Published in 1987: Erec and Enide, the first of five surviving Arthurian romantic poems by a twelfth-century French poet, narrates a vivid chapter from the legend of King Arthur.

Published in 1987: Erec and Enide, the first of five surviving Arthurian romantic poems by a twelfth-century French poet, narrates a vivid chapter from the legend of King Arthur.

The first ever translation of the whole of the rich and compelling body of tales contained in Chretien's poem and its four Continuations. The mysterious and haunting Grail makes its first appearance in literature in Chretien de Troyes' Perceval at the end of the twelfth century. But Chretien never finished his poem, leaving an unresolved story and an incomplete picture of the Grail. It was, however, far too attractive an idea to leave. Not only did it inspire quite separate works; his own unfinished poem was continued and finally completed by no fewer than four other writers. The Complete Story of the Grail is the first ever translation of the whole of the rich and compelling body of tales contained in Chretien's poem and its four Continuations, which are finally attracting the scholarly attention they deserve. Besides Chretien's original text, there are the anonymous First Continuation (translated here in its fullest version), the Second Continuation attributed to Wauchier de Denain, and the intriguing Third and Fourth Continuations - probably written simultaneously, with no knowledge of each other's work - by Manessier and Gerbert de Montreuil. Two other poets were drawn to create preludes explaining the background to Chretien's story, and translated here also are their works: The Elucidation Prologue and Bliocadran. Only in this, The Story of the Grail's complete form, can the reader appreciate the narrative skill and invention of the medieval poets and their surprising responses to Chretien's theme - not least their crucial focus on the knight as a crusader. Equally, Chretien's original poem was almost always copied in conjunction withone or more of the Continuations, so this translation represents how most medieval readers would have encountered it. Nigel Bryant's previous translations from Medieval French include Perlesvaus - the High Bookof the Grail, Robert de Boron's trilogy Merlin and the Grail, the Medieval Romance of Alexander, The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel and Perceforest.

The twelfth-century French poet Chretien de Troyes is a major figure in European literature. His courtly romances fathered the Arthurian tradition and influenced countless other poets in England as well as on the continent. Yet because of the difficulty of capturing his swift-moving style in translation, English-speaking audiences are largely unfamiliar with the pleasures of reading his poems. Now, for the first time, an experienced translator of medieval verse who is himself a poet provides a translation of Chretien's major poem, Yvain, in verse that fully and satisfyingly captures the movement, the sense, and the spirit of the Old French original. Yvain is a courtly romance with a moral tenor; it is ironic and sometimes bawdy; the poetry is crisp and vivid. In addition, the psychological and the socio-historical perceptions of the poem are of profound literary and historical importance, for it evokes the emotions and the values of a flourishing, vibrant medieval past.

The mysterious and haunting Grail makes its first appearance in literature in Chretien de Troyes' Perceval at the end of the twelfth century. But Chretien never finished his poem, leaving an unresolved story and an incomplete picture of the Grail. It was, however, far too attractive an idea to leave. Not only did it inspire quite separate works; his own unfinished poem was continued and finally completed by no fewer than four other writers. The Complete Story of the Grail is the first ever translation of the whole of the rich and compelling body of tales contained in Chretien's poem and its four Continuations, which are finally attracting the scholarly attention they deserve. Besides Chretien's original text, there are the anonymous First Continuation (translated here in its fullest version), the Second Continuation attributed to Wauchier de Denain, and the intriguing Third and Fourth Continuations - probably written simultaneously, with no knowledge of each other's work - by Manessier and Gerbert de Montreuil. Two other poets were drawn to create preludes explaining the background to Chretien's story, and translated here also are their works: The Elucidation Prologue and Bliocadran. Only in this, The Story of the Grail's complete form, can the reader appreciate the narrative skill and invention of the medieval poets and their surprising responses to Chretien's theme - not least their crucial focus on the knight as a crusader. Equally, Chretien's original poem was almost always copied in conjunction withone or more of the Continuations, so this translation represents how most medieval readers would have encountered it. Nigel Bryant's previous translations from Medieval French include Perlesvaus - the High Bookof the Grail, Robert de Boron's trilogy Merlin and the Grail, the Medieval Romance of Alexander, The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel and Perceforest.

The original version of one of the greatest and most potent of medieval legends. Chretien de Troyes' Perceval is the most important single Arthurian romance. It contains the very first mention of the mysterious grail, later to become the Holy Grail and the focal point of the spiritual quest of the knights of Arthur's court. Chretien left the poem unfinished, but the extraordinary and intriguing theme of the Grail was too good to leave, and other poets continued and eventually completed it. This is the only English translation to include selections from the three continuations and from the work of Gerbert de Montreuil, making the romance a coherent whole, and following through Chretien's essential theme of the making of a knight, in both worldlyand spiritual terms. It is thus the most complete account available in English of the essential Arthurian romance, the origin of the Grail legend.

Fully annotated edition, in French, of late 12c Arthurian romance. Cliges is generally thought to be the second of Chretien's Arthurian romances, probably written between 1185-87. This critical edition of Cligesis the first since Wendelin Foerster's in (1884) to take account of allthe manuscripts. Based on the Guiot manuscript, it contains many emendations, producing a text closer to that of Chretien's original. Variant apparatus, notes, glossary, and editorial comment on the manuscripts accompany the text. STEWART GREGORY is in the Department of French, Leicester University; the late CLAUDE LUTTRELL was formerly in the Department of English at the same university, and is known for his books and articles on 12c French Arthurian romance.

Cliges was probably written after Erec et Enide and is thus Chretien de Troyes' second romance. There are several modern English and French translations of the text, but a need has long been felt for a modern German version, particularly as references in Middle High German texts and text fragments indicate that there was at least one Middle High German version. This gap is now filled with the present modern German translation which is published together with the original text in a bilingual edition; this means that the special position which Cliges takes up in more than one respect in the history of the medieval European romance can now form a stronger focus in German Studies. Thus a broader basis is formed both for interdisciplinary medieval studies and for research into the history and theory of the romance. A comprehensive introduction sketches the most important problems in interpreting the work, the present state of research into Cliges in international Romance Studies and its place in the history of the Arthurian romance. With the translation, the introduction, the commentary, and a comprehensive bibliography, this monograph provides an indispensable foundation for future research. It is anticipated that it will meet with wide interest and significantly alter the view taken by German Studies of the history of the romance in medieval Europe.

This is the first truely critical edition of ChrA(c)tien de Troyes's "Perceval" and will replace the often inaccurate text of Hilka (1932). This new edition is based on ms. Paris, BibliothA]que Nationale, fr. 12576 (T), but is moderately interventionist in its attempt to approximate more closely to the ipsissima verba of ChrA(c)tien; the critical text is accompanied by complete variants from the other manuscripts. The critical apparatus includes full descriptions of all the manuscripts of "Perceval," an examination of the manuscript transmission of the text, and of the language of the scribe of T and of ChrA(c)tien; the notes contain a running commentary on the manuscript tradition and a justification of every emendation made to the text of T. The edition concludes with a full glossary.

Erec and Enide marks the birth of the Arthurian romance as a literary genre. Written circa 1170, this version of the Griselda legend tells the story of the marriage of Erec, a handsome and courageous Welsh prince and knight of the Round Table, and Enide, an impoverished noblewoman. When the lovers become estranged because Erec neglects his knightly obligations, they subsequently ride off together on a series of adventures that culminate in their reconciliation and the liberation of a captive knight in an enchanted orchard. An innovative poet working during a time of great literary creativity, Chretien de Troyes wrote poems that had a lively pace, skillful structure, and vivid descriptive detail. Ruth Harwood Cline re-creates for modern audiences his irony, humor, and charm, while retaining the style and substance of the original octosyllabic couplets. Her thorough introduction includes discussions of courtly love and the Arthurian legend in history and literature, as well as a new and provocative theory about the identity of Chretien de Troyes. This clearly presented translation, faithful in preserving the subtle expressive qualities of the original work, is accessible reading for any Arthurian legend aficionado and an ideal text for students of medieval literature.