Review (PDF) Tristan: With The Surviving Fragments Of The 'Tristran Of Thomas' (Penguin Classics)
Gottfried's version of this legendary romance--in which Tristan and Isolde chance to drink a magic potion that causes them to fall in love--portrays Tristan in the round as an attractive and sophisticated pre-Renaissance man. While Gottfried adheres faithfully to the events as set down by Thomas, his chosen source, he is correct over questions of Chrisianity and religion, but no more.In fact his persona as narrator is oddly elusive and engaging. A virtuoso stylist, adept in irony and wit, he is subtle and almost unmedieval in putting across his own impressions of a love that transcends the bounds advocated by Church or society.
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Penguin Classics; Reprint edition (July 30, 1960)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0140440984
ISBN-13: 978-0140440980
Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.9 x 7.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #292,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #60 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Regional & Cultural > European > German #164 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Love Poems #291 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Ancient, Classical & Medieval > Ancient & Classical
If all the medieval scholars in the world were asked to name the definitive version of the Tristan story, it's a sure bet a majority would point to the work of Gottfried Von Strassburg. Though Gottfried certainly did not create the Tristan saga itself, working as he was from an earlier poem by Thomas of Britain (and Thomas wasn't the first storyteller to take up Tristan's tale either), Gottfried's personal touches and a surgeon's eye for the pscyhological underpinnings of the cursed love affair between the knight Tristan and his Queen Isolde allowed him to make the existing story his own. Grand in conception and rich in detail, Gottfried's TRISTAN has for eight centuries delighted general readers and scholars alike and has been wildly influential, inspiring countless other writers and artists to produce their own take on an immortal legend. Ironically, Gottfried's opus isn't even complete--it breaks off shortly after Tristan meets Isolde of the White Hands. Providentially, Thomas's TRISTRAN picks up where Gottfried, for whatever reason, leaves off, so that an essentially complete story is in fact available, albeit by two writers of rather different styles. Also, it should be noted that neither Gottfried nor Thomas put Tristan at King Arthur's Round Table, as many other authors frequently do.Penguin Classics are of uniformly high quality, and this book is no exception. The translation is by renowned medieval scholar A.T. Hatto, with an excellent introduction, helpful notes, and a number of supplemental pieces including glossaries of geographical and character names from the text for enhanced readability.Is Gottfried's TRISTAN truly the best? Of course that is always going to be debatable.
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