Arthurian Romances (Penguin Classics)

This collection is one of the most important primary texts that informs Arthurian lore. The translation feels more contemporary but doesn't sacrifice essential material that makes the original text so important to Arthurian studies. One also gets very unique judgments of round table figures. Chretien's account of Lancelot is probably the most damning retelling of Arthur's most famous knight's fall from his king's favor. The book is worth it for the chronicling of the Lancelot/Guinevere episode, perhaps the most intricate detailing and morally focussed interpretation of the legend, whose judgmental tone continues to inform new incarnations of the affair portion of Arthurian mythos.In addition to the important Lancelot story, Chretien's stories provide a very lucid glimpse of both artistic and broadly cultural views of these staple romances, along with a crucial view into the changing nature of written accounts of legendary material that was in flux soon after the tales were put to paper. The writing is particularly subtle, in the spirit of Sir Gawain's romance. On a personal note, I used to be quite involved in tales about Arthur but felt I lost my fire for the subject. Chretien de Troyes reignited that fire for me.

"Arthurian Romances" is a recent translation of five of the medieval writer Chretien de Troyes' stories about King Arthur's court. The stories are Erec and Enide, Cligés, The Knight of the Cart (Lancelot), The Knight with the Lion (Yvain), and The Story of the Grail (Perceval).The book also has an appendix of Continuations of the Grail Stories, a Medieval glossary, and a good Notes section. I bought it as I was studying 'The Knight of the Cart' for a course on Magic in the Middle Ages.I found this translation more readable than some of the previous ones I tried. The Notes and Glossary were also helpful as was the Introduction. It's written in a modern style yet keeps the flavour of knighthood, battles and ladies who need rescuing but may also be enchanted. I would recommend this book to anybody studying this period in literature, or to anybody interested in King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, or if you enjoy tales of adventure, romance and magic.

This review is for the Penguin Classics version of the text.ISBN-10 : 0140445218ISBN-13 : 978-0140445213𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭: Mediocre print quality, small text, notes in the back [3/5]Being that this is a medieval text, some of the terminology and language is not of this century. The word brattice, for example, now carries the meaning of "a partition or shaft lining in a coal mine", whereas in the text it was actually referring to the wooden protrusion on castles. I would much prefer if there were marginal glosses and proper footnotes at the bottom of the page like in other scholarly or critical editions.𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: Prose translation, very easy to read [?/5]I'm not a medievalist and I have no knowledge of Old French. That being said, I am somewhat skeptical of the quality of this translation. It is very easy to read, which strikes me as odd. The fact that it is a prose translation doesn't bother me per se, but the translator has omitted all semblance of verse, rendering the text as one would an ordinary novel. I can't help but think that this would detract from the poetic quality of Old French.That being said, this copy is extremely readable, and it seems to be accurate enough for the reader to pick up on the conventions and culture of medieval romance. For that purpose, I think this version of the book is more than acceptable. My only gripe, therefore, is the lack of footnotes and marginal glosses.

I had to read parts of this book for philosophy class one semester. I went back and reread the whole book. Very enjoyable. I love those short stories and all that they encompass. Filled with love, action, lessons, and everything in between. I don't like how the last book wasn't finished, but there's nothing to change that...

It's a good copy of these stories. Similar to the Penguin publication. It does not have the lines on the pages which is slightly annoying if you're reading in a group.

This is a great edition, immaculate condition

Working in Zoom and other digital environments, teaching from various editions of Medieval literature, sure is handy to find the edition I needed in a Kindle version.

I was assigned this for a class in school and I’m surprised how much I actually enjoyed it. Definitely recommend this to everyone!

This is so interesting to find out where some Arthurian characters and their main stories come from. The only issue is that some of it is incomplete which people might struggle with if they like to finish books feeling satisfied.

very beauti

I really can't say enough in praise of this wonderful book. Each poem is translated into prose in a lively and vivid style. The dialogue is crisp and natural and the action non-stop. But Chretien's intentions go even deeper than merely telling cracking yarns. Each are sensitive and intelligent explorations of human nature.Marital love is ever an important theme in Chretien. In Erec and Enide, the hero neglects his knightly reputation in order to devote himself to his new bride, and in Yvain the hero does the opposite and neglects his bride for valour. Both must set off on a series of adventures that culminate in them seeing the error of their ways and setting matters right.Lancelot is an excellent story, though rather odd in that the theme this time is an adulterous relationship, that of Lancelot and Guinevere. Nowhere does Chretien condemn this relationship, despite negative references elsewhere to the shameful adulterous love between Tristan and Iseult. In Kibler's introduction he suggests that the theme may have been suggested by Chretien's patroness. Perhaps, then, Chretien was anxious not to offend the French Court. At any rate, he didn't bother to finish the romance and gave it to someone else to do (the ending is included in this book).In Perceval Chretien masterfully captures the naivete of the young hero, and he delivers the most mysterious, powerful and influential Arthur story of all. Here we see the holy grail, the bleeding lance and the castle of maidens, all of which have become essential ingredients in Arthurian lore. It's unfinished state presented an irresistible challenge to later poets, some of whom tried to finish it off, others who went back to the beginning and offered their own interpretations.The only story that sometimes gets a little static is Cliges, where the characters occasionally go off into protracted musings on the nature of love. But once you've got past these bits, which to be fair are intelligent insights, it's still a fine read.All in all, I hugely recommend this book. And if it doesn't want to make you start exploring Mallory, Von Eschenbach, and the rest, you've got no romance in your soul!

Perfect

The book looks old and the first page is torn on the top side. The edges are partially deteriorated. I expected a book in good conditions and it is not what I got.