Wikipedia

Post-Vulgate Cycle

Post-Vulgate Cycle
Morgan le Fay gives King Arthur the fake Excalibur in a 14th-century copy of the Post-Vulgate Suite de Merlin
AuthorUnknown (self-attributed to Robert de Boron), probably an anonymous single scribe (speculated to be a member of the Cistercian Order)
LanguageOld French (originally)
SubjectMatter of Britain
GenreChivalric romance
Publication date
Estimated 1230–1240 (original version)
Publication placeKingdom of France

The Post-Vulgate Cycle, also known as the Post-Vulgate Roman du Graal[1] (Romance of the Grail[2]) and formerly as the Post-Vulgate Arthuriad or Pseudo-Robert de Boron Cycle,[3][4] is one of the major Old French prose cycles of Arthurian literature from the early 13th century. It is considered essentially a rewriting of the earlier and more popular Vulgate Cycle (also known as the Lancelot-Grail cycle), with much left out but also much added, including characters and scenes from the Prose Tristan. The cycle did not survive in its entire original form, but has been reconstructed from fragments in several medieval languages.

History

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The Post-Vulgate Cycle (formerly "pseudo-Boron" cycle), written anonymously probably from between c.1230 to c.1250.[6] based on the assumption it was either older than the Vulgate or derived from the same common and now lost original source.[7][8]

It did not survive complete, but in addition to Old French texts (of post-Vulgate Graal[4] and Merlin) pieced together from Huth and several other French manuscripts (explained below under § Structure and contents).[9][10]The remainder (post-Vulgate Quest and Morte) whose French texts only survived in fragments, has been reconstructed using Old Castilian (La Demanda del Santo Grial), and Galician-Portuguese translated fragments (A Demanda do Santo Graal).[11][14]

The Post-Vulgate Cycle borrowed material from the first version of the Prose Tristan, and in turn was soon partially incorporated in its second version.[13]

The Post-Vulgate itself (or at least its Suite du Merlin section[15]) was also one of the most important sources for Thomas Malory's much later Le Morte d'Arthur.[16][11][17] The Suite du Merlin was also later adapted into the Spanish work Baladro del Sabio Merlín [es] ("The Tale of Merlin the Wise").[16][11]

Structure and contents

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The work is divided into four parts, named similar to their corresponding Vulgate Cycle versions. It is an attempt to create greater unity in the material, and to de-emphasise the secular love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere in favor of the religious and spiritual Quest for the Holy Grail. As such, it omits great most of the Vulgate Cycle's Lancelot Proper section, making it shorter and much less Lancelot-centered than its source.

Instead, it borrows from the first version of the legend of Tristan and Iseult, including Tristan himself as a prominent character. It further distinguishes from the Vulgate by its more pessimistic tone, its darker portrayal of several major characters such as Merlin, Morgan, and Gawain, and its bleak ending.[18][19][20]

Neither the Post-Vulgate Estoire del Saint Graal[4] ("History of the Saint Grail"[9])[a] nor the Post-Vulgate Estoire de Merlin[b] differed significantly from the Vulgate version.[21]

Post-Vulgate Merlin Continuation

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But in the well-known Huth manuscript (Brit. Lib. Add. 38117[c]), the two works above (Post-Vulgate Estoire del Saint Graal and Post-Vulgate Merlin) were followed by the Post-Vulgate Suite du Merlin ("Post-Vulgate Merlin Continuation"), the first major departure from the source material.[9] A continuation to this was identified by H. Oskar Sommer who published it under a German title "Die Abenteuer Gawains Ywains und Le Morholts mit den drei Jungfrauen" ("The Adventures of Gawain, Ywain, and Morholt", 1913).[22][23] A further continuation La Folie Lancelot ("Lancelot's Madness") was published by Fanni Bogdanow (1965).[25]

In the English translation of the Post Vulgate, the first 72 chapters are covered by the Merlin Continuation, of which chapters 1–42 are from the Huth ms.,[d][26] and chapters 43–59 taken from Sommer's publication, chapters 60–72 from Bogdanow's publication.[27]

The fragment found by Bogdanow combines material from the Vulgate Lancelot Proper (otherwise missing from the Post-Vulgate Cycle) and the first version of the Prose Tristan to connect the events to the Queste section.[28] Some gaps are also filled in using other surviving fragments.[29][30]

Episodes peculiar to Merlin Continuation

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The Suite du Merlin (aka Huth-Merlin) adds many adventures of Arthur and the early Knights of the Round Table, and includes details about Arthur's incestuous begetting of Mordred not found in the Vulgate.[31][32]

Also in the Suite du Merlin there is the episode of the Dolorous Stroke, imparted on the Fisher King by Sir Balin, given as the cause of the Waste Land.[33][34][36] This of course elaborates on the "Grail Quest" as such given in Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, the Story of the Grail, where Perceval fails to mend the injured king on account of him failing to ask "The Question".[37][38] The task of the Grail Quest will be to mend the injury of the Dolorous Stroke,[34] and this task will be the theme of the Post-Vulgate Queste (cf. next subsection).

The episode of Arthur receiving the sword Escalibor (Excalibur) from the Lady of the Lake also derives from the Post-Vulgate Merlin (Huth Merlin[39]).[40][36]

Post-Vulgate Quest for the Holy Grail

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The Post-Vulgate Queste del Saint Graal ("Post-Vulgate Quest for the Holy Grail"[41]) describes the knights' search for the Holy Grail, which can only be achieved by the worthy knights Galahad, Perceval, and Bors. The Post-Vulgate Queste is very different in tone and content from the Vulgate version. Elements from the Prose Tristan (first version) are present, such as the character Palamedes and King Mark's invasions of Arthur's realm.

Its most complete version is the Galician-Portuguese A Demanda do Santo Graal. This part of the cycle has been repeatedly printed in Spain as La Demanda del Santo Grial.

Post-Vulgate Death of Arthur

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The Post-Vulgate Mort Artu ("Post-Vulgate The Death of Arthur"[41]), concerning Arthur's death at the hands of his son Mordred and the collapse and total destruction of his kingdom. It is based more closely on the Vulgate Mort but was rewritten with greater connectivity to the previous sections. Like the Queste, the P-V Mort is longer than the Vulgate version.

Modern editions

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  • Paris, Gaston; Ulrich, Jacob, eds. (1886). Merlin, roman en prose du XIIIe siècle, publié avec la mise en prose du poème de "Merlin" de Robert de Boron d'après le manuscrit appartenant à M. Alfred H. Huth. Paris: Firmin-Didot. pp. 61–64. (Tome 2)

The first full English translation of the Vulgate and Post-Vulgate cycles were overseen by N.J. Lacy.

  • Lacy, N.J., ed. (1992–1995). Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation. New York, NY: Garland. OCLC 26129837.
    • Asher, Martha tr. (April 1995). "The post-vulgate, part I, The Merlin continuation [Ch. 1–42]". Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation. Vol. 4 of 5. Introduction by Asher. ISBN 0-8153-0748-9. (This volume also contains Vulgate "Quest for the Holy Grail", tr. E. Jane Burns, and Vulgate "Death of Arthur", tr. Norris J. Lacy.)
    • Asher, Martha tr (May 1996). "The post-vulgate, parts I-III, The Merlin continuation (end [Ch. 43–72]), The quest for the Holy Grail [Ch. 73–157], The death of Arthur [Ch. 158–160]". Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation. Vol. 5 of 5. ISBN 0-8153-0757-8. (This volume also contains Chapter Summaries by Norris J. Lacy and Index of Proper Names by Daniel Golembeski; Samuel N. Rosenberg)
(Selections)
  • Lacy, N.J., ed. (2000). The Lancelot-Grail Reader: Selections from the Medieval French Arthurian cycle. New York, NY: Garland. ISBN 0-8153-3419-2.
(Reprint, in 10 volumes)

Explanatory notes

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  1. ^ It tells the story of Joseph of Arimathea and his son Josephus, who bring the Holy Grail to Britain.
  2. ^ Concerns Merlin and the early history of Arthur.
  3. ^ The lacuna in the Huth ms. are filled by a second copy in Cambridge Add. 7071, discovered by Eugène Vinaver in 1945.[9]
  4. ^ The lacunae filled by Cambridge Add. 7071, as aforementioned.

References

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  1. ^ Bogdanow (1966), p. 13.
  2. ^ Asher tr. (2010a), p. ix.
  3. ^ Bogdanow (1965), p. ix.
  4. ^ a b c Burns, E. Jane (1995). "Post-Vulgate Romance". In Kibler, William W.; Zinn, Grover A. (eds.). Medieval France: An Encyclopedia. Garland Publishing. p. 1418. ISBN 9780824044442.
  5. ^ Paris & Ulrich (1886), 1: lxix apud Bogdanow (1966), p. 222
  6. ^ Earlier hypothesis by Gaston Paris dated the Post-Vulgate Suite du Merlin as early as 1125—1230,[5]
  7. ^ Bogdanow (1966), p. 40.
  8. ^ Bruce, J. D. (1923) The Evolution of Arrhurian Romances 1: 479, n70 apud Bogdanow (1966), p. 222
  9. ^ a b c d Asher tr. (2010a), p. xi.
  10. ^ Victoria Guerin, M. (1995). The Fall of Kings and Princes: Structure and Destruction in Arthurian Tragedy. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-2290-2.
  11. ^ a b c d Asher tr. (2010a), p. xii.
  12. ^ a b Bogdanow, Fanni (1996). "Post-Vulgate Cycle". In Lacy, Norris J.; et al. (eds.). The Arthurian Encyclopedia. New York: Peter Bedrick. pp. 430–64326. ISBN 9781136606335.; New edition 2013, "Post-Vulgate Cycle", pp. 364–366.
  13. ^ a b Bogdanow, Fanni (2006). "IX. The Theme of the Handsome Coward in the Post-Vulgate Queste del Saint Graal". In Busby, Keith; Dalrymple, Roger (eds.). Arthurian Literature. Vol. XXIII. DS Brewer. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-84384-062-6.
  14. ^ Bogdanow[12][13]
  15. ^ Romance Rewritten. Boydell & Brewer. 2018. doi:10.2307/j.ctv1ntgs3. ISBN 9781843845096. JSTOR j.ctv1ntgs3. S2CID 240036368.
  16. ^ a b Bogdanow (1966), p. 12.
  17. ^ Norris, Ralph C. (2008). Malory's Library: The Sources of the Morte Darthur. DS Brewer. ISBN 978-1-84384-154-8.
  18. ^ Bogdanow, Fanni (18 October 2013). "The Evolution of the Theme of the Fall of Arthur's Kingdom". In Kennedy, Edward Donald (ed.). King Arthur: A Casebook. New York: Routledge. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-135-36720-6.
  19. ^ Kennedy, Beverly (2005). "16. Gawain and Heroic Knighthood in Malory". In Busby, Keith; Thompson, Raymond H. (eds.). Gawain: A Casebook. New York: Routledge. p. 289. ISBN 9781136783524.
  20. ^ Berthelot, Anne (June 2004). "3. Merlin and the Ladies of the Lake". In Goodrich, Peter H. (ed.). Merlin: A Casebook. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-36720-6.
  21. ^ Asher tr. (2010a), p. xi: "transcribing.. Holy Grail and the reworking of.. [Vulgate Merlin].. with no important changes."
  22. ^ Sommer (1913).
  23. ^ From B.N. [BnF Français 112
  24. ^ Bogdanow (1965).
  25. ^ From B.N. fr. 112, Livre III and B.N. fr. 12599.[24][11]
  26. ^ Asher tr. (2010a): Chapter "42. Arthur is Saved from a Poisoned Mantle by Niniane" corresponds to Paris & Ulrich (1886) 2: 248–254 (Asher's footnote, p. 218); then Chapter "43. Gawain at the Plain of Adventures" corresponds to Sommer (1913), pp. 19–33 where pp. 1–18 repeat the last part of Paris&Ulrich (Asher's footnote, p. 221).
  27. ^ Asher tr. (2010a): Chapter "59. Gawain and Morholt freed from Enchantment" corresponds to Sommer (1913), pp. 129–134 (Asher's footnote, p. 319); then Chapter "60. Gaheriet kills his Mother" corresponds to Bogdanow (1965), pp. 1–21 (Asher's footnote, p. 323).
  28. ^ Bogdanow, Fanni (2005). "II. Micheau Gonnot's Arthuriad Preserved in Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, fr. 112 and its Place i nthe Evolution of Arthurian Romance". In Busby, Keith; Dalrymple, Roger (eds.). Arthurian Literature. Vol. XXII. DS Brewer. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-84384-062-6.
  29. ^ Sharrer, Harvey L. (22 July 2010). "10. The Acclimatization of the Lancelot-Grail Cycle in Spain and Portugal". In Kibler, William W. (ed.). The Lancelot-Grail Cycle: Text and Transformations. Austin: University of Texas Press. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-292-78640-0.
  30. ^ Lacy, Norris J. (2008). "Introduction: Arthur and the Grail". In Lacy, N.J. (ed.). The Grail, the Quest, and the World of Arthur. Arthurian studies 72. D.S. Brewer. p. 4. ISBN 9781843841708. Galahad's.. assumption of the Perilous Seat ( upon which his name then appears) and his drawing a sword from the floating stone all demonstrate unambiguously that he is destined to accomplish the Grail quest
  31. ^ Translation. Asher tr. (1995) (repr. Asher tr. (2010a), pp. 3–6), "Ch 1. The Conception of Mordred; The Bizarre Beast".
  32. ^ Lacy (2000), p. xii: "in an incestuous relationship with his sister and engendered Mordred". Also Lacy (2010), p. 420: "From Ch 1. The Conception of Mordred".
  33. ^ Translation. Asher tr. (1995) (repr. Asher tr. (2010a), pp. 404–405), "Ch 20. The Dolorous Stroke"; Also exerpted in Lacy (2010), pp. 404–405.
  34. ^ a b Lacy (2000), pp. xii–xiii.
  35. ^ Bogdanow (1966), p. 11.
  36. ^ a b Bogdanow: "..such episodes as Arthur's begetting of Mordred.. combat with Pellinor, the obtaining of Escalibor from a hand in a lake, .. the tragic tale of Balaain.. story of Merlin and Niviene,..".[35][12]
  37. ^ Mahoney, Dhira B. (2014). "Introduction and Comparative Table of Medieval Texts". In Mahoney, Dhira B. (ed.). The Grail: A Casebook. New York: Routledge. p. 101. ISBN 9781317947240.
  38. ^ Lacy (2000), pp. xiii.
  39. ^ White, Richard, ed. (1997). "Huth Merlin (c. 1210–25)". King Arthur in Legend and History. Foreword by Allan Massie. J. M. Dent. pp. 261–269.
  40. ^ Translation. Asher tr. (1995) (repr. Asher tr. (2010a), pp. 3–6), "Ch 6. Arthur Receives the Sword Excalibur". Also appended in the Reader, Lacy (2010), p. 420: "From Ch 1. The Conception of Mordred".
  41. ^ a b Asher tr. (2010b).

Sources

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  • Bogdanow, Fanni (1986). "La chute du royaume d'Arthur: Evolution d'un thème" [The fall of Arthur's kingdom: Evolution of a theme]. Romania (in French). 107 (428): 504–519. doi:10.3406/roma.1986.1804.