Name: Perceforest: The Prehistory of King Arthur's Britain (Arthurian Studies)
SKU: DSBREWER-9781843842620
Availability: InStock

Perceforest is one of the largest and certainly the most extraordinary of the late Arthurian romances. Justly described as "an encyclopaedia of 14th-century chivalry" and "a mine of folkloric motifs", it is the subject ofrapidly increasing attention and research. The author of Perceforest draws on Alexander romances, Roman histories and medieval travel writing (not to mention oral tradition, as he gives, for example, the distinctly racy first written version of the Sleeping Beauty story), to create a remarkable prehistory of King Arthur’s Britain.
It begins with the arrival in Britain of Alexander the Great. His follower Perceforest, the first of Arthur’s Greek ancestors, is made king of the island and finds it infested by the "evil clan" of Darnant the Enchanter. Magic plays a dominant part in the adventures which follow, as Perceforest ousts Darnant’s clan despite their supernaturalpowers. He founds the knightly order of the "Franc Palais", an ideal of chivalric civilisation prefiguring the Round Table of Arthur and indeed that of Edward III. But that civilisation is, the author shows, all too fragile.
The vast imaginative scope of Perceforest is matched by its variety of tone, ranging from tales of love and enchantment to bawdy comedy, from glamorous tournaments to unvarnished descriptions of the havoc wrought by war.And the author’s surprising view of pagan gods and the coming of Christianity is as fascinating as the prominence he gives to women and his understanding of how the world of chivalry should work.
Because of its enormous length – it runs to over a million words – Nigel Bryant has provided a version which gives a complete account of every episode, linking extensive passages of translation, to make a manageable and highly readable version (including the previously unpublished Books Five and Six), of this remarkable and largely unexplored work.

Nigel Bryant has worked as a producer for BBC Radio 3 and as head of drama at Marlborough College. This is his fourth majortranslation of medieval Arthurian romance.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Manuscripts, editions and dates
Further Reading
Book One, Chapters I-LX
Book Two, Chapters I-LXIII
Book Three, Chapters I-LX
Book Four, Chapters I-LIX
Book Five, Chapters I-XLII
Book Six, Chapters I-LXIX

Product information

PartNumber	9781843842620	Brand	D.S. Brewer
Manufacturer	D.S. Brewer	Translator	Bryant, Nigel
NumberOfItems	1	ReleaseDate	2011-03-24T00:00:01Z
Item Weight	3.40 Pounds	ItemDimensions	6.69 x 1.69 x 9.61Inches
binding	Hardcover	Amazon Category	Books » Literature & Fiction » Classic Literature & Fiction
Amazon Category	Books » Literature & Fiction » Literary Criticism » Literary Movements & Periods » Arthurian Romance Criticism	Amazon Category	Books » Literature & Fiction » Literary Criticism » Literary Movements & Periods » Medieval Literary Criticism
Amazon Category	Books » Literature & Fiction » Literary Criticism » Literary Movements & Periods » Gothic & Romantic Literary Criticism	Amazon Category	Books » Literature & Fiction » Ancient & Medieval Literature » Medieval Literature
Amazon Category	Books » Literature & Fiction » Ancient & Medieval Literature » Ancient & Classical Literature	Amazon Category	Books » Self Service » Special Features Stores » Book Recommendations
EAN	9781843842620	ISBN	1843842629

Weight	3.40 lbs

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Perceforest: The Prehistory of King Arthur’s Britain (Arthurian Studies)

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