Sir Lancelot Of The Lake A French Prose Romance Of The Thirteenth Century

by G. G.; Power Coulton

This translation of Lancelot del Lac was published in 1929 to present easily the essential parts of the history of Sir Lancelot from three thirteenth century romances – Le livre de Lancelot del Lac , Le queste del saint graal , and La mort le roi Artus. The translator summarises the sections not fully translated to link the sections together. This was the first serious attempt to produce a modern English rendering of the French material, as Malory used a relatively small portion of the French trilogy in writing Morte Darthur .

Genres: Arthurian

Hardcover

First published December 31, 1974

Reviews

[Poe · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Fair comrade," said Galehot, "I know in sooth that I am come to the place where I shall lose you."
"How?" said Lancelot.
"For that the king", said he, "will pray you to abide in his household, and what shall I do that have given me wholly, body and soul, to loving you?"

That was the most tragic tale of a doomed love I've heard yet. I did not expect to get this emotional reading a 13th-century book translated into Middle Elvish flowery English. My heart's crushed. (And chapter LIII: whoever wrote this really knew how to twist the knife!)

Only read the Galehot chapters (XXIV and onwards), the language of this translation makes my head spin and I can't afford a modern one. (Although, considering how absolutely nuts the Arthur/Guinevere/false Guinevere/Lancelot plot sounds, I'm not sure I need to read the rest.)

Have a five star rating anyway, book. You deserve it, and Lucy Allen Paton is a GOAT for (partially) translating it in 1929, preserving this heartbreaking story and wonderful character who (I heard) did not make it into Malory (which I haven't read yet).

Also, Gawain is forever my favourite knight. His role in every story I've read so far (including this, and Y Seint Greal/Perlesvaus, Lanval) is mostly just being a fanboy for the other knights and trying to fix the trouble they've caused or put themselves in. It's sweet, especially when he swoons a lot. Good for him that he got his own famous story at some point! He deserves it too.