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The Romance of Arthur
The Romance of Arthur, James J. Wilhelm's classic anthology of Arthurian literature, is an essential text for students of the medieval Romance tradition.
This fully updated third edition presents a comprehensive reader, mapping the course of Arthurian literature, and is expanded to cover: key authors such as Chretien de Troyes and Thomas of Britain, as well as Arthurian texts by women and more obscure sources for Arthurian romance extensive coverage of key themes and characters in the tradition a wide geographical range of texts including translations from Latin, French, German, Spanish, Welsh, Middle English, and Italian sources a broad chronological range of texts, encompassing nearly a thousand years of Arthurian romance.
Norris J. Lacy builds on the book's source material, presenting readers with a clear introduction to many accessible modern-spelling versions of Arthurian texts. The extracts are presented in a new reader-friendly format with detailed suggestions for further reading and illustrations of key places, figures, and scenes. The Romance of Arthur provides an excellent introduction and an extensive resource for both students and scholars of Arthurian literature.
This fully updated third edition presents a comprehensive reader, mapping the course of Arthurian literature, and is expanded to cover: key authors such as Chretien de Troyes and Thomas of Britain, as well as Arthurian texts by women and more obscure sources for Arthurian romance extensive coverage of key themes and characters in the tradition a wide geographical range of texts including translations from Latin, French, German, Spanish, Welsh, Middle English, and Italian sources a broad chronological range of texts, encompassing nearly a thousand years of Arthurian romance.
Norris J. Lacy builds on the book's source material, presenting readers with a clear introduction to many accessible modern-spelling versions of Arthurian texts. The extracts are presented in a new reader-friendly format with detailed suggestions for further reading and illustrations of key places, figures, and scenes. The Romance of Arthur provides an excellent introduction and an extensive resource for both students and scholars of Arthurian literature.
584 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 14, 2023
"Sire," said the sage, "your good fortune is passed:
You shall find her your foe - test her out as you wish;
You are now at your zenith, I tell you in truth;
Take what challenge you wish, you'll achieve nothing more."
I read this as part of an English Literature King Arthur course at University. The initial readings were a bit tough but I so enjoyed Tristan and Isolde, Sir Gawain and The Green Knight and Morte Darthur (both versions). I personally enjoy neo-historical and political approaches to texts to the latter spoke most to me because of it's intriguing historical backdrop of the Wars of the Roses, a period in English history that I am especially interesting in.
My lecturer did aptly criticize some of these translations. Some works are needlessly changed in form from poetry to prose, which was a bit odd (considering the translator claimed the task too daunting but there are actually poetic translations out there) and this sometimes got in the way of our textual analysis. I took off one star for that. That said, a great collection that I very much enjoyed studying!
You shall find her your foe - test her out as you wish;
You are now at your zenith, I tell you in truth;
Take what challenge you wish, you'll achieve nothing more."
I read this as part of an English Literature King Arthur course at University. The initial readings were a bit tough but I so enjoyed Tristan and Isolde, Sir Gawain and The Green Knight and Morte Darthur (both versions). I personally enjoy neo-historical and political approaches to texts to the latter spoke most to me because of it's intriguing historical backdrop of the Wars of the Roses, a period in English history that I am especially interesting in.
My lecturer did aptly criticize some of these translations. Some works are needlessly changed in form from poetry to prose, which was a bit odd (considering the translator claimed the task too daunting but there are actually poetic translations out there) and this sometimes got in the way of our textual analysis. I took off one star for that. That said, a great collection that I very much enjoyed studying!
November 29, 2023
3.5** I had to read this whole thing for school
Read
July 15, 2009ARTHUR IN THE LATIN CHRONICLES -- Gildas, a monk, 'On the Downfall and Conquest of Britain,' 547; Venerable Bede, 'Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation,' 731; Nennius, 'The History of the Britons,' 800; William of Malmesbury, 'The Deeds of the English Kings,' 1125; Geoffrey of Monmouth, 'History of the Kings of Britain,' 1138.
Geoffrey, the first true chronicler of King Arthur, created a 'false document,' with which to narrate his story. Today we would call it a hoax. He claimed to have been shown 'an ancient book in the British language that told in orderly fashion the deeds of all the kings of Britain. In his plain and modest style, Geoffrey says, he has translated this ancient book into Latin.' (59)
In Medieval times, originality and invention were suspect, so fiction writers 'discovered' secret manuscripts.
Wace, 'Roman de Brut' 1155: 'first full account of the Arthurian story in a vernacular: Old North French.' (95)
From Wace -- King Aurelius begs Merlin to reveal the future. ''Sir,' said Merlin, 'I can't do this. I won't open my mouth unless I'm forced to, and this is because of humility. If I spoke braggingly or jestingly or proudly, my guardian spirit, who teaches me all that I know, would leave my lips and take all of my knowledge away. My mouth would not be any more valuable than anyone else's. Let such secrets lie....If you want to create a lasting work that's beautiful and fitting and will be talked about for all time to come, then bring over here the circle that the giants built in Ireland -- a wonderful, huge, round work with stone set on stone -- so strong and heavy that no strength of men now alive can ever lift them.'' (99-100) The King agrees, and Merlin steals Stonehenge by magic, transporting it to the plain at Ambresbury.
Chretien de Troyes, 'Lancelot, or The Knight of the Cart,' c. 1160: 'first writer who consciously used the myth of Arthur as the basis for long fictional narratives.' (121)
From Chretien -- Lancelot is desperate to save the abducted Queen but in combat has lost his horse. A dwarf offers him a ride in a cart that is for transporting heinous criminals. The knight must choose -- will he ruin his reputation and suffer public disgrace by riding in the cart, or will he disregard all personal shame for the greater good of remaining faithful to the Queen? 'Reason, who does not follow Love's command, told him to beware of getting in, warned and counseled him not to do anything for which he might incur disgrace or reproach. Reason, who dared tell him this, spoke from the lips, not from the heart; but Love, who held sway within his heart, urged and commanded him to climb into the cart at once. Because Love ordered and wished it, he jumped in; since Love ruled his action, the disgrace did not matter.' (127)
Robert de Boron, 'Merlin', 1200: The wizard Merlin, a seer from Celtic legend, emerged 'as a fully developed figure in vernacular literature ... only around 1200, [in:] the the poem 'Merlin.'' (305) Merlin's death is a cautionary tale for goaty old men. The hoary wizard falls for 15 year old Niviane the Huntress, who makes him promise he will never dishonor her by seducing her with magic, and also that he will teach her his skills. 'He took the oath immediately. So it was that the girl became an intimate of Merlin, although not in the sense that she admitted him to her bed -- but he was waiting and hoping to have his way with her, to know her in the flesh and deflower her (for he knew that she was still a virgin); and so he began to teach her sorcery and enchantment, and she learned rapidly.' (349) What's his reward? She tricks him into lying down naked inside a stone vault, then 'flooded the tomb with molten lead that she had ready, so that he died instantly, burned to the very entrails.' (353)
anonymous, 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,' 14th century: '...not only the finest Arthurian romance in English literature, but also a work of commanding literary merit... deals with the timeless themes of love, honor, heroism, and the human will to survive in a world that is often perplexing, changeable, and violent.' (399)
A description of the arduous nature of a romantic quest:
'Many a cliff he climbed over in that strange country
Where he rode as a foreigner, far removed from his friends.
At every creek and crossing where that fellow coursed,
He found -- quite fantastically -- some foe before him,
One who was foul and fierce, with whom he had to fight.
In those mountains he met with such a host of marvels
That it would be too trying to tell even the tenth part.
Sometimes with serpents he struggled, sometimes with wolves,
Sometimes with troll-like creatures who camp in the crags,
Also with bulls and with bears -- and even with boars --
And giants who jumped out at him from the jags.
....
Yet danger was not what worried him; the weather was worse,
For the cold, clear water kept dropping down the the clouds
And freezing even before it fell on the frigid earth.
Almost slain by the sleet, he slept in his iron clothes
More nights than he had need for among the naked rocks,
Where cold torrents came crashing down from the crests
And hard icicles were hanging over his head. (419-420)
Sir Thomas Malory, 'Le Morte Darthur, 1470: 'the last great Arthurian writer of the Middle Ages.' (529) I plan to read the entire work so I did not read this excerpt.
Geoffrey, the first true chronicler of King Arthur, created a 'false document,' with which to narrate his story. Today we would call it a hoax. He claimed to have been shown 'an ancient book in the British language that told in orderly fashion the deeds of all the kings of Britain. In his plain and modest style, Geoffrey says, he has translated this ancient book into Latin.' (59)
In Medieval times, originality and invention were suspect, so fiction writers 'discovered' secret manuscripts.
Wace, 'Roman de Brut' 1155: 'first full account of the Arthurian story in a vernacular: Old North French.' (95)
From Wace -- King Aurelius begs Merlin to reveal the future. ''Sir,' said Merlin, 'I can't do this. I won't open my mouth unless I'm forced to, and this is because of humility. If I spoke braggingly or jestingly or proudly, my guardian spirit, who teaches me all that I know, would leave my lips and take all of my knowledge away. My mouth would not be any more valuable than anyone else's. Let such secrets lie....If you want to create a lasting work that's beautiful and fitting and will be talked about for all time to come, then bring over here the circle that the giants built in Ireland -- a wonderful, huge, round work with stone set on stone -- so strong and heavy that no strength of men now alive can ever lift them.'' (99-100) The King agrees, and Merlin steals Stonehenge by magic, transporting it to the plain at Ambresbury.
Chretien de Troyes, 'Lancelot, or The Knight of the Cart,' c. 1160: 'first writer who consciously used the myth of Arthur as the basis for long fictional narratives.' (121)
From Chretien -- Lancelot is desperate to save the abducted Queen but in combat has lost his horse. A dwarf offers him a ride in a cart that is for transporting heinous criminals. The knight must choose -- will he ruin his reputation and suffer public disgrace by riding in the cart, or will he disregard all personal shame for the greater good of remaining faithful to the Queen? 'Reason, who does not follow Love's command, told him to beware of getting in, warned and counseled him not to do anything for which he might incur disgrace or reproach. Reason, who dared tell him this, spoke from the lips, not from the heart; but Love, who held sway within his heart, urged and commanded him to climb into the cart at once. Because Love ordered and wished it, he jumped in; since Love ruled his action, the disgrace did not matter.' (127)
Robert de Boron, 'Merlin', 1200: The wizard Merlin, a seer from Celtic legend, emerged 'as a fully developed figure in vernacular literature ... only around 1200, [in:] the the poem 'Merlin.'' (305) Merlin's death is a cautionary tale for goaty old men. The hoary wizard falls for 15 year old Niviane the Huntress, who makes him promise he will never dishonor her by seducing her with magic, and also that he will teach her his skills. 'He took the oath immediately. So it was that the girl became an intimate of Merlin, although not in the sense that she admitted him to her bed -- but he was waiting and hoping to have his way with her, to know her in the flesh and deflower her (for he knew that she was still a virgin); and so he began to teach her sorcery and enchantment, and she learned rapidly.' (349) What's his reward? She tricks him into lying down naked inside a stone vault, then 'flooded the tomb with molten lead that she had ready, so that he died instantly, burned to the very entrails.' (353)
anonymous, 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,' 14th century: '...not only the finest Arthurian romance in English literature, but also a work of commanding literary merit... deals with the timeless themes of love, honor, heroism, and the human will to survive in a world that is often perplexing, changeable, and violent.' (399)
A description of the arduous nature of a romantic quest:
'Many a cliff he climbed over in that strange country
Where he rode as a foreigner, far removed from his friends.
At every creek and crossing where that fellow coursed,
He found -- quite fantastically -- some foe before him,
One who was foul and fierce, with whom he had to fight.
In those mountains he met with such a host of marvels
That it would be too trying to tell even the tenth part.
Sometimes with serpents he struggled, sometimes with wolves,
Sometimes with troll-like creatures who camp in the crags,
Also with bulls and with bears -- and even with boars --
And giants who jumped out at him from the jags.
....
Yet danger was not what worried him; the weather was worse,
For the cold, clear water kept dropping down the the clouds
And freezing even before it fell on the frigid earth.
Almost slain by the sleet, he slept in his iron clothes
More nights than he had need for among the naked rocks,
Where cold torrents came crashing down from the crests
And hard icicles were hanging over his head. (419-420)
Sir Thomas Malory, 'Le Morte Darthur, 1470: 'the last great Arthurian writer of the Middle Ages.' (529) I plan to read the entire work so I did not read this excerpt.
November 22, 2008
Selections have what is necessary--Sir Gawain to the Green Knight, bits from Geoffrey of Monmouth, a complete Chretien romance (Lancelot: apparently the grail material appears in the Grail Romance anthology), Beroul's Tristan--but also quite a bit of surprising stuff: an Italian Cantare on the Death of Tristan, a later Latin Gawain romance, the Saga of the Mantle, and selections from the Prose Merlin and Suite de Merlin. While I could complain about a few of the translations, they're perfectly serviceable if the instructor has the 'originals' on hand. I can complain only about the introductions, which were outdated even when they were written 30 years ago. The SGGK intro is particularly awful: for example, it contrasts the 'French' manners of Fitt III's seduction scene to the rough practice of hunting, where clearly 'French' = effeminate. If this reminds you of the old narrative of Chaucer's trajectory from French style towards an authentic, vigorous English verse, or if it reminds you of Arthur Conan Doyle Brigadier Gerard series, you're not mistaken.
January 22, 2021
Revisited an old textbook of mine with this one. It's a solid approach to nearly a thousand years of translated texts to show at least examples of ways the Arthurian tales were approached from early chronicles to Welsh Verse to lyrics to prose retellings to Malory's Morte Darthur. Obviously it has to skip a bunch of things (it leaves out the grail quest and percival as a whole) but in terms of better understanding of the evolution of the tradition, it's great. Kibler's translation of Chretien de Troyes' "Lancelot, or Knight of the Cart" is my favorite translation -- it's just so funny. (Honestly if you can read just this one story, do. It's commissioned-by-someone-else fanfic, essentially, with a then-brand new OC, Lancelot, and it really feels like fanfic culture in a way that it's hard to explain if you haven't been involved in fandom before.)
November 11, 2019
I read the second edition when I used it for an Arthurian class I taught years ago. This edition includes a few other gems, and provides updated introductory notes to the selections included.
It is a wonderful anthology to use for a medieval class focused on the Arthurian tradition, as it is often difficult to find good translations individually of many of the more obscure pieces. While many of the pieces are only excerpts, it gives students a starting point for deciding if they'd like to find the full text.
Wilhelm and Lacy are top Arthurian scholars, and the scholars and translators they have assembled for the anthology come with impeccable credentials.
It is a wonderful anthology to use for a medieval class focused on the Arthurian tradition, as it is often difficult to find good translations individually of many of the more obscure pieces. While many of the pieces are only excerpts, it gives students a starting point for deciding if they'd like to find the full text.
Wilhelm and Lacy are top Arthurian scholars, and the scholars and translators they have assembled for the anthology come with impeccable credentials.
April 24, 2013
This was vital text during my most recent course on The Arthurian Legend in Literature and Film. It lays out translations of key Arthurian texts in a chronological fashion (oldest to newest). We actually read the texts in reverse order, as we explore the legend going back into the depths of time. The translations are good, very readable even to a non-medievalist, although for the earlier texts an appreciation of the pronunciation of Welsh would probably add value. All in all for the Arthurian scholar or anyone interested in the way stories morph over time this is a fascinating book.
purposely-partially-read
June 7, 2015Read: John K. Bollard, "Arthur in the Early Welsh Tradition"
Read
November 20, 2023I don’t feel that I can give this a rating because it’s all just Arthurian romances in the form of an anthology…still, I can’t believe I read all of that😅
April 29, 2025
#arthurianapril bonus book! I needed to talk about one academic book this month!
Thank you so much, @nataniabarron, for the recommendation! Oddly enoigh I had not heard of this copy. All the classics are included. Very happy to see my favorite Wace Roman de Brute in here. Additionally, their are some i had not heard of! Very excited to take a look at the lyrical adaptations and the norse Saga of the Mantle.
Thank you so much, @nataniabarron, for the recommendation! Oddly enoigh I had not heard of this copy. All the classics are included. Very happy to see my favorite Wace Roman de Brute in here. Additionally, their are some i had not heard of! Very excited to take a look at the lyrical adaptations and the norse Saga of the Mantle.
December 12, 2024
read for class. i would suggest this to anyone who wants to learn more about Arthurian legend :)
August 16, 2010
This is a wonderful anthology of Arthurian texts. It contains at least extracts from all the medieval greats (Geoffrey of Monmouth, Chrétien de Troyes, Sir Thomas Malory), and some texts that are pretty obscure (The Saga of the Mantle, The Rise of Gawain). Most of the texts are readable, if a little stilted. The chapters cover the "historical" Arthurian texts (ch. 1), the Welsh Arthur (2-3), the chronicle tradition established by Geoffrey of Monmouth (4-6, 18), Lancelot (7), Tristan (10-13), Merlin (5 and 14), and Gawain (15-17). The only major omission (which is why this book gets 4 stars, not 5) is that there are no Grail texts.
November 28, 2012
Selections read for class. Loved the variety acting as a kind of highlight real of Arthurian lit.
Read: _The Knight of the Cart_, _The Prose Merlin_, _The Suite du Merlin_, _ Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_, _Le Morte Darthur_, and _The Saga of the Mantle_.
Read: _The Knight of the Cart_, _The Prose Merlin_, _The Suite du Merlin_, _ Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_, _Le Morte Darthur_, and _The Saga of the Mantle_.
September 17, 2015
Good, short introductions to all sections that give you enough information without bogging you down in detail. This anthology is a great way to access Arthurian romance in different languages and across time. Highly recommended starter anthology.
February 27, 2019
I love the Arthur mythos, and this is the text we used for a class. The translations are better if you find individual texts for each story, but that adds up, and so this anthology is a great mid-road place to start.
April 24, 2008
Only about a half way into the book and already love it. If you are into Celtic mythology and would like to know how the Arthurian legend morphed into its current form you will love this book.
March 9, 2010
Very informative and interesting! I loved having the highlights of Arthurian legend right at my fingertips, and it was all so very engaging!
June 28, 2012
I enjoyed all the different views of Arthurian literature and the different stories. I didn't care for some of the poems but overall I enjoyed it.
August 14, 2012
Good, comprehensive anthology; a must-read.
January 1, 2022
The Romance of Arthur: An Anthology of Medieval Texts in Translation by James J. Wilhelm – A great anthology for King Arthur fans! Happy Reading!
October 18, 2018
Some of the set up and background in the book was a little confusing but I greatly enjoyed the stories!
November 14, 2021
A very substantial and informative anthology. It offers some very important, and often entertaining, selections from the Arthurian canon.
December 26, 2021
tristan and yseut’s story was the funniest argue with the wall
May 18, 2024
BANGER!!!
May 30, 2024
I read for school but it would be unfair if I don’t include this tome in my list of read books. :))
July 3, 2007
Read for HISTAM 276: Celtic Civilizations
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews