level a number of subjects, including: horses and their tack, armor and weaponry, jousting, social codes among the 12th c. French "2%", and also how to write a memorable story. His translator, David Staines, is equally as sharp, because as I read "Erec and Enide" I was hardly aware that the work was originally written 800+ years ago in Old French. While I'm not a great fan of Chretien's style, I admire him for his daring authorial voice that says, "I _dare_ you to write something more lush, more stupendous, or more audacious than this!" And his competitors couldn't, and that's why when we read Chretien we can see the seeds of modern romance novels, television comedies, and the entire superhero genre. That's quite a legacy. So, thank you Mr. Staines for providing such well-written translations!
How could anything of Chretien's be less than surprising. . .and complex. . .and intellectual. . .and engaging in its creativity. He has affected my own writing, especially as to the okayness of being intellectual, a seemingly mortal sin in the bookworld of the US these days. Words are alive with Chretien. Every name is filled to overflowing with "other" meanings and implications--as should be the case and has been until lately in the US where the focus is solely on money, quality be damned. This is the beginning of tahe novel. This is the beginning of the Arthurian tales as we know them. Chretien invented Lancelot. The next step on anyone's question is the Parzival of von Eschenbach.
I'm currently reading from this collection for class and I really enjoy it. The English translation seems pretty good, so the reading does not get bogged down by older vocabulary or mistranslations from the original French.
This book has the chapters listed by others, and also "The Story of the Grail". Knowing this beforehand would have saved me from buying a separate book on Parsifal. Every story in the book is written in prose so if you want a poem format you'll need get books of that kind. I just started reading this book and am totally satisfied with it so far. A good one stop book for all your Chretien needs.
THe Romances of Chretien de Troyes are mostly poems about Camalot and the knights who lived there. Chretien was a French poet whowrote in old French and was one of the earliest writers about these knights. This translation is OK, but I recommend the translatios of these poems by Burton Raffel and publishrd by Yale. They cost more, but are worth much more.
This Graal story of Chretien is fantastic, not to mention his other works contained in the book. The Graal story is inspired, at least in part, on the story of the Holy Chalice, which is in Spain. This Chalice is a Roman Catholic Relic. Go to their website. Chretien does a wonderful job and is the first author to use the word Graal.
The Complete Romances of Chretien de Troyes 3 Romances sans paroles Op.17 - For Solo Piano (1878) Three Romances, Op. 28 (Kalmus Edition) Schumann - 5 Fantasy Pieces, Op. 73 and 3 Romances, Op. 94: Music Minus One Clarinet (Music Minus One (Numbered)) Four Romances of England : King Horn, Havelok the Dane, Bevis of Hampton, Athelston (TEAMS Middle English Texts Kalamazoo) Seven Viking Romances (Penguin Classics) Noches blancas: Tres historias de amor inolvidables (Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances) (Spanish Edition) Nobody's Perfect (Nobody Romances) Venetia (Regency Romances) Cousin Kate (Regency Romances) A Heartwarming Holiday: 15 Connected Sweet Holiday Romances Christmas Pets and Kisses 2: 12 Sweet Romances Arthurian Romances (Xist Classics) Foundational Fictions: The National Romances of Latin America (Latin American Literature and Culture) How to Write Romances (Genre Writing Series) Writing Romances: A Handbook by the Romance Writers of America Sweet Christmas Kisses 3: A Bundle of 17 Wholesome Holiday Romances Sweet Tilly (Drifters and Dreamers Romances) Double Dragons Boxed Set: BBW menage shifter romances Frederica (Regency Romances)
