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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Arthurian Romance

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Introduction

Arthurian romance grew out of chronicles purporting to record the history of King Arthur, his knights, and their martial or amatory adventures. A good number of early works, especially in Welsh and Latin between the 6th and 12th century, alluded to Arthur in lists, enigmatic texts, chronicles, and various fictional creations. However, Arthurian romance as it is generally understood developed first in France, beginning with Chrétien de Troyes’s verse romances in the late 12th century, and soon spread from there to most of the literatures of western Europe. By its subject matter, it may well constitute the largest body of secular material in the West. Curiously, in very early medieval literature, there was a tendency to remove the king to the periphery of texts, focusing instead on a single knight or a group of them associated with Arthur’s court. At nearly the same time, beginning in the 13th century, authors singly or collaboratively produced vast romance cycles, generally in prose, which could unite the biography of Arthur and his knights with the story of Merlin, the illicit love of Lancelot and Guenevere, the quest for the Holy Grail, and in some instances, the Tristan material. Such syntheses began with the French Vulgate (or Lancelot-Grail) Cycle (1215–1235) and led eventually to Malory’s Morte Darthur at the close of the Middle Ages. Considered in this bibliography are medieval romances in Welsh, French, German, English, Norse, Dutch, Hispanic, Italian, and Latin.

General Overviews

A number of volumes, some more technical than others, present elements of the Arthurian legend to students, general readers, and scholars in other fields. (This section includes “Companions” and “Introductions” to romances or Arthurian subjects in general. Those that treat a single author or work are listed in the sections devoted to particular languages.) Pearsall 2003 is a concise and informative survey, with emphasis on English romance. Stevens 1974 may provide the broadest introduction to themes and approaches, whereas Fulton 2009 and Archibald and Putter 2009 offer series of essays on diverse Arthurian subjects, contributed by major specialists in the field. Kelly 1993 is a superb introduction to French romance and has much valuable information for those working with other literatures. The most detailed overviews are Lupack 2005 and Lacy and Ashe 1997. A number of studies, such as Green 2002 and the collection of essays edited by Krueger 2000, deal with medieval romance in general, thus including but not limited to Arthurian material.

Archibald, Elizabeth, and Ad Putter, eds. The Cambridge Companion to the Arthurian Legend. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
DOI: 10.1017/CCOL9780521860598 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
Surveys Arthurian origins and the presentation of Arthur from the 12th century to the early 21st century in Part 1. Part 2 treats selected themes, from Arthurian ideals and ethics to imperialism, religion, and love and adultery.
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Fulton, Helen, ed. A Companion to Arthurian Literature. Chichester, UK: Blackwell, 2009.
DOI: 10.1002/9781444305821 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
An extensive collaborative volume dealing with Arthurian origins and texts from the earliest Latin and Welsh works to literary, cinematic, and other developments of the Arthurian legend to the early 21st century.
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Green, D. H. The Beginnings of Medieval Romance: Fact and Fiction, 1150–1220. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511485787 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
A valuable study of the formation of romance (Arthurian and other) to 1220, concentrating on the development of fictionality.
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Kelly, Douglas. Medieval French Romance. New York: Twayne, 1993.
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Highly recommended; one of the best sources of its kind. References are to French romances, but the volume is valuable to those interested in Arthurian literature in any language. Chapters deal with the emergence of romance, patrons, audiences, sources, the “art of romance invention” (pp. 87–93), editing, genre adaptation, style, social and moral ideals, and more.
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Krueger, Roberta L., ed. The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Romance. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
DOI: 10.1017/CCOL0521553423 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
Deals with Arthurian and non-Arthurian romance, with sections devoted to origins and contexts, to issues for discussion (e.g., chivalry, courtly love, and questions of gender), and to romance in German, Italian, English, and Spanish literatures in addition to an emphasis on French works.
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Lacy, Norris J., and Geoffrey Ashe, with Debra Mancoff. The Arthurian Handbook. 2d ed. New York: Garland, 1997.
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The Handbook treats Arthurian origins, chronicles, and medieval romances, as well as modern Arthuriana in literature, visual arts, and film. An appended glossary, some eighty pages in length, identifies and discusses numerous characters, authors, places, themes, and motifs.
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Lupack, Alan. The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
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An important volume treating all aspects of the Arthurian legend, medieval and modern. The volume is organized according to subjects and themes, causing some overlapping or repetition of material; the thorough index enables users to locate any material that may be scattered in the volume.
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Pearsall, Derek. Arthurian Romance: A Short Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell, 2003.
DOI: 10.1002/9780470775998 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
An engaging and informative presentation of the subject. Focuses primarily on English romance but includes a good deal of material on other literatures and some on manuscripts and visual arts.
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Saunders, Corinne, ed. A Companion to Romance: From Classical to Contemporary. Oxford: Blackwell, 2004.
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A diverse and important contribution to romance in general, with several chapters specifically on Arthurian romance; see especially W. R. J. Barron, “Arthurian Romance,” pp. 65–74.
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Stevens, John. Medieval Romance: Themes and Approaches. New York: Norton, 1974.
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Intended as an introductory book, this clear and accessible book, though not exclusively Arthurian, consists of eleven chapters treating such subjects as love, chivalry, the marvelous, religion, and characters in romance.
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Reference Tools

Notable among reference tools for Arthurian studies are several useful encyclopedias and a large number of name dictionaries, as well as bibliographies and other guides.

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

The encyclopedias listed here are comprehensive, offering information on a great many texts, authors, characters, and motifs.

Comprehensive Encyclopedias

Lacy, et al. 1996 is the most extensive encyclopedia and includes, in some detail, synthetic essays on national literatures as well as numerous shorter entries even on minor texts and authors. However, Coghlan 1993 includes entries on more Arthurian characters. Walter 2014 primarily treats earlier Arthurian materials, as they are likely to be connected more directly to his central interest: Celtic sources.

Coghlan, Ronan. The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends. Shaftesbury, UK: Element, 1993.
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Intended for a very broad audience, this is a dictionary of characters, objects, and places. Extensively illustrated. A disadvantage is the frequent failure to identify the text or texts in which characters appear, though in many cases superscripted numbers refer the user to a list of sources at the end of the volume.
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Lacy, Norris J., Geoffrey Ashe, Sandra Ness Ihle, Marianne E. Kalinke, and Raymond H. Thompson, eds. The New Arthurian Encyclopedia. New York: Garland, 1996.
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The original Arthurian Encyclopedia, published in 1986, was revised and considerably expanded as The New Arthurian Encyclopedia in 1991. Entries deal, often in considerable detail, with medieval and modern literature, as well as Arthurian history, archaeology, chronicle, art, film, and popular culture.
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Walter, Philippe. Dictionnaire de mythologie arthurienne. Paris: Imago, 2014.
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A substantial Arthurian reference work, the primary intention of which was to link Arthurian characters, places, and objects to their Celtic origins. That required Walter to omit texts that are not original forms of the oldest tales (p. 20); the result is the omission of major texts such as Malory’s work and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
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Specialized Reference Sources

Bruce 1999 is the most inclusive dictionary of names. Ackerman 1952 is reliable but limited in scope. Important names are also listed in the glossary section of Lacy, et al. 1996 (cited under Comprehensive Encyclopedias). Moorman and Moorman 1978 is a concise guide but is not intended to be inclusive. Nastali and Boardman 2004 offers detailed information on all Arthuriana published in English between 1250 and 2000.

Ackerman, Robert W. An Index of the Arthurian Names in Middle English. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1952.
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A thorough listing and identification of names occurring in English Arthuriana before 1500. Includes variant forms of names and scrupulously distinguishes from one another the characters bearing similar or identical names.
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Bruce, Christopher W. The Arthurian Name Dictionary. New York: Garland, 1999.
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An invaluable and nearly exhaustive dictionary of Arthurian names from the 6th century through Tennyson. For major characters, the entries become essays of several pages; minor characters are simply identified in a sentence or two. Abbreviations following each entry indicate the texts in which the character appears.
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Flutre, Louis-Fernand. Table des noms propres avec toutes leurs variants, figurant dans les romans du Moyen Age écrits en français ou en provençal et actuellement publiés ou analysés. Poitiers, France: CESCM, 1962.
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A useful guide, especially because of the inclusion of minor or obscure characters.
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Moorman, Charles, and Ruth Moorman. An Arthurian Dictionary. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1978.
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A concise dictionary of names, along with titles of texts and references to places prominent in Celtic, French, German, and English Arthuriana. Major authors or characters are generally discussed in a solid paragraph or more. Most items are identified in a sentence or two.
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Nastali, Daniel P., and Phillip C. Boardman. The Arthurian Annals: The Tradition in English from 1250 to 2000. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
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An invaluable resource; complete for material in English (including translations) during the indicated period. Full publication information is documented. Volume 2 consists of nine indexes: people; titles; forms and genres; characters; cultures; places; themes, motifs, artifacts, and events; and source languages.
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Reference Guides to Motifs

Guerreau-Jalabert 1992 is very thorough, even exhaustive; Ruck 1991 is more limited but is reliable.

Guerreau-Jalabert, Anita. Index des motifs narratifs dans les romans arthuriens français en vers (XIIe-XIIIe siècles). Geneva, Switzerland: Droz, 1992.
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Using the classifications developed by Stith Thompson in his Motif-Index of Folk Literature (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1955–1958), Guerreau-Jalabert offers an alphabetical listing of motifs occurring in French verse romances, followed by a list of motifs text by text.
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Ruck, E. H. An Index of Themes and Motifs in Twelfth-Century French Arthurian Poetry. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1991.
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A well-organized and useful index of themes, though of a corpus that is chronologically and otherwise limited; deals with Chrétien de Troyes’s romances and a small number of other texts.
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Bibliographies

Most valuable for completeness are Pickford, et al. 1981–1998 and the Bibliography of the International Arthurian Society (both cited under Comprehensive or General Bibliographies). Reiss, et al. 1984 (also cited under Comprehensive or General Bibliographies) is reliable and extensive, but not exhaustive.

Comprehensive or General Bibliographies

The most nearly complete bibliographies are the annual Bibliography of the International Arthurian Society and Pickford, et al. 1981–1998; the latter is based primarily on the former. The Camelot Project: Sources for the Study of Arthurian Legends is primarily a listing of research sources, but with comments on certain of the items. Reiss, et al. 1984 is the first volume of a valuable bibliography that covers the Middle Ages; the planned second volume was not published.

Bibliography of the International Arthurian Society.
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Published annually beginning in 1949. Each number presents the previous year’s work published in the geographical area of each branch (e.g., French, German, and English). Includes brief summaries of articles and books; also lists book reviews. Prior to volume 64, the title was Bibliographical Bulletin of the International Arthurian Society. Emphasis, almost entirely until the later years, was on literature of the Middle Ages. A disadvantage is that, for a complete search, one must consult each volume separately. Available online by subscription. Most volumes prior to 2011 are available by subscription as digitized images online.
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Camelot Project: Sources for the Study of Arthurian Legends.
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Created and maintained by Alan Lupack. A useful online listing of bibliographies and research sources, both medieval and modern. A few items are accompanied by brief descriptions or remarks.
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Pickford, Cedric Edward, R. W. Last, Christine R. Barker, Caroline Palmer, and Elaine Barber. The Arthurian Bibliography. 4 vols. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1981–1998.
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Compiled by various scholars, these volumes are based primarily on the contents of the Bibliography of the International Arthurian Society (previously the Bibliographical Bulletin of the International Arthurian Society) but do not include the summaries of articles and books from the BBIAS. Contents are arranged alphabetically and followed by subject appendixes.
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Reiss, Edmund, Louise Horner Reiss, and Beverly Taylor. Arthurian Legend and Literature: An Annotated Bibliography. Vol. 1, The Middle Ages. New York: Garland, 1984.
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Divided into a dozen sections, most of them devoted to major characters, such as Arthur, Merlin, Tristan and Isolt, Lancelot, and Gawain. Other sections are on history and origins, surveys of Arthuriana, cycles, and compilations, as well as indexes of subjects and scholars. Titles of scholarly studies are accompanied by very brief characterizations of their contents. Volume 2, intended to treat modern literature, was never published.
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Specialized Bibliographies

Gaines 1990, Jost 1986, Life 1980, and Rice 1987 complement one another and overlap in parts. Kelly 1976 is complete and accurate; Sharrer 1977 offers one of the few bibliographies on Hispanic Arthuriana.

Gaines, Barry. Sir Thomas Malory: An Anecdotal Bibliography of Editions, 1485–1985. New York: AMS, 1990.
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Useful and thorough information on Malory editions.
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Green, Thomas. A Bibliographic Guide to Welsh Arthurian Literature. Arthuriana.
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An extensive and authoritative bibliography with entries accompanied by a good deal of useful commentary. Originally compiled in 1998, with expansions or revisions in 2001, 2007, and 2009.
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Jost, Jean E. Ten Middle English Arthurian Romances: A Reference Guide. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1986.
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A guide to 19th- and 20th-century scholarship on English Arthurian romances. Coverage of both editions and critical studies.
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Kelly, Douglas. Chrétien de Troyes: An Analytic Bibliography. London: Grant & Cutler, 1976.
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An exhaustive bibliography on Chrétien studies. See also Chrétien de Troyes: Supplement 1 (London: Tamesis, 2002).
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Life, Page West. Sir Thomas Malory and the Morte Darthur: A Survey of Scholarship and Annotated Bibliography. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1980.
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A brief survey of trends in Malory scholarship followed by a comprehensive listing, with annotations, of editions and critical studies of the Morte Darthur.
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Rice, Joanne A. Middle English Romance: An Annotated Bibliography, 1955–1985. New York: Garland, 1987.
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Contains a section on Arthurian literature as well as entries for individual romances.
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Sharrer, Harvey L. A Critical Bibliography of Hispanic Arthurian Material. Vol. 1, Texts: The Prose Romance Cycles. London: Grant & Cutler, 1977.
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Critical guide to Spanish and Portuguese literature related to three major cycles: the Vulgate, the Post-Vulgate, and the Prose Tristan.
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Periodicals

In addition to those listed below, see also the Bibliography of the International Arthurian Society (cited under Reference Tools: Bibliographies: Comprehensive or General Bibliographies), which has traditionally included several articles as well as bibliography. Arthuriana and the new Journal of the International Arthurian Society (both cited under Current Periodicals) are standard and inclusive.

Previous Periodicals

The Arthurian Yearbook was published for a dozen years, after which it was merged with Arthurian Literature (cited under Current Periodicals). Avalon to Camelot had only a four-year life but published work by some major Arthurian scholars.

Arthurian Yearbook. 1991–1993.
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Published annually by Garland Publishing from 1991 to 1993, then incorporated into Arthurian Literature (cited under Current Periodicals).
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Avalon to Camelot. 1983–1987.
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An attractive quarterly published for a brief period in the 1980s; designed for a student and general readership.
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Current Periodicals

Arthurian Literature is an annual volume, first published in 1982. Arthuriana grew out of the merger of two other periodicals and is a well-established journal publishing Arthurian material from all periods and genres. The Journal of the International Arthurian Society began publication in 2013 and publishes articles on any aspect of Arthurian literature.

Arthurian Literature. 1982–.
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An annual volume from Boydell and Brewer; usually alternates between theme issues and collections of miscellaneous Arthurian essays.
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Arthuriana. 1994–.
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This quarterly (published since 1994) is the official journal of the North American Branch of the International Arthurian Society, but despite its affiliation, its scope is international. It deals with all areas of Arthuriana, from the earliest texts through medieval romance to modern novels and films. Available online by subscription.
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Journal of the International Arthurian Society (JIAS). 2013–.
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An official journal of the International Arthurian Society, it began publication in 2013, international in scope and available in print or, for members of the Society, online by subscription. Articles may be published in any of the three official languages of the International Arthurian Society (English, French, and German) and are accompanied by abstracts in the other two languages.
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Textbooks and Anthologies

Brengle 1964 and Lacy and Wilhelm 2013 are intended as textbooks; the former includes questions for discussion. Goodrich 1990 offers a good many short excerpts of Merlin material. Lacy 2000 presents major excerpts of the Vulgate Cycle. Barber 1986 and Matthews 1988 are anthologies that offer selected excerpts with commentary.

Barber, Richard. King Arthur: Hero and Legend. 3d ed. New York: St. Martin’s, 1986.
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An anthology that offers a good deal of information about Arthurian origins, romances, and other material; treats Celtic and French works but adds a separate chapter on German as well as two on medieval English works, concentrating especially on Malory. Briefly covers post-medieval Arthuriana. Extensively illustrated.
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Brengle, Richard L., ed. Arthur: King of Britain. New York: Apple-Century-Crofts, 1964.
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Intended specifically for use as a textbook, this volume contains eighteen Arthurian texts or excerpts, divided into “History and Pseudo-History” and “Chronicle and Romance.” A third section provides sixteen critical essays (or excerpts) reprinted from other sources. The volume includes a section on “Study Questions and Topics for Investigations,” a bibliography, and a glossary.
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Goodrich, Peter, ed. The Romance of Merlin: An Anthology. New York: Garland, 1990.
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Presents a good many excerpts, most of them very brief, from Welsh sources, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Robert de Boron, Middle English romances, and Merlin material in the 19th and 20th centuries. All major sections have a separate editor who offers useful introductions.
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Lacy, Norris J., ed. The Lancelot-Grail Reader. New York: Garland, 2000.
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Selected episodes of the Lancelot-Grail or Vulgate Cycle, linked by summaries of omitted material. See also Lacy 1993–1996, cited under French Romance: Lancelot-Grail (Vulgate and Post-Vulgate Cycles): Translations.
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Lacy, Norris J., and James J. Wilhelm, eds. The Romance of Arthur. 3d ed. New York: Routledge, 2013.
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A collection of translated medieval texts from the earliest Welsh and Latin documents through Malory; represented are French, Norse, Latin, and Middle English narratives (presented in their entirety where possible). This third edition offers several new translations, among them Grail excerpts from French and German romances.
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Matthews, John, ed. An Arthurian Reader. Wellingborough, UK: Aquarian, 1988.
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Presents a number of selected passages from Arthurian sources; adds informative and reliable commentary. Intended for the general reader or Arthurian enthusiast.
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Edited Collections of Essays

Edited collections of essays on Arthurian subjects are numerous, and new volumes appear regularly. Some offer crucial analyses, but only a few can be mentioned here.

Comprehensive or General Collections

“Comprehensive” here refers to volumes of collected essays that deal with a number of problems or works rather than with a single author or text (or a limited group of texts, e.g., Middle English Romances); these volumes generally cross language boundaries. Kelly 1996 contains some excellent essays and is not exclusively French, despite the title. Lacy 2006 offers information about the evolving editorial and critical context of Arthurian romance. Lupack 2002 focuses especially on recent scholarly trends and desiderata. Loomis 1959, though outdated and uneven, was a monument when published, and it is still an essential collection. See also Krueger 2000, Archibald and Putter 2009, and Fulton 2009 (all cited under General Overviews). Edited collections on “Companions” or “Introductions” to an individual author or work are listed in the appropriate sections below. See also Characters and Themes: Arthurian Characters and Themes (Series).

Kelly, Douglas, ed. The Medieval Opus: Imitation, Rewriting and Transmission in the French Tradition. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1996.
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A collection of twenty-two articles; only six deal directly with Arthurian romance, but others have obvious implications for composition and transmission of Arthurian texts. Despite the use of “French” in the title, some essays deal with influences or adaptations in other languages.
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Lacy, Norris J., ed. A History of Arthurian Scholarship. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2006.
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Chapters are devoted to most aspects of the Arthurian legend, from origins to the early 21st century; the central portion treats all the major medieval literatures (Latin, Welsh, French, etc.). The volume contains three indexes, devoted to scholars and critics, works, and subjects and themes.
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Loomis, Roger Sherman, ed. Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages. Oxford: Clarendon, 1959.
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Though clearly dated and somewhat uneven, this volume, commonly identified as ALMA, is a monument of Arthurian scholarship that has long exerted broad influence on scholars and students of Arthurian subjects. The forty-one chapters deal with the earliest documents, with the most prominent authors and texts, and with Arthurian origins.
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Lupack, Alan, ed. New Directions in Arthurian Studies. Arthurian Studies 51. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2002.
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Eleven essays treating both medieval and modern material, with major emphasis on the current critical context of, and approaches to, Arthurian subjects, as well as desiderata for future scholarship.
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Collections Limited to a Single Language or Region

The references in this section are part of the University of Wales Press series titled “Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages” conceived as a replacement, hugely expanded, for Loomis 1959 (cited under Comprehensive or General Collections). The series consists of a set of seven volumes, with an eighth (on Hispanic material) in progress; all are highly recommended. Although the series title suggests that the subjects will be literary and medieval—as they are for the most part—several of the volumes include post-medieval material in a chapter or two. The series was initiated by the Welsh volume (Bromwich, et al. 1991), and there are plans for a revised version. Barron 2001 includes brief studies of English history and society as well as Arthurian literature. Jackson and Ranawake 2000 treats German and Dutch material, as well as a section on the modern reception of Arthuriana. The French volume (Burgess and Pratt 2006) is the most extensive volume of the set. Kalinke 2011 treats Norse material, with a single chapter (chapter 10) on East Slavic. Echard 2011 and Allaire and Psaki 2014 are thorough and reliable volumes on Latin and Italian, respectively.

Allaire, Gloria, and F. Regina Psaki, eds. The Arthur of the Italians: The Arthurian Legend in Medieval Italian Literature and Culture. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2014.
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A solid treatment of the subject by a dozen important scholars; treats Arthurian romance, short narratives, lyric, and Arthurian art.
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Barron, W. R. J., ed. The Arthur of the English: The Arthurian Legend in Medieval English Life and Literature. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2001.
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In eight chapters, the volume treats, among other subjects, the Celtic tradition, chivalric romance, folk romance, and Malory. There are also two “interchapters”—“Arthur in English History” and “Arthur in English Society”—as well as a postscript on “Authors and Audiences.”
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Bromwich, Rachel, A. O. H. Jarman, and Brynley F. Roberts, eds. The Arthur of the Welsh: The Arthurian Legend in Medieval Welsh Literature. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1991.
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Consists of thirteen chapters, treating the Arthur of history, early poems, saints’ loves, the Merlin legend, Tristan, individual texts, and the so-called “Three Romances.” The final chapter is titled “First Transmission to England and France.”
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Burgess, Glyn S., and Karen Pratt, eds. The Arthur of the French: The Arthurian Legend in Medieval French and Occitan Literature. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2006.
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A very thorough treatment; unusual for having many of the chapters written by two or more contributors. A final chapter treats modern fiction and film.
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Echard, Siân, ed. The Arthur of Medieval Latin Literature: The Development and Dissemination of the Arthurian Legend in Medieval Latin. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2011.
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Eight chapters divided into four sections: “The Seeds of History and Legend,” “Geoffrey of Monmouth,” “Chronicles and Romances,” and “After the Middle Ages.”
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Jackson, W. H., and S. A. Ranawake, eds. The Arthur of the Germans: The Arthurian Legend in Medieval German and Dutch Literature. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2000.
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Part 1 consists of six chapters on the verse romances, especially Hartmann and Wolfram, followed by Part 2 devoted to “Continuity and Change in the Later Middle Ages” and Part 3 on medieval Dutch material. Parts 4 and 5 treat Arthurian influences, allusions, and the “Legacy” of medieval German Arthuriana in the modern tradition.
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Kalinke, Marianne, ed. The Arthur of the North: The Arthurian Legend in the Norse and Rus’ Realms. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2011.
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Ten chapters on sources, translations, manuscript transmission, and particular romances or groups of texts. The final chapter deals with East Slavic Arthurian literature.
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Characters and Themes

Busby 1980 and Morris 1982 are single-authored monographs; Morris 1982 is much broader in scope, but both are recommended. Arthurian Characters and Themes (Series) consists of casebooks (collections of articles preceded by substantial introductions); intended for scholars and advanced students.

Busby, Keith. Gauvain in Old French Literature. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1980.
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A valuable critical examination of the representations of Gauvain (Gawain) in French romances from 1155–1225.
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Morris, Rosemary. The Character of King Arthur in Medieval Literature. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1982.
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Useful study of Arthur’s personal attributes and relationships, his character in war and peace, and his personal attributes and relationships. Study based on Welsh, Latin, English, French, and Hispanic sources before about 1500.
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Arthurian Characters and Themes (Series)

Each casebook in this series is devoted to a theme, character, or class of characters, with a full introduction and a broad selection of essays; some are commissioned, whereas others are major studies reprinted from other sources. Grimbert 1995 offers a very detailed introduction and nineteen articles. Fenster 1996 concentrates on the most prominent female characters but includes references to minor figures as well. Kennedy 1996 treats the figure of Arthur—his conquests, adventures, and death. The only theme or motif represented in the series is on the Grail (Mahoney 2000). The remaining volumes (Goodrich and Thompson 2003, Groos and Lacy 2002, and Thompson and Busby 2006) each include important articles on Merlin, Perceval/Parzival, and Gawain, respectively.

Fenster, Thelma S., ed. Arthurian Women: A Casebook. New York: Garland, 1996.
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Extensive introduction followed by nineteen essays treating Guenevere, Iseult, Nymue, Morgan, Elayne, and others.
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Goodrich, Peter H., and Raymond H. Thompson, eds. Merlin: A Casebook. New York: Routledge, 2003.
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A long introduction is followed by seventeen essays, five of them newly commissioned for this volume. Divided into two sections: “Evolution of the Legend” and “Major Motifs and Works.”
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Grimbert, Joan Tasker, ed. Tristan and Isolde: A Casebook. New York: Garland, 1995.
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An extensive introduction (some ninety pages), followed by nineteen essays on medieval and modern presentations of the Tristan legend in literature, opera, and film. Four of the essays are original with this volume. The remainder are important articles that were previously published elsewhere; some have been revised by their authors.
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Groos, Arthur, and Norris J. Lacy, eds. Perceval = Parzival: A Casebook. New York: Routledge, 2002.
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Introduction and fourteen essays, ten of them reprinted from other sources (and one of those translated from the German for the first time), treat the character in medieval literatures, in Wagner, and in modern literature and film.
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Kennedy, Edward Donald, ed. King Arthur: A Casebook. New York: Garland, 1996.
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A detailed introduction and fifteen essays, four of which are new to this volume, deal with Arthur from his origins through the 20th century.
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Mahoney, Dhira B., ed. The Grail: A Casebook. New York: Garland, 2000.
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Twenty essays, seven of them new, discuss the Grail from its possible origins to its treatment in film. Includes a detailed introduction, a table of Grail representations in medieval texts, and a select but thorough bibliography.
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Thompson, Raymond H., and Keith Busby, eds. Gawain: A Casebook. New York: Routledge, 2006.
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Introduction and nineteen essays, sixteen of which are drawn from previous publications by major scholars. The last three sections deal with post-medieval literature and Gawain’s presentation in film.
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Walters, Lori J., ed. Lancelot and Guinevere: A Casebook. New York: Garland, 1996.
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Sixteen chapters, eleven of them reprinted from earlier sources, examine the representation of Lancelot, Guinevere, or both of them in medieval and modern literatures. Extended historical and critical introduction by the editor.
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Grail Studies

Barber 2004 is a thorough and detailed volume. Murphy 2006 is largely limited to Wolfram, whereas Lozachmeur 2011 seeks Celtic sources for the legend. The chapters in Lacy 2008 deal more with the Grail quest than with the object. See also Mahoney 2000, cited under Arthurian Characters and Themes (Series).

Barber, Richard. The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2004.
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Traces the history of Grail lore and beliefs, beginning with Chrétien de Troyes and extending beyond Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Analyzes numerous beliefs (some scholarly, others personal and impressionistic) concerning the Grail and concludes that “there is no one ‘truth’ about the Grail” (p. 365).
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Lacy, Norris J., ed. The Grail, the Quest and the World of Arthur. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2008.
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Collection of chapters treating Grail material and the quest theme and its conventions, either in general or with specific reference to the Grail quest.
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Lozachmeur, Jean-Claude. L’énigme du graal. Turquant, France: Mens sana, 2011.
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Persuaded that the Grail legend grew out of Welsh sources, Lozachmeur proposes a general reconstitution of those sources, which consisted of an initiatory ritual.
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Murphy, G. Ronald. Gemstone of Paradise: The Holy Grail in Wolfram’s Parzival. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
DOI: 10.1093/0195306392.001.0001 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
A complex argument, though presented relatively informally, connects the stone Parzival to the precious and semi-precious stones about which Wolfram discourses; he eventually associates the Grail with the Holy Sepulcher.
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Gender and Sexuality

Armstrong 2003 is a perceptive study of gender, both masculine and feminine, in Malory. Gaunt 1995 offers a fine analysis, though Arthurian subjects are a minority. Burns 1993 is a major study of women’s agency in French literature; similarly important are articles by Krueger and Fisher in Krueger 2000b. McCracken 1998 studies the conception of queenship and the reasons that medieval literary queens rarely have offspring. Burgwinkle 2004 is a perceptive analysis of texts dealing with sodomy or accusations of it. Lees, et al. 1994 offers an authoritative study of the construction and expression of literary masculinity.

Armstrong, Dorsey. Gender and the Chivalric Community in Malory’s Morte d’Arthur. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2003.
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A solid study of gender in Malory, emphasizing the Pentecostal Oath as a major key to the construction and revelation of gender identity.
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Burgwinkle, William. Sodomy, Masculinity, and Law in Medieval Literature: France and England, 1050–1230. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511484735 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
A survey and analytical examination of sodomy in historical and textual sources (Arthurian and other) through two centuries. Demonstrates that homoeroticism problematizes chivalry but that a good many texts permit readings that foreground same-sex desire instead of condemning it.
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Burns, E. Jane. Bodytalk: When Women Speak in Old French Literature. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993.
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An important study; develops in a variety of ways in which female characters manage to speak back against the stereotypes that medieval fiction constructs for them.
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Fisher, Sheila. “Women and Men in Late Medieval English Romance.” In The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Romance. Edited by Roberta L. Krueger, 150–164. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
DOI: 10.1017/CCOL0521553423 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
Suggests that men’s bonds with one another can be both affirmed and threatened by women. Studies the Gawain-Poet, Chaucer, and Malory.
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Gaunt, Simon. Gender and Genre in Medieval French Literature. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511519505 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
Discusses gender construction (feminine and masculine) in several Old French genres, one of which is romance, with concentration on Chrétien de Troyes’s Le Chevalier de la Charrette (Paris: Bordas, 1989).
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Krueger, Roberta L. “Questions of Gender in Old French Courtly Romance.” In The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Romance. Edited by Roberta L. Krueger, 132–149. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2000a.
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Contends that courtly romance offered an opportunity to explore—and sometimes to transform or subvert—gender roles in fiction even when society at the time strained to maintain traditional roles.
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Krueger, Roberta L., ed. The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Romance. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2000b.
DOI: 10.1017/CCOL0521553423 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
Fifteen articles treating the formation, forms, and themes of medieval romance. Several offer “Issues for Debate,” which include questions of gender. The final section includes articles on French, English, German, Spanish, and Italian romance.
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Lees, Clare A., ed., with Thelma S. Fenster, and Jo Ann McNamara. Medieval Masculinities: Regarding Men in the Middle Ages. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1994.
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Important study of the construction of masculinity in medieval society and especially in literature. Notable emphasis on Italian, French, and English texts.
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McCracken, Peggy. The Romance of Adultery: Queenship and Sexual Transgression in Old French Literature. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998.
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Investigates the ways in which romance both reflected and influenced concerns about sovereignty and the proper role (if any) of women in government. Broad but not exclusive emphasis on Arthurian texts.
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Manuscripts, Codicology, and Editing

Busby 2002 offers an excellent account of all aspects of manuscript practice. Huot 2000 offers a good deal of information; solid but brief. Hunt 2006 outlines editing practice. The remaining items give views of manuscripts, and the Lancelot-Graal Project and the Princeton Charrette Project afford interactive access to manuscripts.

Arthurian Narratives—Manuscript Sources in French Vernaculars.
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Maintained by Robert Peckham since 2012. Extensive listing of over 120 viewable manuscripts, some excerpted but many complete, divided into three categories: “Chrestiens de Troyes,” “Textual Sources of French Vernacular Grail Stories,” and “Textual Sources of Vernacular French Tristan Stories.” Many are accompanied by transcriptions, editions, bibliographies, and other tools.
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Busby, Keith. Codex and Context: Reading Old French Verse Narrative in Manuscript. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2002.
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Exhaustive study of nearly all aspects of codicology: patronage, scribal practice, manuscript hands, etc. A masterly study.
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Hunt, Tony. “Editing Arthuriana.” In A History of Arthurian Scholarship. Edited by Norris J. Lacy, 37–48. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2006.
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A concise survey of editing practice from the 18th century to the early 21st century; emphasis on the “dialectic” tension between editors of composite editions and those who prepare “best-manuscript editions.”
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Huot, Sylvia. “The Manuscript Context of Medieval Romance.” In The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Romance. Edited by Roberta L. Krueger, 60–77. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
DOI: 10.1017/CCOL0521553423 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
Discusses various aspects of manuscript transmission in French and German corpora. Authoritative presentation but also an excellent introduction for those coming anew to the study of manuscripts.
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Lancelot-Graal Project.
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A long-term collaborative project on the Vulgate (or Lancelot-Grail) that permits users to identify, consult, and compare or contrast the elements of each manuscript page with any other.
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Princeton Charrette Project.
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Developed and maintained by Karl D. Uitti and his mentor Alfred Foulet from 1994 to 2003. An electronic archive devoted to Chrétien de Troyes’s Lancelot or Le Chevalier de la Charrette. Users can consult the readings and miniatures of each manuscript, the translation into English, and the editors’ critical edition.
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Celtic Arthuriana

Celtic, and particularly Welsh, Arthurian literature is an important witness to the early growth of the legend of Arthur. Many of the important texts are lists, fragments, or problematic compositions, and even the dating of many works is far from certain.

Studies

Padel 2000 is an excellent and concise overview. Bromwich 1983 is brief but essential. Davies 1995 and Goetinck 1975 are admirable contributions to our understanding of Welsh materials, and Lloyd-Morgan 2004 is a rich collection of solid articles, including studies of the Welsh–French connections among some texts. Maier and Zimmer 2001 is a useful examination of the Mabinogionfrage—the question of the relationship between the “Three Welsh Romances” and Chrétien de Troyes’s compositions.

Bromwich, Rachel. “Celtic Elements in Arthurian Romance.” In The Legend of Arthur in the Middle Ages. Edited by P. B. Grout, R. A. Lodge, C. E. Pickford, and E. K. C. Varty, 41–55. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1983.
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A succinct presentation of the author’s views (developed in greater detail elsewhere) that the foundation of the Arthurian legend was located in Celtic tradition. Bromwich concluded that Arthurian names and themes derive from Celtic sources but enter Continental lore separately.
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Davies, Sioned. Crefft y Cyfarwydd. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1995.
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A major study; investigates techniques of oral composition in Welsh prose texts, including the so-called “three romances” (that is, those that are related by theme to three of Chrétien’s French romances).
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Goetinck, Glenys. Peredur: A Study of Welsh Tradition in the Grail Legends. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1975.
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A valuable consideration of Peredur, one of the so-called “Three Romances” whose connection to three of Chrétien de Troyes’s romances is still controversial.
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Lloyd-Morgan, Ceridwen, ed. Arthurian Literature XXI: Celtic Arthurian Material. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2004.
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A collection of valuable studies of romance or texts related to French romances. See especially articles by Sioned Davies on Culhwch ac Olwen (pp. 29–51), Helen A. Roberts on Gereint and Chrétien’s Erec (pp. 53–72), and Lloyd-Morgan’s commentary (pp. 115–136) on the presentation and transmission—oral or literate—of Welsh texts dealing with Arthur.
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Maier, Bernhard, and Stefan Zimmer, eds. 150 Jahre “Mabinogion”: Deutsche-walisische Kulturbeziehungen. Tübingen, Germany: Niemeyer, 2001.
DOI: 10.1515/9783110951646 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
A collection of essays, by major scholars, on the Welsh romances that are sometimes considered parts of the Mabinogion and that are related, albeit in uncertain ways, to Chrétien’s romances.
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Padel, O. J. Arthur in Medieval Welsh Literature. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2000.
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A concise and authoritative survey of early Welsh texts that contain references to Arthur. Emphasis is on the nature and purpose of the texts and on the evolution of Arthur’s character. The author considers Arthur to be a folk-hero rather than a historical personage. Recommended as a fine introduction to Arthur in Welsh sources.
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Edition

Bromwich and Evans 1992 offers the standard edition of Culhwch and Olwen.

Bromwich, Rachel, and D. Simon Evans, eds. Culhwch and Olwen: An Edition and Study of the Oldest Arthurian Tale. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1992.
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Authoritative edition, accompanied by a substantial introduction and an encyclopedic section of notes.
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Editions with Translations

Bromwich 1998 is the revised version of her earlier edition of the Triads. Koch 1997 is an edited and translated version of Y Gododdin, the text that may contain the earliest reference to Arthur.

Bromwich, Rachel, ed. and trans. Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain. 3d ed. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1998.
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The definitive and magisterial work on the Welsh triads, which are groupings of three names, some of them Arthurian, recorded together as a mnemonic device. First published in 1961.
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Koch, John T., ed. and trans. The Gododdin of Aneirin: Text and Context from Dark-Age North Britain. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1997.
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Edited and English translation of Y Gododdin, a text—not a romance—that contains what is likely the first mention of Arthur. Extensive commentary.
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Translations

Ford 1977 and Gantz 1976 both offer excellent translations; the main difference, in practical terms, is the inclusion by Gantz 1976 of the three romances that are analogues of Chrétien de Troyes’s works.

Ford, Patrick K., trans. and ed. The Mabinogi, and Other Medieval Welsh Tales. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1977.
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Among the best available translations; authoritative, accurate, and readable. Ford omits several texts often published with the Mabinogion; excluded, among others, are the “Three Romances” that have analogues in the romances of Chrétien de Troyes.
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Gantz, Jeffrey, trans. The Mabinogion. New York: Penguin, 1976.
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A straightforward translation preceded by a helpful introduction. The volume includes the so-called “Three Romances.” Each tale is preceded by a brief but helpful introduction.
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French Romance

French, both on the Continent and in Britain (Anglo-Norman), offers by far the largest body of Arthurian romance that is extant in any language. The following is a very small sample, which should be supplemented by, among others, The Arthur of the French (Burgess and Pratt 2006, cited under Edited Collections of Essays: Collections Limited to a Single Language or Region).

Miscellaneous Studies

Kelly 1992 and Schmolke-Hasselmann 1980 are seminal studies, complex and authoritative. Baumgartner 1975 offers a penetrating analysis of the Prose Tristan.

Baumgartner, Emmanuèle. Le “Tristan en prose”: Essai d’interprétation d’un roman médiéval. Geneva, Switzerland: Droz, 1975.
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A thorough and masterly study of the cycle; subjects include manuscripts and variant versions, sources, the romance universe (love, passion, the pursuit of ideals, and death; followed by the interplay of tradition and creation), and finally a long study of narrative structure in the Tristan.
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Kelly, Douglas. The Art of Medieval French Romance. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1992.
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A study of French romance (not exclusively Arthurian) through an analysis of the commentary of the authors themselves. A densely but clearly written book; a monumental study, essential for those already acquainted with the romance form itself, whether in French or in general.
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Schmolke-Hasselmann, Beate. Der arthurische Versroman von Chrestien bis Froissart: Zur Geschichte einer Gattung. Tübingen, Germany: Niemeyer, 1980.
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A pathbreaking study that traces the evolution of verse romances after Chrétien de Troyes; offers important critical insights into those works (termed “epigonal” romances), Particularly significant is the perception that much of the literature (specifically Anglo-Norman) that has traditionally been considered French is actually English literature that happens to have been written in French. (Translated into English by Margaret Middleton and Roger Middleton as The Evolution of Arthurian Romance: The Verse Tradition from Chrétien to Froissart. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1998.)
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Chrétien de Troyes

Chrétien, considered to be the creator of Arthurian romance, has received far more critical attention than other authors have, even slightly more than Malory. In addition to the few titles given here, see also Busby 1980 (cited under Characters and Themes) and major portions of Burgess and Pratt 2006 (The Arthur of the French, cited under Edited Collections of Essays: Collections Limited to a Single Language or Region).

Studies

Frappier 1957 is a useful introduction to Chrétien. Kellermann 1936 is still an essential contribution. Lacy and Grimbert 2005 serves as a guide to the background, individual texts, and influence of Chrétien. Lacy, et al. 1987–1988 treats the art of romance and Chrétien’s works in some detail. Maddox 1991 is an elegant analysis of the romances as a corpus or loose cycle.

Frappier, Jean. Chrétien de Troyes, l’homme et l’œuvre. Paris: Hatier-Boivin, 1957.
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Though dated in its approach, this has long been the standard introduction to Chrétien (a new edition was published in 1968); it is still a useful guide for anyone coming new to the subject. (Translation by Raymond J. Cormier published as Chrétien de Troyes: The Man and His Work. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 1982.)
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Kellermann, Wilhelm. Aufbaustil und weltbild Chrestiens von Troyes im Percevalroman. Halle, Germany: Niemeyer, 1936.
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A pioneering study, the first to examine both the structure of Chrétien’s romance and the way in which that structure reveals motivation.
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Kelly, Douglas, ed. The Romances of Chrétien de Troyes: A Symposium. Lexington, KY: French Forum, 1985.
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Following Kelly’s extended and excellent introduction to Chrétien’s narrative art, invited scholars offer a substantial essay on each of Chrétien’s Arthurian romances, after which Alfred Foulet adds commentary on editing the Lancelot and on Chrétien’s debt to the Alexandre décasyllabique.
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Lacy, Norris J., and Joan Tasker Grimbert, eds. A Companion to Chrétien de Troyes. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2005.
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The central section of this book offers a major essay on each of Chrétien’s works. That section is preceded by essays on his background, poetics, manuscripts, and editions; the concluding portion deals with his influence, including the “Continuations” of his Grail romance.
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Lacy, Norris J., Douglas Kelly, and Keith Busby, eds. The Legacy of Chrétien de Troyes. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1987–1988.
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The ten chapters of volume 1 treat characters, typology, the author’s voice, narrative techniques, the art of description, etc. Volume 2 is a miscellany, with seventeen major scholars treating intertexuality and Chrétien’s influence both within French romance and on other literatures.
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Maddox, Donald. The Arthurian Romances of Chrétien de Troyes: Once and Future Fictions. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511895852 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
Studies Chrétien’s Arthurian works as a corpus, identifying elements, such as customs, that impart a sense of unity to the five texts.
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Editions

Both Busby 1993 and Gregory and Luttrell 1993 are model editions of Arthurian texts.

Busby, Keith, ed. Le roman de Perceval; ou, Le conte du Graal. By Chrétien de Troyes. Tübingen, Germany: Niemeyer, 1993.
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A superb critical edition. After an eighty-page introduction, the edition, based on all manuscripts, is followed by appendixes consisting of the texts of seven interpolations into various manuscripts. Exhaustive textual notes, an index of names, and a useful glossary.
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Gregory, Stewart, and Claude Luttrell, eds. Cligés. By Chrétien de Troyes. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1993.
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An authoritative edition, accompanied by extensive lists of variants and rejected readings, extensive notes, an index of names, and a glossary.
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Editions with Translations

Poirion 1994 and Zink 1994 are both reliable editions with accurate translations. Both include not only the Arthurian romances but also Chrétien’s non-Arthurian works.

Poirion, Daniel, ed. Œuvres complètes. By Chrétien de Troyes. Paris: Gallimard, 1994.
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Texts and French translations of all the works attributed to Chrétien. The volume emphasizes the modern French, printed in a single column with a normal font; the Old French edition is beneath it in two columns, in a very small font. Various translators.
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Zink, Michel, gen. ed. Romans. By Chrétien de Troyes. Paris: Le Livre de Poche, 1994.
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Editions and translations into modern French, in parallel columns. The romances are edited and translated by various scholars. Reliable work, reasonably priced.
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Translations

Many English translations of the individual romances of Chretien are available, but only two single-volume translations of all five of his Arthurian romances. Kibler and Carroll 1991 has been the standard, in part because of the reasonable price, but Staines 1990 is also a fine translation, which lacks useful notes such as those in Kibler and Carroll but includes William of England, a non-Arthurian romance often attributed to Chrétien de Troyes.

Kibler, William W., and Carleton W. Carroll, trans. Arthurian Romances. By Chrétien de Troyes. London: Penguin, 1991.
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Outstanding and reliable translations; volume includes useful cultural and textual notes. Erec et Enide was translated by Carroll; the remainder, by Kibler.
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Staines, David, trans. The Complete Romances of Chrétien de Troyes. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1990.
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Fine translations. Indexes list rejected readings, offer a relatively extended bibliography, and include a list of proper names. Does not include explanatory notes.
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Lancelot-Grail (Vulgate and Post-Vulgate) Cycles

A great deal of scholarly and critical work has been devoted to the Vulgate Cycle and, more recently, the Post-Vulgate. Some portions have been reedited in recent decades, translations have appeared, and criticism continues unabated.

Studies

Dover 2003 is an excellent starting point, and Kibler 1994 presents a number of useful studies of textual, structural, and other aspects of the cycle. Kennedy 1986 argues for both a cyclic and, especially, a non-cyclic Lancelot, whereas Bogdanow 1966 offers an analysis of a post-cyclic “Romance of the Grail.”

Bogdanow, Fanni. The Romance of the Grail: A Study of the Structure and Genesis of a Thirteenth-Century Arthurian Prose Romance. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1966.
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A study of the Post-Vulgate Cycle, a group of texts that contrast strikingly with the better-known Lancelot-Grail Cycle. Bogdanow would go on to edit the cycle from a number of sources, including manuscript fragments in Spanish and Portuguese.
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Burns, E. Jane. Arthurian Fictions: Rereading the Vulgate Cycle. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1985.
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An excellent examination of form, theme, and especially the function of conflicting narrative voices in the cycle.
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Dover, Carol, ed. A Companion to the Lancelot-Grail Cycle. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2003.
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Some twenty contributions distributed over three sections: the formation and the constituent elements of the cycle; style, structure, and composition; and influences and adaptations in other languages.
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Kennedy, Elspeth. Lancelot and the Grail. Oxford: Clarendon, 1986.
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A thorough and detailed examination of the non-cyclic Lancelot (“Lancelot without the Grail”) in contrast to the cyclic version.
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Kibler, William W., ed. The Lancelot-Grail Cycle: Text and Transformations. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1994.
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Thirteen essays on the Vulgate or Lancelot-Grail Cycle, subjects treated include interlace, narrative interventions, and lexical problems. All but three of the essays deal directly with the French cycle; of those three, each treats the influence or adaptation of the cycle in Italian, English, and Spanish/Portuguese).
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Editions

Micha 1978–1983 is a monumental accomplishment and essential reading. Similarly monumental, though not a proper critical edition, is Sommer 1908–1916. Romances that are part of the cycle are edited in Frappier 1964 and Pauphilet 1923. Kennedy 1980 provides an admirable edition of the non-cyclic Lancelot, and Bogdanow 1991–2001 is the authoritative edition of texts from the Post-Vulgate cycle.

Bogdanow, Fanni, ed. La Version Post-Vulgate de la Queste del saint Graal et de la Mort Artu. 5 vols. Paris: Société des anciens textes français, 1991–2001.
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A masterly edition of these important texts.
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Frappier, Jean, ed. La Mort le roi Artu: Roman du XIIIe siècle. 3d ed. Geneva, Switzerland: Droz, 1964.
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Long the standard edition; the third edition includes an extended list and description of manuscripts. This edition’s disadvantage, significant for scholars but presumably not for most other readers, is that it records only a modest number of variants, whereas the first edition (published in 1936) included a full listing of variants.
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Kennedy, Elspeth, ed. Lancelot do Lac: The Non-cyclic Old French Prose Romance. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1980.
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An important edition of a non-cyclic version of the Prose Lancelot; according to the editor, it does not link to, or prepare for, the Queste del Saint Graal and Mort Artu. The theory of a non-cyclic Lancelot was initially controversial but appears to be largely accepted in the early 21st century.
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Micha, Alexandre, ed. Lancelot: Roman en prose du XIIIe siècle. 9 vols. Geneva, Switzerland: Droz, 1978–1983.
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Authoritative edition of the Lancelot, the large central romance that constitutes nearly half of the Vulgate or Lancelot-Grail Cycle.
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Pauphilet, Albert, ed. La queste del Saint Graal. Paris: Champion, 1923.
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Still the standard edition of the Queste; frequently reprinted.
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Sommer, H. Oskar, ed. The Vulgate Version of the Arthurian Romances. 8 vols. Washington, DC: Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1908–1916.
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A valuable work, though not a true critical edition. The text is offered in seven volumes (1908–1913); the final volume (1916) offers indexes. Reprinted in 1979 (New York: AMS Press).
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Translations

Lacy 1993–1996 is the most extensive translation of the cycles. Matarasso 1969 and Cable 1971 are accessible and economical translations of two romances of the Vulgate Cycle.

Cable, James, trans. The Death of King Arthur. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin, 1971.
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Translation of the Mort Artu; competent translation that suffers from the near-absence of explanatory notes (there are only seven for the entire text).
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Lacy, Norris J., gen. ed. Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Vulgate and Post-Vulgate Cycles in Translation. 5 vols. New York: Garland, 1993–1996.
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Translations by nine scholars, presenting the entire cycles in English. The set also includes a chapter-by-chapter summary and a full index of characters. Reprinted in ten volumes, with a few revisions and corrections (Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2010).
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Matarasso, P. M., trans. The Quest of the Holy Grail. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin, 1969.
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A fine translation followed by useful explanatory notes.
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Other French Romances

A large number of French romances, in addition to Chrétien’s and the Vulgate, have been edited or reedited, and the scholarly studies are numerous.

Studies

Taylor 1987–1988 is a pioneering study of later medieval romance. Vitz 1999 challenges received ideas about the composition and dissemination of romance, and Baumgartner 1975 is an admirable commentary on the huge Prose Tristan cycle.

Baumgartner, Emmanuèle. Le “Tristan en prose”: Essai d’interprétation d’un roman médiéval. Geneva, Switzerland: Droz, 1975.
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A perceptive commentary on one of the great cycles of romance, the Prose Tristan.
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Taylor, Jane H. M. “The Fourteenth Century: Context, Text and Intertext.” In The Legacy of Chrétien de Troyes. Vol. 1. Edited by Norris J. Lacy, Douglas Kelly, and Keith Busby, 267–332. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1987–1988.
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A major and influential study that examines 14th-century romance—largely neglected until then—and identifies the authors’ preoccupations and methods and the cultural and political climate that influenced them.
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Vitz, Evelyn Birge. Orality and Performance in Early French Romance. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1999.
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An original and important book; argues that romances owed more to oral composition and development through performance than is usually assumed by medievalists. Somewhat controversial for suggesting that Chrétien was not a clerk, did not know Latin, and might have been largely illiterate.
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Editions

There are two editions of the Prose Tristan. Ménard 1987–1997 takes up the Prose Tristan at approximately the point where the manuscript used by Curtis 1985 ends.

Curtis, Renée L., ed. Le roman de Tristan en prose. 3 vols. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1985.
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Critical edition of most of the so-called “old version” of the prose text. Volume 1 was originally published in Munich in 1963, volume 2 in Leiden in 1976, and both were republished along with volume 3 in 1985.
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Ménard, Philippe, gen. ed. Le roman de Tristan en prose. 9 vols. Geneva, Switzerland: Droz, 1987–1997.
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An impressive achievement; thorough edition by capable teams of scholars directed by Ménard. The text largely picks up the narrative where Curtis 1985 ends.
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Editions with Translations

Lacy 1998 offers parallel texts of the Old French Tristan works in verse; includes the short texts in addition to the romances by Béroul and Thomas.

Lacy, Norris J., ed. Early French Tristan Poems. 2 vols. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1998.
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Editions and English translations of the French Tristan poems prior to the Prose Tristan. In addition to a number of shorter texts, the volumes include the two romances: Béroul’s Tristran, in volume 1, is edited and translated by Norris J. Lacy; Thomas’s Tristran, in volume 2, is edited and translated by Stewart Gregory.
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Translations

Fedrick 1970 provides a serviceable English version of Béroul, and Curtis 1994 offers a truncated but valuable translation of the Prose Tristan. Régnier-Bohler 1989 consists of 1,200 pages of modern French translations of fifteen medieval romances.

Curtis, Renée L., trans. The Romance of Tristan. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.
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A one-volume translation of Curtis’s critical edition, with a good many sections summarized if they did not, in her view, “form part of the original prose romance” (p. vi).
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Fedrick, Alan S., trans. The Romance of Tristan by Béroul and the Tale of Tristan’s Madness. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin, 1970.
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A good (and inexpensive) prose translation, but unfortunately Fedrick limits the notes to this complex work to a single page. Thorough but somewhat curious introduction, including the author’s listing of features that will “baffle” 21st-century readers.
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Régnier-Bohler, Danielle, ed. La Légende arthurienne: Le Graal et la Table Ronde. Paris: Robert Laffont, 1989.
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Extended introduction, followed by translations of fifteen Old French romances into modern French; various translators. Includes texts from the end of the 12th century through the very beginning of the 15th century. An extremely valuable volume, especially for presenting some romances otherwise known only to specialists in the field.
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German Romance

German Arthurian romances are fascinating, in part because some are adaptations from the French, whereas others—Wolfram von Eschenbach, in particular—use but criticize French sources. In addition, German scholarship was until recently dominated by attention to Hartmann von Aue, Wolfram, and Gottfried; later texts were most often considered derivative or simply inferior.

Wolfram von Eschenbach

Both by the quality of his work and by the volume of scholarly work devoted to him, Wolfram stands out as the dominant figure in Middle German Arthuriana.

Studies

Poag 1972 is recommended to readers coming to Wolfram for the first time, and Hasty 1999 is a valuable work that elucidates a great many problems that readers will encounter in reading Wolfram. Groos 1995 is an elegant and indispensable study. See also Ruh 1980, cited under Miscellaneous German Romances: Studies.

Groos, Arthur. Romancing the Grail: Genre, Science, and Quest in Wolfram’s Parzival. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1995.
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A major contribution to the study of Parzival and by extension to romance narrative in general.
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Hasty, Will, ed. A Companion to Wolfram’s Parzival. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 1999.
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A collection of essays designed to introduce readers to the complexities of Wolfram’s romance, including the nature and function of the Grail (a stone), Wolfram’s narrative method, and the relation of the Gawan and Parzival sections, as they are reworked from Chrétien’s Grail romance.
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Poag, James F. Wolfram von Eschenbach. New York: Twayne, 1972.
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Extremely clear and useful introduction to Wolfram.
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Editions and Translations

Hatto 1980 is one of the standard translations; Edwards 2004 remains as close to the original style and syntax as English permits. Despite its early date, Lachmann 1926 (originally published in 1833) is still the authoritative text.

Edwards, Cyril, trans. Parzival, with Titurel and the Love Lyrics. By Wolfram von-Eschenbach. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2004.
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Very good translation, preceded by a perceptive and informative introduction treating Wolfram himself and the themes, style, structure, and sources of Parzival, including its problematic relationship with Chrétien’s Perceval.
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Hatto, A. T., trans. Parzival. By Wolfram von Eschenbach. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin, 1980.
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An accessible and economical translation; the relatively full introduction, along with a glossary of characters’ names, follows the text.
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Lachmann, Karl. Wolfram von Eschenbach. 6th ed. Berlin: de Gruyter, 1926.
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Has long been the standard edition. Originally published in 1833.
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Miscellaneous German Romances

Hartmann von Aue adapted two of Chrétien de Troyes’s romances into German, altering portions of them freely; Gottfried von Strassburg, a brilliant poet, developed the Tristan legend, but without linking it to explicit Arthurian themes. After the two of them and Wolfram, German authors presented diverse works, some imitating Wolfram, some following Gawan or other characters and themes. Until recently, later romances have not received the scholarly attention they deserve.

Studies

Gentry 2005 and Hasty 2003 offer useful introductions to, and readings of, their subjects. Haug 1992 is a masterly study of romance themes and the relationship of reality and literary imagination. McFarland and Ranawake 1988 and especially Jackson 1995 are valuable contributions to the study of Hartmann. Ruh 1980 studies the form of romance, and Schultz 1983 is a perceptive and broad study of medieval German romance. McDonald 1991 traces the merging of the Tristan legend with that of Arthur. See also Murphy 2006 (cited under Characters and Themes: Grail Studies) and most of Jackson and Ranawake 2000 (cited under Edited Collections of Essays: Collections Limited to a Single Language or Region). McLelland 2000 provides a major study of the early Lanzelet.

Gentry, Francis G., ed. A Companion to the Works of Hartmann von Aue. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2005.
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Excellent introduction to Hartmann’s works, both Arthurian and other. Emphasis on narrative art, on Hartmann’s background and knowledge, and the relationship of his Arthurian romances to those of his model, Chrétien de Troyes.
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Hasty, Will, ed. A Companion to Gottfried von Strassburg’s Tristan. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2003.
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Although not explicitly Arthurian, Gottfried’s romance is firmly connected to earlier Tristan works in which Arthur appears. This Companion treats cultural and social contexts, themes, Gottfried’s narrative art, and the reception of his romance.
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Haug, Walter. Literaturtheorie im deutschen Mittelalter: Von den Anfängen bis zum Ende des 13. Jahrhunderts; Eine Einführung. 2d ed. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1992.
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An essential study, originally published in 1985; considers the romance form and themes and emphasizes the relationship of courtly love to chivalric accomplishments. Haug also analyzes the connections (and sometimes the lack of connection) between fictional creation and reality. Translated by J. M. Catling as Vernacular Literary Theory in the Middle Ages: The German Tradition, 800–1300, in its European Context (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1997).
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Jackson, W. H. Chivalry in Twelfth-Century Germany: The Works of Hartmann von Aue. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1995.
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An excellent analysis of Hartmann’s works; focuses both on the texts themselves and on their place within the historical and cultural context of the period.
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McDonald, William C. Arthur and Tristan: On the Intersection of Legends in German Medieval Literature. Lewiston, NY: Mellen, 1991.
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Studies the relationship of the Tristan and Arthur stories, treating the process by which the cultures of each are gradually if not always comfortably merged.
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McFarland, Timothy, and Silvia Ranawake, eds. Hartmann von Aue: Changing Perspectives. Göppingen, Germany: Kümmerle, 1988.
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Fifteen essays on themes, manuscript transmission, genre, etc.; a major contribution to Hartmann studies.
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McLelland, Nicola. Ulrich von Zatzikhoven’s Lanzelet: Narrative Style and Entertainment. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2000.
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A fine study of the style and meaning of Ulrich’s romance.
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Ruh, Kurt. Höfische Epik des deutschen Mittelalters. Vol. 2, “Reinhart Fuchs,” “Lanzelet,” Wolfram von Eschenbach, and Gottfried von Strassburg. Berlin: Erich Schmidt, 1980.
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This volume treats individual works, in particular Lanzelet and Parzival, as well as Gottfried’s Tristan. In the process, Ruh provides a good deal of textual summary.
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Schultz, James A. The Shape of the Round Table: Structures of Middle High German Arthurian Literature. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1983.
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A wide-ranging study of German romance; deals with archetypes, transmission, style, and techniques. A useful section is an appendix with summaries of nine “less familiar” romances.
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Editions and Translations

Benecke and Lachmann 1968 (revised by Ludwig Wolff) is still a standard edition, as is Leitzmann and Cormeau 1985. Edwards 2014, Meyer 2011, and Resler 2003 are parallel texts in Middle High German and English. Edwards 2014 is a useful edition and a fine translation, preceded by a very informative introduction. Thomas 1978 and Thomas 1979 are the work of a very accomplished translator. Tobin, et al. 2001 has prepared an accurate and very readable text of Hartmann’s works.

Benecke, G. F., and Karl Lachmann, eds. Iwein: Eine Verzählung. 7th ed. Revised by Ludwig Wolff. Berlin: de Gruyter, 1968.
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Originally published in 1827 and later revised by Ludwig Wolff. Remains an important edition of Iwein.
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Edwards, Cyril, ed. and trans. Erec. By Hartmann von Aue. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2014.
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New edition with facing English translation.
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Leitzmann, Albert, and Christoph Cormeau, eds. Erec. By Hartmann von Aue. 6th ed. Tübingen, Germany: Niemeyer, 1985.
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A standard edition of Erec.
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Meyer, Kathleen, ed. and trans. Lanzelet. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2011.
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Parallel edition and translation. Useful notes and bibliography; includes an index of names.
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Resler, Michael, ed. and trans. German Romance. Vol. 1, Daniel von dem blühenden Tal. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2003.
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Edition and facing translation. Includes an index of names, in addition to notes and bibliography.
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Thomas, J. W., trans. Eilhart von Oberge’s Tristrant. Lincoln: University of Nebraska, 1978.
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A straightforward translation, preceded by a succinct introduction dealing with the author; his themes, motifs, and style; and the structure and humor of the work. Includes a few pages of useful notes, most of them bibliographical in nature.
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Thomas, J. W., trans. Iwein by Hartmann von Aue. Lincoln: University of Nebraska, 1979.
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The first translation of Iwein into English with a substantial introduction.
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Tobin, Frank, Kim Vivian, and Richard H. Lawson, trans. Arthurian Romances, Tales, and Lyric Poetry: The Complete Works of Hartmann von Aue. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2001.
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Translations of Erec and Iwein, in addition to Hartmann’s non-Arthurian works. Each text is preceded by a quite brief introduction, but copious footnotes offer textual clarifications and cultural information.
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Middle English Romance

Scholarship on Middle English romance is very much concentrated on the two greatest masterpieces of the period: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the work of Sir Thomas Malory. Others have been published by the Early English Text Society or other publishers, but the volume of scholarship devoted to many of them is relatively small.

General Study

Cooper 2004 offers an ambitious and rewarding study of romance (and other) motifs over four centuries.

Cooper, Helen. The English Romance in Time: Transforming Motifs from Geoffrey of Monmouth to the Death of Shakespeare. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
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Highly recommended, this study considers Arthurian and non-Arthurian romances over several centuries; following an introductory chapter on methodology, it devotes chapters to adventure, providence, magic (specifically, “magic that doesn’t work”), fairy entities, desire, women on trial, finding rightful heirs, and unhappy endings.
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one of the two great English masterpieces of Arthurian literature in the Middle Ages, the other being of course Malory’s Le Morte Darthur. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is often edited and more often translated.

Studies

Putter 1996 and Brewer and Gibson 1997 are effective introductions but are also important contributions to the study of the poem. Bowers 2012 is less ambitious in scope but is an entirely satisfactory introduction. Benson 1965 is an impressive analysis of the text.

Benson, Larry D. Art and Tradition in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1965.
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A major contribution to the field; offered a close and perceptive reading of the text, while establishing firmly the place of the poem within its romance context.
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Bowers, John M. An Introduction to the Gawain Poet. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2012.
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Informative and somewhat informal in presentation, this study offers running commentary on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the other texts attributed to the same poet. Suggests that the poet may be connected to the court of Richard II. Includes a glossary of terms and concepts and a relatively extensive bibliography.
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Brewer, Derek, and Jonathan Gibson, eds. A Companion to the Gawain-Poet. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1997.
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An impressively thorough and authoritative volume. Essays by major scholars treat the question of authorship, sources, gender, dialect, allegory, etc., as well as the “Materials of Culture,” i.e., geography, castles, feasts, hunts, love, and other subjects. A brief final section treats some post-medieval adaptations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
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Putter, Ad. An Introduction to the Gawain-Poet. London: Longman, 1996.
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Written primarily for students and general readers. The first chapter sets the poet in his cultural and historical context, and the second treats Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in detail, dealing in particular with “Romance and Realism” and with “Plot-telling and the Manipulation of Memory.” The remaining chapters concern the other poems attributed to the poet.
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Editions

Among the editions of the poem, Tolkien and Gordon 1925 (as updated) has until recently remained the standard, though Andrew and Waldron 2007 is quickly overtaking it.

Andrew, Malcolm, and Ronald Waldron, eds. The Poems of the Pearl Manuscript: Pearl, Cleanness, Patience, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. 5th ed. Exeter, UK: University of Exeter Press, 2007.
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An outstanding edition of all the texts in the Pearl Manuscript. Extensive notes and glossary. A prose translation is provided on CD-ROM.
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Tolkien, J. R. R., and E. V. Gordon, eds. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Oxford: Clarendon, 1925.
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The classic edition, still widely used and cited. The second edition was revised and updated by Norman Davis (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967). Succinct introduction treats sources, authorship, date, the manuscript, etc. The text is followed by very extensive notes, information on the language, and a full glossary.
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Edition with Translation

A number of serviceable translations are available. Borroff and Howes 2009 is thorough and admirable and includes the Middle English text. Also notable is the prose translation (on CD-ROM) accompanying the critical edition of Andrew and Waldron 2007 (cited under Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Editions).

Borroff, Marie, and Laura L. Howes, eds. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Translated by Marie Borroff. New York: Norton, 2009.
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An excellent presentation and translation; the translation is a revised version of Borroff’s earlier rendering of the poem (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: A New Verse Translation. New York: Norton, 1967). Detailed introduction dealing with language, meter, etc.; a section on criticism offers ten essays by other scholars exploring and interpreting various aspects of the poem.
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Malory, Le Morte Darthur

Malory is the only author of romance to whom almost as much criticism has been devoted as to Chrétien de Troyes. The bibliography is immense.

Studies

Among good introductions to Malory studies are Archibald and Edwards 1997 and McCarthy 1988. Field 1993 offers a great deal of information about Malory and his time. Much of Malory scholarship deals with the “rivalry” between Caxton and the Winchester manuscript; see, in this regard, Lumiansky 1964 and Wheeler, et al. 2000.

Archibald, Elizabeth, and A. S. G. Edwards, eds. A Companion to Malory. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1997.
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An important collection of articles treating the context, art, and reception of Malory’s work.
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Field, P. J. C. The Life and Times of Sir Thomas Malory. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1993.
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A masterly biography and study, the result of impeccable scholarship and unusual clarity. This volume, by the foremost Malory scholar, is unlikely to be superseded.
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Lumiansky, R. M., ed. Malory’s Originality: A Critical Study of Le Morte Darthur. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1964.
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Essays that argue for the unity of Malory’s work, opposing the view of Eugène Vinaver and others that Malory wrote distinct books—Vinaver titled his edition The Works of Sir Thomas Malory—rather than a single long romance.
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McCarthy, Terence. An Introduction to Malory. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1988.
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An initial section offers brief running commentary on Malory’s text, followed by sections that discuss Malory’s themes, style, characterization, methods, and originality. The final section deals with Malory’s identity. McCarthy discusses three candidates as author of the Morte Darthur but suggests that, ultimately, it is not important to identify the historical author.
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Takamiya, Toshiyuki, and Derek Brewer, eds. Aspects of Malory. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1981.
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Offers a survey of scholarship (as of the early 1980s), as well as important essays on Malory’s sources, the textual tradition of his work, and the sequence of the tales.
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Wheeler, Bonnie, Robert L. Kindrick, and Michael N. Salda, eds. The Malory Debate: Essays on the Texts of Le Morte Darthur. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2000.
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Fifteen chapters and an afterword explore the controversy that has ensued since the discovery and 1947 publication of the Winchester manuscript. Discusses problems of editing (including the choice of base text) and the treatment of particular episodes by either the Winchester or the Caxton version.
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Editions

Field 2013 and Vinaver 1990 are admirable editions based on the Winchester manuscript; Caxton’s version is ably edited by Spisak and Matthews 1983.

Field, P. J. C., ed. Le Morte Darthur: Sir Thomas Malory. 2 vols. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2013.
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Doubtless the definitive edition of Malory; essential. A true critical edition, largely based on the Winchester manuscript but with emendations where the manuscript reading is inadequate or erroneous and where Caxton, in particular, offers a superior reading.
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Spisak, James W., and William Matthews, eds. Caxton’s Malory: A New Edition of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Mort d’Arthur Based on the Pierpont Morgan Copy of William Caxton’s Edition of 1485. 2 vols. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1983.
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A major edition. Volume 1 includes the complete text and some twenty illustrations; volume 2 consists of extensive notes and critical apparatus.
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Vinaver, Eugène, ed. The Works of Sir Thomas Malory. 3d ed. Revised by P. J. C. Field. 3 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.
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A masterly edition, based on the Winchester manuscript; very extensive notes and critical apparatus. Revolutionary for the plural, Works, in the title, suggesting that Malory wrote eight distinct romances. The original edition was published in 1947. In 1954, a version of the edition was published in one volume, with full text but reduced notes and apparatus. As noted, the third edition was revised by Field.
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Translations

A number of acceptable translations are available, either excerpts or complete texts, either Winchester or Caxton. Armstrong 2009 capably translates from the Winchester manuscript; Malory 1970 is a fine translation of Caxton.

Armstrong, Dorsey, ed. and trans. Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur: A New English Translation Based on the Winchester Manuscript. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor Press, 2009.
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A fluent and engaging translation. A useful feature offers the page numbers from both the Vinaver edition and Caxton’s print that correspond to the contents in Armstrong’s version.
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Malory, Sir Thomas. Le Morte Darthur. 2 vols. Edited by Janet Cowen. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin, 1970.
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Affordable and accurate; an excellent translation, with a substantial introduction by John Lawlor.
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Miscellaneous Romances, Edited

A good number of Middle English romances, other than Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Malory’s Works, have been edited and translated, and two of them—Benson 1994 and Hamel 1984—are crucial steps leading to Malory.

Benson, Larry D., ed. King Arthur’s Death: The Middle English Stanzaic Morte Arthur and Alliterative Morte Arthure. Revised by Edward E. Foster. Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 1994.
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An important edition that stimulated a good deal of research by other scholars on these two romances.
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Hamel, Mary, ed. Morte Arthure: A Critical Edition. New York: Garland, 1984.
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An excellent edition of the alliterative Morte Arthure, preceded by a very full introduction (nearly one hundred pages) treating all aspects of the work.
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Norse Romance

Norse romance has not always had the critical attention it deserves, in large part because much of it is derived from the French romance tradition, but also because it has most often been considered inferior to indigenous Norse epics. Those views have begun to change, especially since the publication of Kalinke 1981 (cited under Studies).

Studies

Schlauch 1934 was an influential study, and Kalinke 1981 is indispensable. Rikhardsdottir and Eriksen 2013 provides an excellent account of scholarship on romances of the North, and Wolf and Busby 2012 presents essays that advance the critical field.

Kalinke, Marianne E. King Arthur, North-by-Northwest. Copenhagen: Reitzel, 1981.
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A seminal study of Norse-Icelandic Arthurian texts; one of the pioneering contributions to the field.
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Rikhardsdottir, Sif, and Stefka G. Eriksen. “État présent: Arthurian Literature in the North.” Journal of the International Arthurian Society 1.1 (2013): 3–28.
DOI: 10.1515/jias-2013-0001 Save Citation »Export Citation » Share Citation »
Surveys the present state of scholarship on Norse-Icelandic romance and suggests scholarly desiderata. Particularly useful are an appended list of the manuscripts transmitting Norse Arthuriana and a full bibliography of editions and translations of that material.
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Schlauch, Margaret. Romance in Iceland. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1934.
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Though dated, still a very important study of Arthuriana in Iceland.
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Wolf, Kirsten, and Keith Busby, eds. Special Issue: Old Norse-Icelandic Arthurian Literature. Arthuriana 22.1 (2012).
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A selection of papers presented at a conference (held at the University of Wisconsin). Following an introduction by the editors, the volume offers seven articles including studies of the Parcevals saga and the Tristram material.
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Editions with Translation

Three volumes edited by Kalinke (Kalinke 1999a, Kalinke 1999b, and Kalinke 1999c) provide critical editions and facing translations of Norse-Icelandic romance (and of the single Swedish romance).

Kalinke, Marianne E., ed. Norse Romance. Vol. 1, The Tristan Legend. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1999a.
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Editions with facing translations of Geiterlauf, Janual, and Tristrams kvœði (edited and translated by Robert Cook), Tristrams saga ok Ísöndar (edited and translated by Peter Jorgensen), and Saga af Tristram ok Ísodd (edited by Peter Jorgensen and translated by Joyce Hill).
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Kalinke, Marianne E., ed. Norse Romance. Vol. 2, Knights of the Round Table. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1999b.
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Contains editions and translations of Möttuls saga, Ívens saga, and Erex saga (edited and translated by Marianne Kalinke), Parcevals saga with Valvens þättr (edited by Kirsten Wolf and translated by Helen Maclean), and Skikkju rímur (edited and translated by Matthew Driscoll).
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Kalinke, Marianne E., ed. Norse Romance. Vol. 3, Hærra Ivan. Edited and translated by Henrik Williams and Karin Palmgren. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1999c.
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This text is the only medieval Swedish Arthurian romance.
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Translation

Blaisdell and Kalinke 1977 is an outstanding presentation of two Old Norse texts that are analogues of two of Chrétien’s Arthurian romances.

Blaisdell, Foster W., and Marianne E. Kalinke, trans. Erex saga and Ívens saga: The Old Norse Versions of Chrétien De Troyes’s Erec and Yvain. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1977.
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Excellent study and translation of Old Norse versions of Chrétien de Troyes’s Erec and Yvain.
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Middle Dutch Romance

Middle Dutch Arthurian literature is fascinating for both its quality and its idiosyncrasies. A number of the extant texts are adaptations or translations; these include the huge Lancelot-compilatie, a translation into verse of the French Vulgate Cycle, though one of the two Dutch volumes is no longer extant. There has been increased critical interest in Dutch Arthuriana in recent years, particularly because Dutch scholarship has been presented increasingly in English.

Studies

Besamusca 1999 is a collection of articles devoted to the Compilatie; Besamusca and Kooper 1999 offers eleven essays devoted to the Roman van Walewein, the masterpiece of Middle Dutch Arthurian literature (“Walewein” is the Dutch name of Gawain).

Besamusca, Bart, ed. Jeesten van rouwen ende van feesten. Hilversum, The Netherlands: Verloren, 1999.
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Eight chapters, by the editor and a half-dozen other scholars of Middle Dutch literature, on aspects of the Middle Dutch Lancelotcompilatie —of the cycle itself and of certain of the romances inserted into it.
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Besamusca, Bart. The Book of Lancelot: The Middle Dutch Lancelot Compilation and the Medieval Tradition of Narrative Cycles. Translated by Thea Summerfield. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2003.
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An authoritative analysis of the Dutch Lancelot compilation, including the nature and function of the romances interpolated into the cycle. Overarching focus on the notion and nature of cyclicity.
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Besamusca, Bart, and Erik Kooper, eds. Originality and Tradition in the Middle Dutch Roman van Walewein. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 1999.
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This is a standalone version of volume 17 of Arthurian Literature (cited under Periodicals: Current Periodicals), presenting eleven essays by major medievalists, most of whom are not primarily Netherlandists.
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Claassens, Geert H. M., and David F. Johnson, eds. King Arthur in the Medieval Low Countries. Leuven, Belgium: Leuven University Press, 2000.
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An introduction to Arthuriana in the Low Countries, followed by a dozen essays on various texts and problems; a very useful appendix summarizes fifteen Middle Dutch romances.
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Editions with Translation

Johnson and Claassens have published three volumes of Middle Dutch material in editions and facing English translations (Johnson and Claassens 2000a, Johnson and Claassens 2000b, and Johnson and Claassens 2003). Additional volumes are in progress.

Johnson, David F., and Geert H. M. Claassens, eds. Dutch Romances. Vol. 1, Roman van Walewein. By Penninc and Pieter Vostaert. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2000a.
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In addition to parallel texts—Middle Dutch and English—the volume includes a list of annotated emendations. A second appendix prints the text of the Ghent fragment corresponding to lines 7877–8074 and 9075–9273 in the edition.
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Johnson, David F., and Geert H. M. Claassens, eds. Dutch Romances. Vol. 2, Ferguut. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2000b.
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Brief but informative introduction followed by the Dutch edition and facing English translation. Closes with notes, an index of names, and bibliography.
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Johnson, David F., and Geert H. M. Claassens, eds. Dutch Romances. Vol. 3, Five Romances from the Lancelot Compilation. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2003.
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Editions with facing English translations of “Die Wrake van Ragisel,” “Die Riddere metter mouwen,” “Walewein ende Keye,” “Lanceloet en het hert met de witte voet,” and “Torec.”
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Hispanic Romance

Hispanic Arthurian romance has not always received the attention it merits, in part because much of the material consists of translations of French texts. That material is invaluable, as witness its use by Bogdanow 1991–2001 (cited under Editions). See also Sharrer 1977 (cited under Reference Tools: Bibliographies: Specialized Bibliographies).

Studies

Entwistle 1925 remains the only full-scale treatment of Peninsular Arthuriana. Lida de Malkiel 1959 gives a useful overview, and Megale 1986 treats questions of narrative structure. Williamson 1984 deals with the Quixote’s place within the romance genre.

Entwistle, William J. The Arthurian Legend in the Literatures of the Spanish Peninsula. London: Dent, 1925.
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Reprinted in 1975 (New York: Phaeton), this is still a useful history, despite the discoveries and reinterpretations of more recent years.
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Lida de Malkiel, María Rosa. “Arthurian Literature in Spain and Portugal.” In Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages. Edited by Roger Sherman Loomis, 406–418. Oxford: Clarendon, 1959.
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Remains an authoritative overview of Hispanic Arthuriana.
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Megale, Heitor. “In Search of the Narrative Structure of A Demanda do Santo Graal.” Arthurian Interpretations 1 (1986): 26–34.
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A brief article that seeks to define the structure of the Spanish Quest.
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Williamson, Edwin. The Halfway House of Fiction: Don Quixote and Arthurian Romance. Oxford: Clarendon, 1984.
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An important study that considers the relationship of Cervantes and his narrator to the characters and events of the text. Many critics take Cervantes’s text as one of the first novels, but Williamson studies its place in the history of romance, beginning with Chrétien de Troyes.
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Editions

Bogdanow 1991–2001 offers an edition reflecting the importance of Hispanic material in the transmission of Arthurian texts. Bohigas 1957–1961 edits a Spanish version of a text belonging to the Post-Vulgate.

Bogdanow, Fanni, ed. La Version post-vulgate de la Queste del Saint Graal et de la Mort Artu. 5 vols. Paris: SATF, 1991–2001.
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Reconstruction of a French cycle, but with the use of Spanish and Portuguese manuscripts.
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Bohigas, Pere, ed. El Baladro del sabio Merlín: Según el texto de la edición de Burgos de 1498. 3 vols. Barcelona, 1957–1961.
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Based on a translation of the Merlin romance from the Post-Vulgate Cycle, specifically a version of Robert de Boron’s French text.
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Translation

Asher’s rendition in Lacy 1993–1996 provides the only extended English version of the Post-Vulgate.

Lacy, Norris J., gen. ed. Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Vulgate and Post-Vulgate Cycles in Translation. 5 vols. New York: Garland, 1993–1996.
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A translation of the Post-Vulgate Cycle by Asher, including the English version of the Spanish and Portuguese material missing from the Old French, in volume 4 (pp. 163–277) and volume 5 (pp. 3–312). In the ten-volume reissue in 2010 (Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer), the translation is included in volumes 8 and 9. Volumes 4 and 5 translated by Martha Asher.
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Italian Romance

Arthurian material, including Tristan themes, in medieval Italy is abundant. Much of it is in lyrics, but also in romances, such as the Tavola ritonda.

Studies

Delcorno Branca 1998 offers a masterly and complex study. Kleinhenz 1975 is a perceptive examination of the Tristan legend in Italy, and Hoffmann 1990 offers an informative survey of much of the Italian Arthuriana. Gardner 1930 is accessible but seriously dated; it can be used with caution. A better source is Allaire and Psaki 2014 (cited under Edited Collections of Essays: Collections Limited to a Single Language or Region).

Delcorno Branca, Daniela. Tristano e Lancillotto in Italia: Studi di letteratura arturiana. Ravenna, Italy: Longo, 1998.
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A selection of essays, some new and some previously published but revised. A rigorous examination of texts themselves, their cultural contexts, and in some instances the ways in which readers’ tastes influenced or shaped the production of Arthurian works.
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Gardner, Edmund G. The Arthurian Legend in Italian Literature. London: Dent, 1930.
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Reprinted in 1971 (New York: Octagon). Still a useful book if used with caution. Some chapters deal with references to Arthur and with the “Arthurianism” of certain texts, but there are also substantial treatments of some major works, such as the Tavola ritonda and Merlin romances.
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Hoffmann, Donald L. “The Arthurian Tradition in Italy.” In King Arthur through the Ages. Vol. 1. Edited by Valerie M. Lagorio and Mildred Leake Day, 170–188. New York: Garland, 1990.
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A reliable and concise critical survey of Arthurian literature in Italy.
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Kleinhenz, Christopher. “Tristan in Italy: The Death or Rebirth of a Legend.” Studies in Medieval Culture 5 (1975): 145–158.
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Brief but authoritative study of the Tristan legend’s development and transformations in Italy.
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Editions with Translation

Allaire 2002, Allaire 2015, and Psaki 2006 offer scholarly editions and parallel translations; all are reliable and valuable. Shaver 1983 (cited under Translation) is not intended to be a scholarly volume but is a solid and engaging rendition of the original.

Allaire, Gloria, ed. and trans. Italian Literature. Vol. 1, Il Tristano Panciatichiano. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2002.
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Edition with facing English translation of this manuscript, which transmits, in Italian, parts of the French Queste del Saint Graal, the Mort Artu, and the Prose Tristan.
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Allaire, Gloria, ed. and trans. Italian Literature. Vol. 3, Il Tristano Corsiniano. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2015.
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Edition and the only English translation of this text, which is a seriously abbreviated version of material from the French Prose Tristan.
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Psaki, F. Regina, ed. and trans. Italian Literature. Vol. 2, Tristano Riccardiano. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2006.
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Informative introduction; edition with facing English translation. Although this edition was copyrighted in 1990, the translation is new with this volume.
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Translation

Shaver 1983 provides a useful and appealing English version of the Tavola RITONDA.

Shaver, Anne, trans. Tristan and the Round Table: A Translation of La Tavola ritonda. Binghamton: State University of New York at Binghamton, 1983.
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An attractive volume offering a translation that is somewhat uneven but entirely accessible; recommended for general readers, as well as for scholars without access to the Italian original. Divides the text into 145 short sections or chapters.
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Latin Romance

Although there are a good many important Arthurian texts in Latin (e.g., Geoffrey of Monmouth’s seminal Historia regum Britannie), only a few romances involving Arthurian subjects remain.

Study

Echard 1998 is an authoritative source for Latin materials, and Echard 2011 (cited under Edited Collections of Essays: Collections Limited to a Single Language or Region) treats romances as well as chronicles, saints’ lives, and other Latin texts.

Echard, Siân. Arthurian Narrative in Latin. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
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A study of Latin texts that incorporate Arthurian elements, those that refer explicitly to the Arthurian legend, and the few that constitute Arthurian romances themselves.
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Editions with Translation

Day 2005 is an update of her earlier translation, here presented with an edition of the Latin. Although not a romance per se, Geoffrey is too crucial to be omitted from this article, and Reeve and Wright 2007 offers a superb edition and English translation.

Day, Mildred Leake, ed. and trans. Latin Arthurian Literature. Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2005.
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Substantial introduction, followed by editions and translations of De ortu Waluuanii nepotis Arturi, Historia Meriadoci regis Cambrie, Narratio de Arthuro rege Britanniae et rege Gorlagon lycanthropo, and “Epistola Arturi regis ad Henricum regem Anglorum.”
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Reeve, Michael D., ed., and Neil Wright, trans. The History of the Kings of Britain. By Geoffrey of Monmouth. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell, 2007.
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Already the standard edition and translation of this seminal text.
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Arthurian Romance byNorris J. LacyLAST MODIFIED: 26 October 2015DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195396584-0188

Introduction

General Overviews

Reference Tools

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Comprehensive Encyclopedias

Specialized Reference Sources

Reference Guides to Motifs

Bibliographies

Comprehensive or General Bibliographies

Specialized Bibliographies

Periodicals

Previous Periodicals

Current Periodicals

Textbooks and Anthologies

Edited Collections of Essays

Comprehensive or General Collections

Collections Limited to a Single Language or Region

Characters and Themes

Arthurian Characters and Themes (Series)

Grail Studies

Gender and Sexuality

Manuscripts, Codicology, and Editing

Celtic Arthuriana

Studies

Edition

Editions with Translations

Translations

French Romance

Miscellaneous Studies

Chrétien de Troyes

Studies

Editions

Editions with Translations

Translations

Lancelot-Grail (Vulgate and Post-Vulgate) Cycles

Studies

Editions

Translations

Other French Romances

Studies

Editions

Editions with Translations

Translations

German Romance

Wolfram von Eschenbach

Studies

Editions and Translations

Miscellaneous German Romances

Studies

Editions and Translations

Middle English Romance

General Study

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Studies

Editions

Edition with Translation

Malory, Le Morte Darthur

Studies

Editions

Translations

Miscellaneous Romances, Edited

Norse Romance

Studies

Editions with Translation

Translation

Middle Dutch Romance

Studies

Editions with Translation

Hispanic Romance

Studies

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Arthurian Romance
by
Norris J. Lacy
LAST MODIFIED: 26 October 2015
DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195396584-0188