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Yvain: The Knight of the Lion: A Graphic Novel
In his first graphic novel, National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson turns to Arthurian lore, with captivating art by Andrea Offermann bringing the classic legend to life.
Eager for glory and heedless of others, Sir Yvain sets out from King Arthur’s court and defeats a local lord in battle, unknowingly intertwining his future with the lives of two compelling women: Lady Laudine, the beautiful widow of the fallen lord, and her sly maid Lunette. In a stunning visual interpretation of a 12th century epic poem by Chrétien de Troyes, readers are — at first glance — transported into a classic Arthurian romance complete with errant knights, plundering giants, and fire-breathing dragons. A closer look, however, reveals a world rich with unspoken emotion. Striking, evocative art by Andrea Offermann sheds light upon the inner lives of medieval women and the consequences Yvain’s oblivious actions have upon Laudine and Lunette. Renowned author M. T. Anderson embraces a new form with a sophisticated graphic novel that challenges Yvain’s role as hero, delves into the honesty and anguish of love, and asks just how fundamentally the true self can really change.
Eager for glory and heedless of others, Sir Yvain sets out from King Arthur’s court and defeats a local lord in battle, unknowingly intertwining his future with the lives of two compelling women: Lady Laudine, the beautiful widow of the fallen lord, and her sly maid Lunette. In a stunning visual interpretation of a 12th century epic poem by Chrétien de Troyes, readers are — at first glance — transported into a classic Arthurian romance complete with errant knights, plundering giants, and fire-breathing dragons. A closer look, however, reveals a world rich with unspoken emotion. Striking, evocative art by Andrea Offermann sheds light upon the inner lives of medieval women and the consequences Yvain’s oblivious actions have upon Laudine and Lunette. Renowned author M. T. Anderson embraces a new form with a sophisticated graphic novel that challenges Yvain’s role as hero, delves into the honesty and anguish of love, and asks just how fundamentally the true self can really change.
134 pages, Hardcover
First published March 14, 2017
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982 people want to read
About the author
M.T. Anderson
55 books1,250 followersMatthew Tobin Anderson (M. T. Anderson), (1968- ) is an author, primarily of picture books for children and novels for young adults. Anderson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The Game of Sunken Places, and Octavian Nothing. For middle grader readers, his novels include Whales on Stilts: M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales and its sequel, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen.
-Wikipedia
His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The Game of Sunken Places, and Octavian Nothing. For middle grader readers, his novels include Whales on Stilts: M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales and its sequel, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 270 reviews
February 4, 2017
A different way to delve into Arthurian stories. But why Yvain? There is an undercurrent of an odd feminism here (or maybe anti-feminism) - women who must manipulate men to see justice. Which is why of course love is bound with hate. Yvain's behavior is a good conversation starter. Hero or no? And the graphic novel approach is appealing for a new generation.
June 19, 2024
I have owned my personal copy of Yvain: The Knight of the Lion (a 2017 young adult graphic novel translation, or probably more an adaptation of Chretien de Troyes' 1180 A.D. Middle French Arthurian epic Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion, with a text by Matthew Tobin Anderson and accompanying artwork by Andrea Offermann) since 2018 (received Yvain: The Knight of the Lion as a Christmas gift). But well, I kept postponing reading Yvain: The Knight of the Lion because ALL of the comic book adaptations of Arthurian legends I encountered prior to Yvain: The Knight of the Lion have generally proven to be both textually and also illustratively annoying and much too immature and silly for my personal reading tastes (and yes, I was also a bit disappointed that Yvain: The Knight of the Lion does not feature de Troyes' original Middle French words alongside of Anderson's translated/adapted text and which I still do consider a bit of a lack and oversight for Yvain: The Knight of the Lion). However, and after finally taking the bull by the proverbial horns so to speak regarding Yvain: The Knight of the Lion, I readily admit that I should definitely not have waited almost six years to peruse Yvain: The Knight of the Lion, as indeed, my reading trepidations were and are totally and utterly unfounded since M.T. Anderson's words for Yvain: The Knight of the Lion and Andrea Offermann's accompanying illustrations most definitely and delightfully (jointly so) do an incredible, do a both verbal and pictorial wonderful and spectacular job of capturing both the spirit of Chretien de Troyes and of French Mediaeval culture, as well as presenting French Arthurian romances as being both heroic and also often as satirical (as how they were actually and in fact originally written and intended).
Now as someone familiar with Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion, which I read and enjoyed at university for an undergraduate level course about Mediaeval French Literature, textually speaking, Yvain: The Knight of the Lion is in my humble opinion totally and gloriously spot-on and delightfully authentic feeling, with Anderson's presented narrative reading true to Chretien de Troyes original storyline not just with regard to contents and thematics but also according to intonation, syntax, and that the verbal imagery presented by M.T. Anderson in Yvain: The Knight of the Lion also and wonderfully shows the irony and the lack of chivalry that tends to quite dominate de Troyes' Arthurian epics (such as for example, knights battling for honour and glory but ignoring the potential for real heartbreak this can and does cause, how King Arthur and Queen Guinevere are not all that that shiningly heroic but manipulative and even cowardly, not to mention that Yvain’s descent into madness in Yvain: The Knight of the Lion is described, has been penned by Anderson in a way that very nicely and authentically mirrors the way in which the original text of Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion is constructed).
And yes, Andrea Offermann's artwork for Yvain: The Knight of the Lion is as aesthetically stunning as M.T. Anderson's penmanship, with her pictures resembling Mediaeval tapestry, allusions to calligraphic fonts, and showing a colour palette that evokes a delightful visual sense of the distant past, so that Offermann's depicted demons and Yvain's lion companion look like they have come right out of ancient manuscripts, showing stylised pictures that very nicely mirror Anderson's text but also do not visually overwhelm the written word, and which some graphic novels do unfortunately have the tendency to feature, and that I personally sure am glad that with Yvain: The Knight of the Lion, Andrea Offermann generally refrains from this, that her pictures work with what Anderson writes but do not visually overtake and supersede his storytelling, resulting in a wonderful and delightful combination of text and images for Yvain: The Knight of the Lion, and action-packed and intriguing, interesting reading experience that is both verbally and visually wonderful (as well as really and truly gloriously Mediaeval).
Four stars for Yvain: The Knight of the Lion, and with my main reason for not rating Yvain: The Knight of the Lion with five stars being and as already mentioned above that I really do wish M.T. Anderson would also present the original Middle French epic, that Chretien de Troyes original Middle French verses for Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion could also be included in Yvain: The Knight of the Lion. But finally, I do have to leave the necessary caveat that because Yvain: The Knight of the Lion is set in the Middle Ages and is obviously meant to be a rather faithful and historically, culturally authentic retelling of Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion, the presented characters (both male and female) thus quite slavishly adhere both textually and also visually to the entrenched gender stereotypes typical of the times, which I personally do appreciate and am very glad of (as modernised regarding gender concepts for Yvain: The Knight of the Lion would hugely annoy and frustrate me and not feel realistic, would not be showing and telling the truth), but that yes indeed, some readers might well not want to consider Yvain: The Knight of the Lion and deal with the stereotyping and strict gender divisions and stratification, historical and cultural authenticity notwithstanding.
Now as someone familiar with Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion, which I read and enjoyed at university for an undergraduate level course about Mediaeval French Literature, textually speaking, Yvain: The Knight of the Lion is in my humble opinion totally and gloriously spot-on and delightfully authentic feeling, with Anderson's presented narrative reading true to Chretien de Troyes original storyline not just with regard to contents and thematics but also according to intonation, syntax, and that the verbal imagery presented by M.T. Anderson in Yvain: The Knight of the Lion also and wonderfully shows the irony and the lack of chivalry that tends to quite dominate de Troyes' Arthurian epics (such as for example, knights battling for honour and glory but ignoring the potential for real heartbreak this can and does cause, how King Arthur and Queen Guinevere are not all that that shiningly heroic but manipulative and even cowardly, not to mention that Yvain’s descent into madness in Yvain: The Knight of the Lion is described, has been penned by Anderson in a way that very nicely and authentically mirrors the way in which the original text of Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion is constructed).
And yes, Andrea Offermann's artwork for Yvain: The Knight of the Lion is as aesthetically stunning as M.T. Anderson's penmanship, with her pictures resembling Mediaeval tapestry, allusions to calligraphic fonts, and showing a colour palette that evokes a delightful visual sense of the distant past, so that Offermann's depicted demons and Yvain's lion companion look like they have come right out of ancient manuscripts, showing stylised pictures that very nicely mirror Anderson's text but also do not visually overwhelm the written word, and which some graphic novels do unfortunately have the tendency to feature, and that I personally sure am glad that with Yvain: The Knight of the Lion, Andrea Offermann generally refrains from this, that her pictures work with what Anderson writes but do not visually overtake and supersede his storytelling, resulting in a wonderful and delightful combination of text and images for Yvain: The Knight of the Lion, and action-packed and intriguing, interesting reading experience that is both verbally and visually wonderful (as well as really and truly gloriously Mediaeval).
Four stars for Yvain: The Knight of the Lion, and with my main reason for not rating Yvain: The Knight of the Lion with five stars being and as already mentioned above that I really do wish M.T. Anderson would also present the original Middle French epic, that Chretien de Troyes original Middle French verses for Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion could also be included in Yvain: The Knight of the Lion. But finally, I do have to leave the necessary caveat that because Yvain: The Knight of the Lion is set in the Middle Ages and is obviously meant to be a rather faithful and historically, culturally authentic retelling of Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion, the presented characters (both male and female) thus quite slavishly adhere both textually and also visually to the entrenched gender stereotypes typical of the times, which I personally do appreciate and am very glad of (as modernised regarding gender concepts for Yvain: The Knight of the Lion would hugely annoy and frustrate me and not feel realistic, would not be showing and telling the truth), but that yes indeed, some readers might well not want to consider Yvain: The Knight of the Lion and deal with the stereotyping and strict gender divisions and stratification, historical and cultural authenticity notwithstanding.
August 9, 2017
Medieval romances are very bizarre. I say this having dearly loved my medieval literature classes in college; I wrote my first major research paper on the Lay of Sir Launfal. Also, I was a King Arthur junkie as a child; I designed an elaborate game with my friends in which we all pretended to be Arthurian characters reincarnated as teens (I was a sulky Morgan La Fay). So I have a long-standing appreciation for the legends of the Round Table. Additionally, Anderson is one of my favorites; Octavian Nothing was such a harrowing and brilliant book, and the ironic parody of Feed is only exceeded by the poignant desire for connection that it expresses.
But there is something for me that doesn't fit between the cinematic art--though absolutely gorgeous--with its emphasis on close-ups and psychic depth, and the romance-like story-telling, which hinges on inexplicable decisions and mythic encounters. In other words, it feels strange to apply the emphasis on interiority in the lines of these tortured faces to a story that is based in a dream world of exteriors: women imprisoned and sewing for half-demons, a knight encountered by a weather-stone, a lion who discovers a new master. All of the art was beautiful, but its emphasis on close-ups and kinetics felt wrong for me in the context of a romance that is ultimately about ethical failures and apparently disjointed quests. That being said, I loved that the artist used tapestries for story-telling and scene-setting, and sometimes even to anticipate events; the tapestries, even when they were jokey and postmodern, still felt more of a piece with the writing.
Anderson tries to stay fairly faithful to Chretien de Troyes, which means there's not much editorializing, but I do sense his sly humor in certain asides about the lion being an unwelcome houseguest and a weather-stone that can be tampered with by any passerby as an inconvenient form of climate control. His afterword is fantastic, and I love that he draws out Troyes' subtle court satire and also that this "romance," in spite of the contemporary implications of the name, ends with a woman still furious, yet forced for the sake of her kingdom to make certain compromises. Anderson's feminism drew him to a story of two wily woman and a surprising dopey and self-centered knight, and I like his interpretation in the afterword that what seems like a moral reformation may not be so complete. I wish he had been a member of the class in my college medieval literature courses; I think we would have loved talking about romance and irony.
Very enjoyable and beautiful; I feel like I'm being too picky giving it three stars rather than four.
But there is something for me that doesn't fit between the cinematic art--though absolutely gorgeous--with its emphasis on close-ups and psychic depth, and the romance-like story-telling, which hinges on inexplicable decisions and mythic encounters. In other words, it feels strange to apply the emphasis on interiority in the lines of these tortured faces to a story that is based in a dream world of exteriors: women imprisoned and sewing for half-demons, a knight encountered by a weather-stone, a lion who discovers a new master. All of the art was beautiful, but its emphasis on close-ups and kinetics felt wrong for me in the context of a romance that is ultimately about ethical failures and apparently disjointed quests. That being said, I loved that the artist used tapestries for story-telling and scene-setting, and sometimes even to anticipate events; the tapestries, even when they were jokey and postmodern, still felt more of a piece with the writing.
Anderson tries to stay fairly faithful to Chretien de Troyes, which means there's not much editorializing, but I do sense his sly humor in certain asides about the lion being an unwelcome houseguest and a weather-stone that can be tampered with by any passerby as an inconvenient form of climate control. His afterword is fantastic, and I love that he draws out Troyes' subtle court satire and also that this "romance," in spite of the contemporary implications of the name, ends with a woman still furious, yet forced for the sake of her kingdom to make certain compromises. Anderson's feminism drew him to a story of two wily woman and a surprising dopey and self-centered knight, and I like his interpretation in the afterword that what seems like a moral reformation may not be so complete. I wish he had been a member of the class in my college medieval literature courses; I think we would have loved talking about romance and irony.
Very enjoyable and beautiful; I feel like I'm being too picky giving it three stars rather than four.
March 14, 2017
Hardly the most engaging story, but it certainly does what it sets out to do. It seems that what Anderson found interesting in the story is that the female characters are allowed to have a certain amount of (still very limited) agency, and to express reactions that are entirely at odds with the expectations of the supposed hero character and with audience expectations. That the female love interest's reaction to being "won" by the hero can basically be summed up as "FML" is more than a little out of the ordinary, even compared to modern books. Not quite enough to save the book for me, though.
April 10, 2017
I really enjoyed this Arthurian tale- one I hadn't yet read. Yvain falls insta-love with a Lady after killing her husband (the middle ages, people), and spends most of the book screwing up, then trying to make up for hurting her (because she marries him even though she pretty much hates him). Yvain has many adventures and seems to mature and become a true Knight in Shining Armor (although despite all that he never seems to wise up to how much his wife is only with him because of her honor and not any real affection). Great graphics, and the author's reasoning for choosing this tale were definitely interesting!
January 5, 2017
Interesting Arthurian tale. Artwork was pretty great but sometimes rough.
January 14, 2019
I'm not typically interested in Arthurian stuff but I'm trying to complete my readthrough of the works of M.T. Anderson. Sooo I wasn't too surprised to find this super weird and funny (and apparently based on translations from the French that Anderson did himself?? why is he so good at everything??? what's his deal??)
Like everything else he writes I think this is kind of a hard sell to most teens but I think if you can get it into the hands of people who like high fantasy stuff (and obv people who love Arthurian stuff specifically, which I know many do!) this will find some fans.
Like everything else he writes I think this is kind of a hard sell to most teens but I think if you can get it into the hands of people who like high fantasy stuff (and obv people who love Arthurian stuff specifically, which I know many do!) this will find some fans.
April 7, 2017
A superbly told and illustrated graphic adaptation of Chrétien de Troyes's medieval Arthurian legend. Anderson's text is clever, nuanced, and especially perceptive in rendering a feminist subtext. Andrea Offermann's elegant illustrations are appropriately dramatic, emotional and magical. A compelling, stylish retelling of Arthurian lore.
July 4, 2021
This feels fresher than most 12th century works. Don't know how much is due to the adaptation. The original might bore me. Maybe it helps that lots of the story is told visually rather than through long text. Nice art, though some layouts were confusing.
February 24, 2023
Kiitos ritariromanssit -kurssi tästä lukukokemuksesta. Kyllä mä menisin naimisiin miehen kanssa, joka tappais mun aviomiehen siks, että olisin vapaa. Keskiajan Andrew Tate -fantasiat!!!! <3333
November 7, 2019
-The art was alright
-Super unhealthy romance
-Cool lion
-Super unhealthy romance
-Cool lion
January 1, 2021
I am a medievalist at heart, and I especially love the stories about King Arthur and the knights of the round table. So, I was pretty excited to see this retelling based on Chrétien de Troyes Yvain story by M. T. Anderson and in graphic form to boot. Essentially, it is a story about vengeance, love, and redemption, with a lot of action in between.
The tale begins when a young knight, Sir Calogrenant, returns to King Arthur's court beaten and defeated. He tells the court how he can upon a fountain with a magical stone which, when water is poured on it, promises plenty of adventure. He is immediately confronted by another knight claiming Calogrenant has attacked his domain by drenching the stone. The two men joust and Calogrenant loses, limping home weak and wounded.
It is his cousin Yvain who vows to avenge him, traveling to the fountain, pouring water on the stone, and jousting with the same knight, Sir Esclados, who attacked Calogrenant. When Sir Esclados dies from his wounds, his widow, Laudine, wants Yvain found and killed. But Yvain is already in her castle, and seeks the help of Lunette, handmaid to Laudine. However, as soon as he sees Laudine, he falls in love with her, and now wants Lunette to help him with her over. Which she does, and Yvain and Laudine are soon married.
But it doesn't take long for Yvain to want to go off with King Arthur and Gawain to prove his valor to Laudine through jousting and feats of arms. Laudine agrees, but tells Yvain he must be back in one year or her love will turn to hate. True to her word, when the allotted year ends and Yvain isn't back yet, Laudine's love becomes bitter hate and she refuses to forgive Yvain.
Dejected, out of his mind with rage and self-hate, Yvain leaves, becoming a hermit. When he saves a lion from a violent attack, the lion becomes his faithful companion. When Yvain discovers that Lunette is about to he put to death for advising Laudine to marry him, and who now feels betrayed by Lunette. Yvain promises to be her champion and defeat three of Laudine's courtiers to save Lunette from death. But can Yvain redeem himself and become the knight he once was, even winning back Laudine's love?
More sophisticated than most graphic novels, both Anderson and Offermann have captured the real essence of the medieval courtly romance. Originally, these were adventure stories told for entertainment in aristocratic court circles about knights going out on quests in search of adventure, often for the love of a lady. And that is just what happens in this interpretation of the Yvain story. But it is so much more than that. The original knight errant story focuses on the knight - everyone else is there only as extensions to his questing. Anderson has highlighted both Laudine and Lunette as strong women in their own right, they are more than just there to put a spotlight on Yvain. Even Yvain's lion has a personality and part of his own.
This is such a beautiful interpretation of the Yvain story. Anderson does stick to the basic Chrétien story - avenging his cousin's defeat, falling in love with and marrying Laudine, even unknowingly jousting Gawain, then being persuaded to go off on a year of adventuring after much goading on Gawain's part, going mad when she rejects Yvain, rescuing a lion and deciding to win back Laudine. It's all there but with a new sensibility.
Originally, knights didn't much care about anyone but themselves. Even the ladies they adventured and fought for were only there as beautiful objects, not because of any real love or loyalty. Anderson's Yvain begins the same way - a knight seeking glory for himself. Yvain gets a real wakeup call when he is rejected by Laudine, never really expecting that ignoring her request to return at the end of a year would have such serious consequences. Laudine is a woman with political power, feelings and emotions, and apparently capable of real anger, all on display here.
As much as I always loved Medieval literature, my favorite was always Parsifal because you can see his growth from a flawed boy who doesn't understand what it means to be a knight to an man who does. In a way, that is the Yvain that Anderson gives us. Already a knight of the Round Table, he too is a flawed character, still having much to learn about love and loyalty. And unlike the original Arthurian tales, in this version, Yvain doesn't always win his jousting adventures.
Anderson does, indeed, give us a wonderful, energetic retelling of Yvain, and Andrea Offermann's graphic art is quite simply spectacular. She apparently spent a lot of time studying medieval tapestries and each panel felt to me like an illuminated manuscript from that time. Many of the spreads are wordless, and though they are sometimes a bit violent and grisly, they easily move the story forward.
Yvain: the Knight of the Lion is an excellent book for anyone interested in Medieval literature, Arthurian tales, adventure stories, or graphic novels.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley, but it was so wonderful, I bought my own copy of it for my personal library.
The tale begins when a young knight, Sir Calogrenant, returns to King Arthur's court beaten and defeated. He tells the court how he can upon a fountain with a magical stone which, when water is poured on it, promises plenty of adventure. He is immediately confronted by another knight claiming Calogrenant has attacked his domain by drenching the stone. The two men joust and Calogrenant loses, limping home weak and wounded.
It is his cousin Yvain who vows to avenge him, traveling to the fountain, pouring water on the stone, and jousting with the same knight, Sir Esclados, who attacked Calogrenant. When Sir Esclados dies from his wounds, his widow, Laudine, wants Yvain found and killed. But Yvain is already in her castle, and seeks the help of Lunette, handmaid to Laudine. However, as soon as he sees Laudine, he falls in love with her, and now wants Lunette to help him with her over. Which she does, and Yvain and Laudine are soon married.
But it doesn't take long for Yvain to want to go off with King Arthur and Gawain to prove his valor to Laudine through jousting and feats of arms. Laudine agrees, but tells Yvain he must be back in one year or her love will turn to hate. True to her word, when the allotted year ends and Yvain isn't back yet, Laudine's love becomes bitter hate and she refuses to forgive Yvain.
Dejected, out of his mind with rage and self-hate, Yvain leaves, becoming a hermit. When he saves a lion from a violent attack, the lion becomes his faithful companion. When Yvain discovers that Lunette is about to he put to death for advising Laudine to marry him, and who now feels betrayed by Lunette. Yvain promises to be her champion and defeat three of Laudine's courtiers to save Lunette from death. But can Yvain redeem himself and become the knight he once was, even winning back Laudine's love?
More sophisticated than most graphic novels, both Anderson and Offermann have captured the real essence of the medieval courtly romance. Originally, these were adventure stories told for entertainment in aristocratic court circles about knights going out on quests in search of adventure, often for the love of a lady. And that is just what happens in this interpretation of the Yvain story. But it is so much more than that. The original knight errant story focuses on the knight - everyone else is there only as extensions to his questing. Anderson has highlighted both Laudine and Lunette as strong women in their own right, they are more than just there to put a spotlight on Yvain. Even Yvain's lion has a personality and part of his own.
This is such a beautiful interpretation of the Yvain story. Anderson does stick to the basic Chrétien story - avenging his cousin's defeat, falling in love with and marrying Laudine, even unknowingly jousting Gawain, then being persuaded to go off on a year of adventuring after much goading on Gawain's part, going mad when she rejects Yvain, rescuing a lion and deciding to win back Laudine. It's all there but with a new sensibility.
Originally, knights didn't much care about anyone but themselves. Even the ladies they adventured and fought for were only there as beautiful objects, not because of any real love or loyalty. Anderson's Yvain begins the same way - a knight seeking glory for himself. Yvain gets a real wakeup call when he is rejected by Laudine, never really expecting that ignoring her request to return at the end of a year would have such serious consequences. Laudine is a woman with political power, feelings and emotions, and apparently capable of real anger, all on display here.
As much as I always loved Medieval literature, my favorite was always Parsifal because you can see his growth from a flawed boy who doesn't understand what it means to be a knight to an man who does. In a way, that is the Yvain that Anderson gives us. Already a knight of the Round Table, he too is a flawed character, still having much to learn about love and loyalty. And unlike the original Arthurian tales, in this version, Yvain doesn't always win his jousting adventures.
Anderson does, indeed, give us a wonderful, energetic retelling of Yvain, and Andrea Offermann's graphic art is quite simply spectacular. She apparently spent a lot of time studying medieval tapestries and each panel felt to me like an illuminated manuscript from that time. Many of the spreads are wordless, and though they are sometimes a bit violent and grisly, they easily move the story forward.
Yvain: the Knight of the Lion is an excellent book for anyone interested in Medieval literature, Arthurian tales, adventure stories, or graphic novels.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley, but it was so wonderful, I bought my own copy of it for my personal library.
August 24, 2017
A solid graphic novelization of the old Arthurian tale. (side note the amount of blood being drawn by broad swords hitting chain mail kind of drove me crazy, but I worry about stupid details too much)
June 9, 2017
While the illustrations are beautiful, I simply could not get behind this story. I know it's based on epic poetry from a different time, but the glorification of violence and what is essentially trial by murder just made me ill. I think this is a case of something that works in one medium not working in another. When you have to look at the protaginist take up a ridiculous duel, cleave his sword into the other guys skull, and then claim to have fallen in love with his widdow all in a few short pages, well, it's just not plausible. So nope.
February 4, 2017
Read an advanced copy through Netgalley.
I was really pleased with this adaptation. I've never had a strong background in Arthurian lore, so I was pretty much able to just enjoy the story. The author and illustrator notes made all the difference in the world .
I was really pleased with this adaptation. I've never had a strong background in Arthurian lore, so I was pretty much able to just enjoy the story. The author and illustrator notes made all the difference in the world .
March 29, 2017
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I liked the flow of the graphics, but I did not enjoy the story. The women in here really get the short end of the stick, and it was hard to read about one of the main characters forced into an arrangement that made her miserable. Yvain himself is blindly self centered and oblivious to other people's feelings.
Not really for me.
I liked the flow of the graphics, but I did not enjoy the story. The women in here really get the short end of the stick, and it was hard to read about one of the main characters forced into an arrangement that made her miserable. Yvain himself is blindly self centered and oblivious to other people's feelings.
Not really for me.
July 3, 2017
While I enjoyed the art style and the visual aspect of the page, the story was less than engaging. I was struck by the combined feminism and lack thereof - while the story revolves around the women in Arthurian legend, the limited agency of those women was noticeable.
January 1, 2017
graphic rendering of Chretien de Troyes "Yvain."
July 18, 2017
Arthurian romances and postmodernism seem to have a lot in common--the first can feel very amoral in its depictions of its heroes, who have an untidy penchant for cutting off people's heads, and the second likes to blur the line between hero and villain, right and wrong. So it is with M.T. Anderson's retelling of Chrétien de Troyes' story of Yvain.
Part of the opening narration warns us to expect irony, "There was once an age when love was honorable. Or so I've heard." What follows is a tale of adventure--if by adventure you mean random violence and shifting loyalties-- and love--if by love you mean instant passion that is inexplicable, consuming, and really dull. (But I think that's probably intentional.)
Yvain sets off to avenge a cousin and kills the lord of a castle. While hiding in the castle, he is aided by the handmaid Lunette. But upon seeing the newly widowed lady of the castle, Laudine, Yvain falls immediately in love with her, despite her hatred of him and grief for her husband. Desperate to protect her people, Laudine finds herself forced to accept Yvain's help.
Yvain is the least interesting character in the book. The women are more memorable, including the shallow and careless Guinevere, the beleaguered Laudine, who looks like she'd rather swap roles with Lady Macbeth than be in a love story, and the oft-ignored and never thanked Lunette, who is either inscrutable or incredibly flat, I can't decide which. Lunette clearly loves Yvain, but in the first act whether her actions are intending to help or hurt him becomes murky. And then, in the second act, she seems to lose all her character and resort to the trope of . And in the third act. . .yeah, I still don't know. I suppose her role
It's been a while since I've read any Chrétien de Troyes, so I'm not sure how closely this hews to the source material, but my guess is the plot is fairly close but our attitudes to characters might be a bit different. If only I could figure out what our attitude to the characters is supposed to be. But I guess that's postmodern romance for you. (Though, if I had to guess, I think the main message was that )
Side note: this book has some fairly violent content, including . But at least
____
Update: I purposely didn't read the author's note in the back or other reviews until I finished the book. Most of the text comes directly from the source material, which is interesting, but doesn't necessarily mean the emphasis is the same as in the original. The author's note and reviews focus on the role and problems of women in the medieval world. There are definitely texts from the medieval period that read as feminist today, but it's also hard not to read them with our own attitudes in place. I believe Anderson that the original is "in many way the poem is about a confrontation between the world of women and the world of men . . . a chivalric contest, as it were, between romance and bromance." I just wish in his version the male characters had a little more depth and nuance to them. Otherwise, it's like the sympathetic female characters are titling at straw men. Kudos for creating a book that isn't crystal clear, but with a more balanced character distribution it could have been so much more.
Also, side rant: This story is based on Arthurian romance, not epic. An epic is a different genre altogether. I kept grimacing every time the world "epic" came up in the description, reviews, and author's notes. By all means, adapt medieval and ancient works. They are fascinating. But please know what sort of thing you are adapting!
Part of the opening narration warns us to expect irony, "There was once an age when love was honorable. Or so I've heard." What follows is a tale of adventure--if by adventure you mean random violence and shifting loyalties-- and love--if by love you mean instant passion that is inexplicable, consuming, and really dull. (But I think that's probably intentional.)
Yvain sets off to avenge a cousin and kills the lord of a castle. While hiding in the castle, he is aided by the handmaid Lunette. But upon seeing the newly widowed lady of the castle, Laudine, Yvain falls immediately in love with her, despite her hatred of him and grief for her husband. Desperate to protect her people, Laudine finds herself forced to accept Yvain's help.
Yvain is the least interesting character in the book. The women are more memorable, including the shallow and careless Guinevere, the beleaguered Laudine, who looks like she'd rather swap roles with Lady Macbeth than be in a love story, and the oft-ignored and never thanked Lunette, who is either inscrutable or incredibly flat, I can't decide which. Lunette clearly loves Yvain, but in the first act whether her actions are intending to help or hurt him becomes murky. And then, in the second act, she seems to lose all her character and resort to the trope of . And in the third act. . .yeah, I still don't know. I suppose her role
It's been a while since I've read any Chrétien de Troyes, so I'm not sure how closely this hews to the source material, but my guess is the plot is fairly close but our attitudes to characters might be a bit different. If only I could figure out what our attitude to the characters is supposed to be. But I guess that's postmodern romance for you. (Though, if I had to guess, I think the main message was that )
Side note: this book has some fairly violent content, including . But at least
____
Update: I purposely didn't read the author's note in the back or other reviews until I finished the book. Most of the text comes directly from the source material, which is interesting, but doesn't necessarily mean the emphasis is the same as in the original. The author's note and reviews focus on the role and problems of women in the medieval world. There are definitely texts from the medieval period that read as feminist today, but it's also hard not to read them with our own attitudes in place. I believe Anderson that the original is "in many way the poem is about a confrontation between the world of women and the world of men . . . a chivalric contest, as it were, between romance and bromance." I just wish in his version the male characters had a little more depth and nuance to them. Otherwise, it's like the sympathetic female characters are titling at straw men. Kudos for creating a book that isn't crystal clear, but with a more balanced character distribution it could have been so much more.
Also, side rant: This story is based on Arthurian romance, not epic. An epic is a different genre altogether. I kept grimacing every time the world "epic" came up in the description, reviews, and author's notes. By all means, adapt medieval and ancient works. They are fascinating. But please know what sort of thing you are adapting!
April 2, 2025
I usually skip fiction based on King Arthur because it's male-centered and utterly filled with misogyny, even when a woman is writing it. (see: Marion Zimmer Bradley who was an "alleged" sexual predator lesbian that wrote Mists of Avalon, a suffer p*rn series where the female cast lived miserable lives. tldr) I picked this book up because The Bog Wife specifically mentioned this story as a man messing up early on and then spending the rest of the story basically apologizing to his lady, which the young female character really liked. And, oh, boy as an older and wiser woman I can tell you that is not really what is going on.
I'm not going to use spoiler tags because this story is really freaking old and Anderson was interpreting it in modern graphic novel form, not re-writing it to be something better (which is why it's such a sh*t story).
So the basic premise is that there's this land that will be absolutely ravaged by terrible storms if some jerk pours water onto a rock. For no reasons given, this rock isn't guarded, but once you've picked the fight the lord of the land comes out and rightfully kicks your butt for attacking his people/lands. After Yvain's cousin starts sh*t and is appropriately chastised, Yvain decides tohave an adventure avenge his poor, sweet cousin. He rides over, pours water on the rock instead of...I don't know...riding up to the castle and having a conversation?...and then kills the lord. Justice!
The people pick up their dead lord and return to the castle to mourn. Yvain follows after, sneaks into the castle, and runs into some Pick Me sorceress chick who decides to help him do whatever because he was nice to her when she visited King Arthur's court. She makes him invisible and he runs around the castle being a creep and falls in love with the dead lord's wife. Pick Me convinces the widow that the only way she can protect her people is by marrying the only man strong enough to defeat her husband: Yvain! Great advise, right?...who wouldn't fall in love with their husband's murderer, am I right, ladies? The strength of the "sword" is all that matters.
But are Yvain's frat boy days over now that he's married? No! He wants to go hang with the circle jerk boys toprove that marriage hasn't changed him win honors so that his wife will keep loving him. The widow uses her words: "I grant you permission to leave, but there's a time limit: one year to the day. Understand? If you come back after that, my love will absolutely turn to hate." So of course long after he's missed the date, she sends a lady to Arthur's court to let him know he can continue to not come home for all time.
Poor Yvain! Since going home and apologizing isn't dramatic enough, he runs off to the woods to wish he were dead and wallow in poor hygiene. Eventually he rescues a lion from a dragon and through the power of their non-verbal friendship, Yvain re-acquires the personal grooming skill set! Newly armored (and disguised!) from the dead's leftovers, the "Knight of the Lion" begins sulking on the outskirts of the widow's lands and runs into Pick Me who is one day away from being burned alive for the crime of convincing her lady to act against her own best interests. He promises to be her champion at noon the next day, but runs into people who need help against a giant and agrees to help them first even though he might not survive doing so or get to Pick Me's trial in time. Luckily, plot armor is on his side so he both defeats the giant and still makes the deadline to save Pick Me, thus proving that he can be on time when he wants to. Not wanting to receive his wife's effusive thanks for saving the person she wanted dead, Yvain keeps his helmet on and leaves.
Next we have an inheritance case in Arthur's court where one sister is trying to claim her family's entire inheritance and leave her sister with nothing. Instead of making a decision based on facts or mercy, Arthur decides he wants to see some man on man action instead and tells her to find a champion like our lion adjacent dude. Yvain accepts the sister's quest and on their way back they stop at a sus castle where the enslaved female inhabitants weave/embroider all day. Yvain kills the demons keeping the status quo and then tells the women to go to his ex's home and she'll help them. Because taking in (yes, skilled) refugees with no prior warning is, like, totally cool and easy to do and doesn't take any amount of effort compared to fighting a few demons with your lion. Plus, of course he can pledge her efforts because, duh, that's what estranged spouses are for! Finally, the resolution of the inheritance bit leaves Yvain's identity as the Knight of the Lion revealed so now it's time to slink home and beg for forgiveness. Kinda feels like the unjustifiable return of Louis C. K.'s career, right?
Instead of riding up to the gate, Yvain dumps water on the special rock, triggering the very disaster the widow married him to prevent1. Pick Me somehow has gained the widow's ear again and convinces her that if she vows to help the Knight of the Lion regain his beloved's pardon he'll become the new rock-defending champion. Upon making her vow in front of the court, Yvain reveals himself as the Knight of the Lion. His wife is forced to keep her word and "forgive him" and all is well for Yvain. The panel where he grabs her up in his arms makes every muscle in my body clench in protest. It is literally followed by a panel where she is weeping. Wow, what a happy ending. For the man. Who only did whatever he wanted and still got what he wanted.
1 Funny how the story never explains how they managed during his long absence. Like...what good is a champion who is not around championing? Product did not perform as advertised.
I just...why. WHYYYYYYYY *scream into a void that does not end*
I'm not going to use spoiler tags because this story is really freaking old and Anderson was interpreting it in modern graphic novel form, not re-writing it to be something better (which is why it's such a sh*t story).
So the basic premise is that there's this land that will be absolutely ravaged by terrible storms if some jerk pours water onto a rock. For no reasons given, this rock isn't guarded, but once you've picked the fight the lord of the land comes out and rightfully kicks your butt for attacking his people/lands. After Yvain's cousin starts sh*t and is appropriately chastised, Yvain decides to
The people pick up their dead lord and return to the castle to mourn. Yvain follows after, sneaks into the castle, and runs into some Pick Me sorceress chick who decides to help him do whatever because he was nice to her when she visited King Arthur's court. She makes him invisible and he runs around the castle being a creep and falls in love with the dead lord's wife. Pick Me convinces the widow that the only way she can protect her people is by marrying the only man strong enough to defeat her husband: Yvain! Great advise, right?...who wouldn't fall in love with their husband's murderer, am I right, ladies? The strength of the "sword" is all that matters.
But are Yvain's frat boy days over now that he's married? No! He wants to go hang with the circle jerk boys to
Poor Yvain! Since going home and apologizing isn't dramatic enough, he runs off to the woods to wish he were dead and wallow in poor hygiene. Eventually he rescues a lion from a dragon and through the power of their non-verbal friendship, Yvain re-acquires the personal grooming skill set! Newly armored (and disguised!) from the dead's leftovers, the "Knight of the Lion" begins sulking on the outskirts of the widow's lands and runs into Pick Me who is one day away from being burned alive for the crime of convincing her lady to act against her own best interests. He promises to be her champion at noon the next day, but runs into people who need help against a giant and agrees to help them first even though he might not survive doing so or get to Pick Me's trial in time. Luckily, plot armor is on his side so he both defeats the giant and still makes the deadline to save Pick Me, thus proving that he can be on time when he wants to. Not wanting to receive his wife's effusive thanks for saving the person she wanted dead, Yvain keeps his helmet on and leaves.
Next we have an inheritance case in Arthur's court where one sister is trying to claim her family's entire inheritance and leave her sister with nothing. Instead of making a decision based on facts or mercy, Arthur decides he wants to see some man on man action instead and tells her to find a champion like our lion adjacent dude. Yvain accepts the sister's quest and on their way back they stop at a sus castle where the enslaved female inhabitants weave/embroider all day. Yvain kills the demons keeping the status quo and then tells the women to go to his ex's home and she'll help them. Because taking in (yes, skilled) refugees with no prior warning is, like, totally cool and easy to do and doesn't take any amount of effort compared to fighting a few demons with your lion. Plus, of course he can pledge her efforts because, duh, that's what estranged spouses are for! Finally, the resolution of the inheritance bit leaves Yvain's identity as the Knight of the Lion revealed so now it's time to slink home and beg for forgiveness. Kinda feels like the unjustifiable return of Louis C. K.'s career, right?
Instead of riding up to the gate, Yvain dumps water on the special rock, triggering the very disaster the widow married him to prevent1. Pick Me somehow has gained the widow's ear again and convinces her that if she vows to help the Knight of the Lion regain his beloved's pardon he'll become the new rock-defending champion. Upon making her vow in front of the court, Yvain reveals himself as the Knight of the Lion. His wife is forced to keep her word and "forgive him" and all is well for Yvain. The panel where he grabs her up in his arms makes every muscle in my body clench in protest. It is literally followed by a panel where she is weeping. Wow, what a happy ending. For the man. Who only did whatever he wanted and still got what he wanted.
1 Funny how the story never explains how they managed during his long absence. Like...what good is a champion who is not around championing? Product did not perform as advertised.
I just...why. WHYYYYYYYY *scream into a void that does not end*
May 23, 2017
Initial Thoughts: I'm very excited there's a mainstream, YA version of "The Knight with the Lion." Medieval stories don't always get this chance for publicity. However, I think my familiarity with the story allowed me to fill in parts that may not be immediately clear to first time readers, particularly when the creators relied on solely the art to convey swaths of the plot. I'm also a bit disgruntled with some of the changes the authors made to the story. I understand it probably streamlined things (the original story is on the longer side and sometimes a bit convoluted), but they made changes which significantly altered the themes Chretien was trying to address in the original tale, which is disappointing. Not a bad place to start, but I think readers should should probably read the original in conjunction with this.
April 5, 2017
3.5 stars
I love M. T. Anderson's work. I wasn't familiar with the Yvain legend. It's a great vehicle for teens to explore the social mores of the time. How the people interpreted Christianity and honor and valor. I loved how the story exposed the restricted but potentially powerful role of women acting behind the scenes and behind the men. I love that the story honestly shows Lady Laudine's exploitation as she's forced to accept a man she despises, who murdered her first husband and abandoned her to go gallivanting around the jousting circuits.
Beautiful, sometimes humorous and often bloody illustrations (poor horsey). Realistic, ironic, and moving.
I love M. T. Anderson's work. I wasn't familiar with the Yvain legend. It's a great vehicle for teens to explore the social mores of the time. How the people interpreted Christianity and honor and valor. I loved how the story exposed the restricted but potentially powerful role of women acting behind the scenes and behind the men. I love that the story honestly shows Lady Laudine's exploitation as she's forced to accept a man she despises, who murdered her first husband and abandoned her to go gallivanting around the jousting circuits.
Beautiful, sometimes humorous and often bloody illustrations (poor horsey). Realistic, ironic, and moving.
August 21, 2021
I am not familiar with Chrétien's Arthurian works - I am more familiar with Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. I deeply enjoyed learning about Arthurian literature in college and Anderson's retelling of Yvain does follow most traditional Arthurian literature (that I've read anyway - I'm no expert). I think it's a really good retelling and the art style is perfect for the subject. I've read Anderson's Symphony for the City of the Dead and really enjoyed that as well. I will have to check out more of Anderson's works.
November 27, 2017
This GN version of the twelfth Century Arthurian Yvain legend raises questions about the nature of heroism, the battle between good and evil, and the role revenge plays in our lives. I found reading it in our current political environment compelling. “There are many secret chambers in our hearts where love can hide and many battlements where hate can stand, watching for enemies.” Perhaps we need to watch for Love a little more and watch for Hate a little less.
October 22, 2018
An excellent interpretation of Arthurian myth. Andrea Offerman's artwork is spectacular! The story itself is unsettling, like many of the Arthurian tales, and its characters are simultaneously brave and foolhardy, kind and conniving. The author's note from Anderson does much to illuminate some of the contradictory messages in the text, and Offerman's illustrators note adds valuable historical context as well.
October 12, 2020
Striking is the word that comes to mind. The hurricaine-like movement of the artwork, the startling graphic violence, enormous passions, and awesome jousting. I love Arthurian legends, and I like that this story is of the type that doesn't try to prettify it but keeps the hyperbole of the stories alive.
I have heard of Gawain, Galahad, Persival, Lancelot, but Yvain was a new one. I like that it's a bit like the myths of Greek heroes, with ridiculous but fatal flaws, women who steel themselves against men's fuckery, and the constant tention between heroism and relationships. The dramatics are over the top but the emotions portrayed are strong and real, and the ending is understated for the enormity of what happens. I didn't start out liking this book at all, especially after something horrific happens to an animal, but I stayed on and I'm grimly happy that I did. This is how medieval/modern stories should be told.
I have heard of Gawain, Galahad, Persival, Lancelot, but Yvain was a new one. I like that it's a bit like the myths of Greek heroes, with ridiculous but fatal flaws, women who steel themselves against men's fuckery, and the constant tention between heroism and relationships. The dramatics are over the top but the emotions portrayed are strong and real, and the ending is understated for the enormity of what happens. I didn't start out liking this book at all, especially after something horrific happens to an animal, but I stayed on and I'm grimly happy that I did. This is how medieval/modern stories should be told.
October 11, 2022
The story of one of King Arthur's knights. As with classic Arthurian myths, swearing oaths and courtly love cause a lot of trouble. The writing is fine (I never would've suspected this was by Anderson) and the art is sometimes good and sometimes carelessly & casually scratched in.
April 1, 2017
I am a new comer to graphic novels but I think I have found my favorite sub genre in it. The historical graphic novels.
April 27, 2017
Enjoyed the story, didn't love the art. It was pretty, but the text balloons didn't really go and I'm not sure what could have been done about it.
June 1, 2018
Sir Yvain, as a knight of the Round Table, demonstrates bravery and purpose. He often takes on challenges, like fighting a giant and demons, for other people, because it is his purpose to serve.
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