Three Arthurian Romances: Poems from Medieval France: Caradoc; The Knight with the Sword; The Perilous Graveyard

by Anonymous (Translator), Ross Gilbert Arthur (Translator)

Poems which challenge modern readers to redefine their ideas about medieval romances and the society which produced them

The poems of the Middle Ages reveal an unexpected world of villains whose barbarity is almost modern, and heroes who battle evil with impure intentions. Rather than stories of knights embodying lofty values and inventing ethereal symbols, medieval Arthurian romances are more likely to praise the knights' ability to increase his own prestige, and to contain fantastic symbols and episodes relating to less spiritual values.

In The Perilous Graveyard a self-absorbed Sir Gawain is inspired more by his desire to preserve his own reputation than by abstract concerns of justice: in The Knight of with the Sword a father offers his daughter to any passing knight while plotting the destruction of the man who accepts her. And in Caradoc, sexual jealousy and family violence are only partially resolved in a climactic scene of seduction.

A unique selection of new prose translations, with introduction, notes and bibliography

Cover Illustration: Sir Perceval is tempted by a Damsel - Gaultier Map

Genres: Arthurian, Mythology, Medieval, Poetry

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 1996

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

As anyone who has studied medieval literature can tell you, we should be careful about bringing our own tastes and morals to the literature because it was a different time period after all. They didn't, so we are told, feel or see rape the same way.

But after reading things like the first two poems in this collection I wonder.

Caradoc, the first story, is one that will kill any woman's desire to read any more medieval romances about Arthur. A shame really, considering there are some really good ones out there. You see, Caradoc's mother gets enchanted so she sleeps with the wizard who makes her husband sleep with various animals.

So she's raped.

And that makes her a slut, so when her son finds out about his true parentage he tells her husband, makes her get locked up in a tower where the only one who remembers her is her rapist.

And yet I wonder about that whole acceptance thing because we have, we know this, like de Pizan who wrote in reaction to works like this. And even de France's romances are different.

Hell, Gawain and the Green KNight, which seemed a source for Caradoc is different.

Hell, so is de Troyes.



And then there is the whole folklore issue.


So I wonder.

Worth reading to see what de Pizan was writing in reaction to. The last story is the only one that really isn't anti-women. It's just a bit too long.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable but very episodic. King Arthur is really only mentioned in passing; Gawain is the main character here.

Read for Arthurian Lit.

[Highlyeccentric · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARTHURIAN ROMANCE IS SO WEIRD YOU GUYS. I don't know the source texts well enough to comment on the translation or anything, but I suspect soon I will - i have dog eared the corners of this and I have QUESTIONS.

I also have QUESTIONS about the general plot. Especially 'The Perilous Graveyard'. Gawain, kidnap a girl because he owes a guy a favour? MY BOY WOULD NEVER.