Posted by Steven on 25/11/2011, 21:35:56
76.186.48.102
So what has everyone been reading this Fall if not William H. Gass?
A couple of months ago it occurred to me that there is a huge gap in my reading where medieval literature, especially Arthurian legends, should be. So in recent weeks I have read:
Beowulf (re-read from high school)
The Arthurian Romances by Chrétien de Troyes
The Song of Roland
The Mabinogion
Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach
It is fascinating to see the evolution of legends, characters and symbols such as the Grail (which was not, initially, conceived as a cup or anything to do directly with Jesus). Parzival is an especially entertaining epic, but I would recommend reading Chrétien's Romances first because Wolfram draws from them and ties them together.
My medieval journey will continue in coming months with:
The Lais of Marie de France
Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg
The Romance of the Rose by Guillame de Lorris
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Tirant lo Blanc by Joanot Martorell
Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory
Then wrapping up in the modern era with The Once and Future King by T. H. White
Do you note anything missing from this list that should be there? (I read The Canterbury Tales last year, by the way.)
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