What do you think?
Rate this book
Lancelot-Grail Cycle #3
Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation, Volume 3: Lancelot Parts I and II
Lancelot is the central romance of the Vulgate Cycle, in which the chivalric elements in Arthur's court come to the fore. These chivalric elements contain the seeds of Arthur's destruction and the dissolution of the Round Table, as Lancelot's love for Guinevere undermines his bond to Arthur; the tension between love, prowess and loyalty is the undercurrent of the long romance which describes the exploits which he performs in her service. It also includes many stories which are chivalric adventures largely unrelated to the main theme, and uses the device of interweaving these stories to form a huge stream of narrative. This series of episodic pictures leads ultimately to the birth of Lancelot's son Galahad, who is destined to become the hero of the Grail. Parts one and two of Lancelot/l> cover Lancelot's boyhood and his admission to Arthur's court, where he falls immediately in love with Guinevere. The adventures and quests which follow take us to the point where he becomes a companion of the Round Table. For a full description of the Vulgate Cycle see the blurb for the complete set.
474 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1995
3 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Norris J. Lacy
68 books12 followersNorris J. Lacy (born 1940) is an American scholar focusing on French medieval literature. He is the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor Emeritus of French and Medieval Studies at the Pennsylvania State University. He is a leading expert on the Arthurian legend and has written and edited numerous books, papers, and articles on the topic. In 2014 the International Arthurian Society, North American Branch, presented him an award for Lifetime Service to Arthurian Studies.
He received his Ph.D. from Indiana University and has held teaching positions at the University of Kansas, the University of California, Los Angeles, and Washington University in St. Louis. He has served as president of the International Arthurian Society. With Geoffrey Ashe he wrote The Arthurian Handbook, and he edited The Arthurian Encyclopedia and its successor, The New Arthurian Encyclopedia, a standard reference book for Arthurian works. He also oversaw the first complete English translation of the French Vulgate and Post-Vulgate Cycles, released as the five-volume Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation.
He received his Ph.D. from Indiana University and has held teaching positions at the University of Kansas, the University of California, Los Angeles, and Washington University in St. Louis. He has served as president of the International Arthurian Society. With Geoffrey Ashe he wrote The Arthurian Handbook, and he edited The Arthurian Encyclopedia and its successor, The New Arthurian Encyclopedia, a standard reference book for Arthurian works. He also oversaw the first complete English translation of the French Vulgate and Post-Vulgate Cycles, released as the five-volume Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 13, 2011
Unlike the first two books of the Vulgate Cycle -- The History of the Holy Grail, and The Story of Merlin -- the Lancelot doesn't seem to have source texts that I know of. There are some similarities to the Lanzelet written by Ulrich von Zatzikhoven (which I quite like, actually, given it's a Lancelot text and I'm not fond of Lancelot). This book covers Lancelot's childhood, and also the childhood of Lionel and Bors, his cousins; the second part covers his early knighthood, when he has gone with the knight Galehaut, who loves him above all others.
In terms of modern reading, just for fun, there are parts that drag, but there are a lot of knightly deeds and even some funny bits. For example:
Slash and genderswap fic in the thirteenth century.
The translation is, as in the other volumes of this series, pretty good, and the translator's decisions and changes (to make the translation make sense) are well-documented in the footnotes. The tenth volume, with chapter summaries and such, can be very helpful when mired in fifty page long chapters, too.
In terms of modern reading, just for fun, there are parts that drag, but there are a lot of knightly deeds and even some funny bits. For example:
[Galehaut asks the king how much he would give in order to have Lancelot's company forever. Arthur says he would share half his kingdom with him, apart from his wife. Galehaut then poses the same question to Gawain, who replies:]
"I'd immediately wish to be the most beautiful maiden in the world, happy and healthy, on condition that he [Lancelot] would love me above all others, all his life and mine."
[The same question is posed to Guinevere.]
"Sir Gawain has proposed all that a lady can give, and a lady can offer no more."
Slash and genderswap fic in the thirteenth century.
The translation is, as in the other volumes of this series, pretty good, and the translator's decisions and changes (to make the translation make sense) are well-documented in the footnotes. The tenth volume, with chapter summaries and such, can be very helpful when mired in fifty page long chapters, too.
October 12, 2022
literally yeah
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews