The Arthur of the French: The Arthurian Legend in Medieval French and Occitan Literature (review)

This substantial volume is the latest in the University of Wales series on Arthur which will replace Loomis's Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages: A Collaborative History, and it covers every aspect of Arthurian Literature in French and Occitan from the manuscripts through to the modern novels and films. It will certainly become a standard reference work for many years to come, as the treatment of all known Arthurian texts is full and detailed. Inevitably in a work produced by many different authors, some chapters stand out as particularly useful and interesting. The opening chapter by Roger Middleton covers Arthurian manuscripts in a study which is detailed and interesting and never degenerates into a mere list, a trap which is not completely avoided by some of the later chapters. Middleton's authoritative discussion of the manuscripts will become an essential research tool for scholars in the future. Similarly Ruth Harvey gives a masterful survey of the relatively few mentions of Arthurian characters in Occitan lyric, and this is followed by a sparkling contribution on Jaufré from Simon Gaunt which will surely be required reading for anyone working on this text. Lori Walters's chapter on Manuscript Compilations of Verse Romances brings together some much neglected texts with a great deal of useful information about them and explains the importance of studying these compilations in their entirety. Douglas Kelly demonstrates yet again his total mastery of the work of Chrétien de Troyes. There are other important sections by Francoise le Saux on Wace and Tony Hunt and Geoffrey Bromiley on Tristan, and the volume concludes with a fascinating chapter by Norris Lacy on the Arthurian legend in modern French fiction and film, while Joan Tasker Grimbert covers the Tristan legend. Most medievalists will be amazed to discover just what a fruitful source of inspiration the legends of the two heroes were and indeed still are and will be grateful to these two scholars for enlightening them. There is a good index and a separate index of manuscripts which will be a research tool of great usefulness and importance. The notes to each chapter are helpful. Inevitably, the part of the book which will date most rapidly is the bibliographies, both the general one prepared by Professor Burgess and the bibliographies attached to each chapter. They contain most of the main monographs and a selection of important articles, but in a volume like this they cannot cover everything. The two editors have done a superb job in preparing this volume, but there are three small points to make. For far and Dundee are not usually thought to be in the south of Scotland (p. 44). Erec should surely read Yvain (p.166, line 24). The Scottish region of Moray is not normally spelt Murray (the family name) (p. 198). None of these, however, will stop the book from deservedly becoming the standard reference work on the subject and an essential part of any French medievalist's library.