The Lancelot-Grail reader : selections from the medieval French Arthurian cycle

This work provides a single-volume condensation of the complete five-volume translation of the Vulgate and post-Vulgate Cycles of Arthurian romance. Like the original, this present volume is the work of a team of translators directed by Norris J. Lacy. It has been edited for students and Arthurian enthusiasts in general. Dating from early 13th century, the Vulgate Cycle, relates the entire course of Arthurian legend, from the early history of the Grail to Arthur's death. The five component romances written by an anonymous author or group of authors, are the Estoire del Saint Graal, the Estoire de Merlin, the huge Lancelot propre, the Queste del Saint Graal, and the tragic conclusion, the Mort Artu. The post-Vulgate Cycle, also anonymous, is a rehandling of the Vulgate material dating to 1230-40. The author attempted to impose a more homogeneous unity on the narrative by setting Arthur and the Grail at center stage, rather than the illicit love of Lancelot and Guenevere. This work has existed only in fragmentary form (in French, Spanish, and Portuguese) and has been largely reconstructed by scholars.