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The Complete Romances of Chretien de Troyes Paperback – January 22, 1991

by David Staines (Translator, Foreword)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 58 ratings
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"[A]n eminently readable text, done clearly and accurately . . . it gives as good an idea as a translation can of the complexity and subtlety of Chrétien's originals. . . . The text is provided by a translator who understands the spirit as well as the letter of the original and renders it with style. . . . [T]his translation should attract a wide audience of students and Arthurian enthusiasts." ―Speculum

"[A] significant contribution to the field of medieval studies [and] a pleasure to read." ―Library Journal

"These are, above all, stories of courtly love and of knights tested in their devotion to chivalric ideals (with passion and duty often at odds); but they are also thrilling wonder stories of giants, wild men, tame lions, razor-sharp bridges and visits to the Other World." ―Washington Post Book World

"This tastefully produced book will be the standard general translation for many years to come." ―Choice

This new translation brings to life for a new generation of readers the stories of King Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Gawain, Perceval, Yvain, and the other "knights and ladies" of Chrétien de Troyes' famous romances.

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  1. Print length
    576 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Indiana University Press
  4. Publication date
    January 22, 1991
  5. Dimensions
    6.75 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0253207878
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0253207876
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Chretien is where the literary tradition of the Arthurian romance can be seen to begin. . . . His poems are the earliest we have that portray knights errant questing through dangerous forests to challenge unknown opponents and to learn the meaning of love. . . . Staines [also] provides the first, and only, English translation of "Guillaume d'Angeleterre" [and] it is very good to have it available."―Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

David Staines is Professor of English at the University of Ottawa, widely published scholar, and general editor of the New Canadian Library.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Indiana University Press; Reprint edition (January 22, 1991)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0253207878
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0253207876
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.93 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 58 ratings

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de Troyes Chrétien

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
58 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

DEC
5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible translation
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2013
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Chretien de Troyes was a writer who was very, very sharp. The man knew at a deep level a number of subjects, including: horses and their tack, armor and weaponry, jousting, social codes among the 12th c. French "2%", and also how to write a memorable story. His translator, David Staines, is equally as sharp, because as I read "Erec and Enide" I was hardly aware that the work was originally written 800+ years ago in Old French. While I'm not a great fan of Chretien's style, I admire him for his daring authorial voice that says, "I _dare_ you to write something more lush, more stupendous, or more audacious than this!" And his competitors couldn't, and that's why when we read Chretien we can see the seeds of modern romance novels, television comedies, and the entire superhero genre. That's quite a legacy. So, thank you Mr. Staines for providing such well-written translations!
10 people found this helpful
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jimsecor
5.0 out of 5 stars Stupendous
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2016
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How could anything of Chretien's be less than surprising. . .and complex. . .and intellectual. . .and engaging in its creativity. He has affected my own writing, especially as to the okayness of being intellectual, a seemingly mortal sin in the bookworld of the US these days. Words are alive with Chretien. Every name is filled to overflowing with "other" meanings and implications--as should be the case and has been until lately in the US where the focus is solely on money, quality be damned. This is the beginning of tahe novel. This is the beginning of the Arthurian tales as we know them. Chretien invented Lancelot. The next step on anyone's question is the Parzival of von Eschenbach.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Do You Know Who First Wrote about Lancelot?
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2019
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That's right, Cretien de Troyes wrote the first Lancelot story, "The Knight in the Cart," in which Lancelot jumps into a prison wagon as a prerequisite to finding Guinevere, who has been kidnapped. And that's just one of the great stories in this volume.
3 people found this helpful
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Chill Will
5.0 out of 5 stars Complete Chretien
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2011
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This book has the chapters listed by others, and also "The Story of the Grail". Knowing this beforehand would have saved me from buying a separate book on Parsifal. Every story in the book is written in prose so if you want a poem format you'll need get books of that kind. I just started reading this book and am totally satisfied with it so far. A good one stop book for all your Chretien needs.
5 people found this helpful
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Debi D-H
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2015
Wonderful compilation.
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payns
5.0 out of 5 stars The Holy Chalice
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2013
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This Graal story of Chretien is fantastic, not to mention his other works contained in the book. The Graal story is inspired, at least in part, on the story of the Holy Chalice, which is in Spain. This Chalice is a Roman Catholic Relic. Go to their website. Chretien does a wonderful job and is the first author to use the word Graal.
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Erin Cornelius
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2019
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A nice collection of Arthurian stories, including the introduction of Lancelot.
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Josephine DiNovo
5.0 out of 5 stars ... reading from this collection for class and I really enjoy it. The English translation seems pretty good
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2015
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I'm currently reading from this collection for class and I really enjoy it. The English translation seems pretty good, so the reading does not get bogged down by older vocabulary or mistranslations from the original French.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Siofra O'donovan
5.0 out of 5 stars Good translation of Chretien Le Troyes
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 6, 2019
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Love this translation, transports you to Poitiers, 1173. Used this book for research for a novel based in 12th C France.
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romarin
4.0 out of 5 stars アーサー王伝説と『William of England』
Reviewed in Japan on February 5, 2016
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１２世紀フランスの詩人クレチアン・ド・トロワの書いた物語全５編と、クレチアン作という説がある『William of England』を補遺として収録した現代英語訳版です。
序論に続いて収められている騎士道物語は『エレックとエニード』『クリジェス』『荷車の騎士』『獅子の騎士』『聖杯物語』で、
いずれもアーサー王の御世における騎士たちの愛や冒険を描いています。アーサー王は宮廷にいる至高の存在ではありますが、物語の中心は寧ろ騎士たちです。
主人公の騎士たちは強く、他の騎士と相まみえれば常に優れた武勇をみせ、いつも礼節を重んじ、苦境にある乙女を助け、忠義を尽くします。
不思議な冒険や「誰一人戻って来られない」といったような危険な冒険にも臆することなく身を投じ、時に超人的なまでの技量を見せてくれます。
色々な物語に接してきた現代の私達にとっては先が読めてしまう展開も多いですが、様々な冒険が降りかかるので楽しく読むことができます。
クレチアン作かどうか意見が分かれているという『William of England』はアーサー王や円卓の騎士とは関係ない物語で、
神のお告げにより王位を離れて妊娠中の王妃と共にさすらい艱難辛苦を乗り越えていくイングランド王ウィリアムの一家の運命が描かれています。
全体として、本書の物語は仮定法や祈願文を多用した独特の言い回しも多く、英語自体は慣れないと読みづらい部分もあるかもしれません。
物語本文は総計５００ページ弱あり読み通すのは大変でしたが、中世の想像の世界は楽しいものでした。
物語中には当然中世フランスならではの事物や表現などもあるので、注による解説があれば尚良かったと思います。
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Redblue
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent translation
Reviewed in France on July 30, 2010
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I first read Chrétien de Troyes in French. This author is definitely one of the best French author of Middle Ages, dealing essentially with the Arthurian legend. David Staines made a good job as a translator; he refrained to use ancient English expressions which is logical since Chrétien de Troyes wrote in what was modern French at his time; he also translated the sequels of the novels because Chrétien de Troyes sometimes did not end them. This book is a must have for all those who like Middle Age and the Arthurian cycle.
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Mr. David P. Francis
5.0 out of 5 stars This a brillant book, which was written nearly 800 ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2014
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This a brillant book, which was written nearly 800 years ago, but still is vibrant, meaningful and packed with inspiring tales for adults and children.
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Jess
4.0 out of 5 stars Medieval romance
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 17, 2020
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Beautiful stories with a timeless intrigue
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