Description
Book SynopsisWide-ranging survey of a neglected but significant early German version of the Lancelot legend.Ulrich von Zatzikhoven's
Lanzelet, written around the turn of the thirteenth century, has long intrigued scholars both within and outside German studies: the only remaining trace of a Lancelot legend free of the adulterousaffair with Guinevere, it has been seen both as a precursor of classical Arthurian romance in Germany, and as a post-classical imitation, and attempts to interpret it have often run foul of its contradictions. This new study takesa fresh look at its place in the history of German romance, arguing that Ulrich placed his work firmly in the Arthurian romance tradition, adopting its familiar motifs, courtly vocabulary, and idealised knightly hero, but ratherthan presenting a hero who falls from grace (as did Chrétien), his Lanzelet is truly flawless from the outset. While the repeated episodes and adventures emphasise this aspect of Lancelot, they are also related in strikingly different narrative styles, which Dr McLelland suggests are not the result of authorial incompetence, but rather a source of entertainment, and a challenge to the genre as a whole. NICOLA McLELLAND is a Lecturer at Trinity College, Dublin.
Trade ReviewMcLelland's grounbreaking study will prove to be a reliable reference as well as a teaching tool for years to come. * ARTHURIANA *
A knowledgeable, lucid and interesting survey of the critical literature... the elaboration of her argument is devoted largely to ways in which she believes Ulrich's romance distinguishes itself from the contemporary 'classical' romance... McClelland's basic theses remain compelling and doubtless will help scholars read Ulrich's Lanzelet with new eyes. * JOURNAL OF ENGLISH AND GERMANIC PHILOLOGY *
A solid work of scholarship and analysis that contributes significantly to the understanding of Lanzelet. * SPECULUM *
Table of ContentsPart 1 The context and the problem: "Lanzelet" in context - source, author and the question of date, and reception; Ulrich and his narrator - prologue, reflections, appeals to the source and addresses to the audience; the problem of structure - variation within repetition. Part 2 Narrative style in "Lanzelet": defining style; the hero as a literary all-rounder - the first part of "Lanzelet"; a "post-classical" Arthurian hero - the second part of "Lanzelet". Part 3 The essence of a hero - a thematic analysis of "Lanzelet": "aventiure", "manheit" and "minne"; "gelucke", "heil", "soelde" and "wipsoelikheit"; conclusion.
