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M. Nykrog, medieviste eminent, nous fait beneficier de son experience incomparable, en retracant l'histoire de la critique des romans de Chretien de Troyes : ce qu'on en sait surement - et c'est peu de chose - et ce qu'on en a dit - une bibliotheque. M. Nykrog en conclut que les textes de Chretien ont besoin d'une "cure de simplicite". Voici comment il fonde son jugement: "Dans le cas de Chretien on trouve une meme reaction depuis Hartmann et Wolfram jusqu'aux lecteurs du XXe siecle : les contemporains qu'on connait se sont livres a ce que de nos jours on appellerait une lecture interactive, intervenant pour eclairer, completer, encadrer; les lecteurs modernes analysent, demontent, interpretent et se battent avec lui dans tous les sens. L'on pense a la formule de Michel Leiris, 'la litterature comme tauromachie', seulement ici la 'minute de verite' se refuse a venir, le taureau reste toujours aussi guilleret sur ses jambes, et ce sont des matadors qui jonchent l'arene. La raison pourrait etre qu'il n'y a pas de reponse definitive, que le mot de l'enigme est l'enigme elle-meme; autrement dit que Chretien de Troyes est un romancier qui voulait etre et rester discutable. ... Read more

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Originally published in 1981, this book provides an interpretation of the five Arthurian romances of Chrétien de Troyes. It attempts to show the ways in which this most enigmatic and influential of medieval romance-writers reveals his ideas about man, society and God. The evolution of these ideas is studied in texts ranging from Chrétien's earliest known romance, Erec and Enide, through Cliges, Lancelot and Yvain, to the unfinished Perceval or Le Conte du Graal. Dr Topsfield demonstrates the importance of Chrétien de Troyes for the development of the genre of medieval romance, and the establishment of Arthurian material within the Western literary tradition. In this respect, the book will be of interest to all those involved in European medieval studies. ... Read more

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This co-written book challenges assumptions about Chretien as the author of a canon of works. In a series of lively exchanges, its five authors reassess the relationship between lyric and romance, between individuality and social conditions, and between psychology and medieval philosophy. The idea of 'logical time' is used to open up such topics as adventure, memory, imagination, and textual variation. Recent research on Troyes and on the political agency of women leads to the reappraisal of subjectivity and gender. Throughout, the medieval texts associated with the name of Chretien are privileged as sites where thought emerges; the implications of this thought are historicized and further conceptualized with the help of theoretical thinkers including Agamben, Lacan and Lyotard. This is a multi-stranded work whose dialogic texture interacts playfully with its decentered and decentering account of the Chretien corpus. ... Read more

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The Supplement builds on and completes the Chretien de Troyes Bibliography first published in 1976. Together the two volumes constitute the fullest and most complete bibliographical source now available on this major medieval author. Chretien de Troyes bequeathed a corpus of highly original and widely influential Arthurian romances. Indeed, his direct or indirect influence continued throughout the middle ages and beyond into modern times. The Bibliography permits students of medieval romance to quickly identify the areas in which Chretien scholarship has been active. Items are listed under twenty-two topics, with numerous sub-sections under each topic, and cross-references for items that treat more than one of the topics. The broad geographic and linguistic scope of modern Chretien studies is evident in items not only from western Europe and North America, but also from the growing body of medieval scholarship in eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Australasia. To ensure accuracy and completeness, the editor has been assisted by scholars competent in the many languages in which Chretien studies are now published, most notably in Japanese, Welsh, Rumanian, Hungarian and Polish, as well as by other scholars and librarians who generously provided assistance and information in finding items difficult to access. ... Read more

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Utilizes a method based on parallelism and juxtaposition to provide an analysis of Chretien de Troyes' romances. ... Read more

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Chretien de Troyes was France's great medieval poet--inventor of the genre of courtly romance and popularizer of the Arthurian legend.The forty-four surviving manuscripts of his work (ten of them illuminated) pose a number of questions about who used these books and in what way.In Sealed in Parchment, Sandra Hindman scrutinizes both text and images to reveal what the manuscripts can tell us about medieval society and politics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Superb
This is a wonderful book for scholars interested in "manuscriptology" - or looking at the whole manuscript. Hindman takes a next step where many scholars tend to leave off by looking at Chretien manuscripts that have been previously ignored, or barely studied. She analyzes them with social and cultural questions in mind, paying attention to clues about usage and reception.

The abundant images are great - and helpful! ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: Boston : Houghton, Mifflin; Subjects: Fiction / Fairy Tales, Folklore ... Read more