The Conte du Graal Cycle: Chrétien de Troyes's Perceval, the Continuations, and French Arthurian Romance (Gallica)

Chrétien de Troyes's late twelfth-century 'Conte du Graal' has inspired writers and scholars from the moment of its composition to the present day. The challenge represented by its unfinished state was quickly taken up, and over the next fifty years the romance was supplemented by a number of continuations and prologues, which eventually came to dwarf Chrétien's text. In one of the first studies to treat the 'Conte du Graal' and its continuations as a unified work, Thomas Hinton considers the whole corpus as a narrative cycle. Through a combination of close textual readings and manuscript analysis, the author argues that the unity of the narrative depends on a balanced tension between centripetal and centrifugal dynamics. He traces how the authors, scribes and illuminators of the cycle worked to produce coherence, even as they contended with potentially disruptive forces: multiple authorship, differences of intention, and changes in the relation between text, audience and book. Finally, he tackles the long-held orthodoxy that places the 'Perceval' Continuations on the margins of literary history. Widening the scope of enquiry to consider the corpus's influence on thirteenth-century verse romances, this study re-situates the 'Conte du Graal' cycle as a vital element in the evolution of Arthurian literature. Chrtien de Troyes's late twelfth-century Conte du Graal has inspired writers and scholars from the moment of its composition to the present day. The challenge represented by its unfinished state was quickly taken up, and over the next fifty years the romance was supplemented by a number of continuations and prologues, which eventually came to dwarf Chrtien's text. In one of the first studies to treat the Conte du Graal and its continuations as a unified work, Thomas Hinton considers the whole corpus as a narrative cycle. Through a combination of close textual readings and manuscript analysis, the author argues that the unity of the narrative depends on a balanced tension between centripetal and centrifugal dynamics. He traces how the authors, scribes and illuminators of the cycle worked to produce coherence, even as they contended with potentially disruptive multiple authorship,differences of intention, and changes in the relation between text, audience and book. Finally, he tackles the long-held orthodoxy that places the Perceval Continuations on the margins of literary history. Widening the scope of enquiry to consider the corpus's influence on thirteenth-century verse romances, this study re-situates the Conte du Graal cycle as a vital element in the evolution of Arthurian literature. Thomas Hinton isJunior Research Fellow in Modern Languages at Jesus College, Oxford. Table of Contents Introduction Narrative Aesthetic and Cyclic Formation Manuscripts, Memory and Textual Transmission Authorship, Kinship and the Ethics of Continuation Rereading the Evolution of Arthurian Verse Romance Conclusion Appendix 1: Narrative Summaries Appendix 2: Lengths and Dates of Texts Appendix 3: Manuscripts of the Conte du Graal Cycle Appendix 4: Full Contents of Conte du Graal Cycle Manuscripts Appendix 5: Arthurian Verse Dates and Manuscripts Appendix 6: Contents of Arthurian Verse Romance Manuscripts Bibliography A new study of the continuations to Chrétien's Conte du Graal shows their crucial influence on the development of Arthurian literature.Chrétien de Troyes's late twelfth-century Conte du Graal has inspired writers and scholars from the moment of its composition to the present day. The challenge represented by its unfinished state was quickly taken up, and over the next fifty years the romance was supplemented by a number of continuations and prologues, which eventually came to dwarf Chrétien's text. In one of the first studies to treat the Conte du Graal and its continuations as a unified work, Thomas Hinton considers the whole corpus as a narrative cycle. Through a combination of close textual readings and manuscript analysis, the author argues that the unity of the narrative depends on a balanced tension between centripetal and centrifugal dynamics. He traces how the authors, scribes and illuminators of the cycle worked to produce coherence, even as they contended with potentially disruptive forces: multiple authorship,differences of intention, and changes in the relation between text, audience and book. Finally, he tackles the long-held orthodoxy that places the Perceval Continuations on the margins of literary history. Widening the scope of enquiry to consider the corpus's influence on thirteenth-century verse romances, this study re-situates the Conte du Graal cycle as a vital element in the evolution of Arthurian literature. Thomas Hinton isJunior Research Fellow in Modern Languages at Jesus College, Oxford. Chrétien de Troyes's late twelfth-century Conte du Graal has inspired writers and scholars from the moment of its composition to the present day. The challenge represented by its unfinished state was quickly taken up, and over the next fifty years the romance was supplemented by a number of continuations and prologues, which eventually came to dwarf Chrétien's text. In one of the first studies to treat the Conte du Graal and its continuations as a unified work, Thomas Hinton considers the whole corpus as a narrative cycle. Through a combination of close textual readings and manuscript analysis, the author argues that the unity of the narrative depends on a balanced tension between centripetal and centrifugal dynamics. He traces how the authors, scribes and illuminators of the cycle worked to produce coherence, even as they contended with potentially disruptive forces: multiple authorship, differences of intention, and changes in the relation between text, audience and book. Finally, he tackles the long-held orthodoxy that places the Perceval Continuations on the margins of literary history. Widening the scope of enquiry to consider the corpus's influence on thirteenth-century verse romances, this study re-situates the Conte du Graal cycle as a vital element in the evolution of Arthurian literature. Thomas Hinton is Junior Research Fellow in Modern Languages at Jesus College, Oxford List of Illustrations vi Acknowledgments vii List of Abbreviations viii Manuscript sigla ix Introduction 1 1. Narrative Aesthetic and Cyclic Formation 29 2. Manuscripts, Memory and Textual Transmission 70 3. Authorship, Kinship and the Ethics of Continuation 111 4. Rereading the Evolution of Arthurian Verse Romance 163 Conclusion 218 Appendix 1: Narrative Summaries 229 Appendix 2: Lengths and Dates of Texts 244 Appendix 3: Manuscripts of the 'Conte du Graal' Cycle 245 Appendix 4: Full Contents of 'Conte du Graal' Cycle Manuscripts 246 Appendix 5: Arthurian Verse Romances: Dates and Manuscripts 250 Appendix 6: Contents of Arthurian Verse Romance Manuscripts 251 Bibliography 255 General Index 268 Index of Manuscripts 277 Introduction -- Narrative Aesthetic And Cyclic Formation -- Manuscripts, Memory And Textual Transmission -- Authorship, Kinship And The Ethics Of Continuation -- Rereading The Evolution Of Arthurian Verse Romance -- Conclusion -- Appendix 1 : Narrative Summaries -- Appendix 2 : Lengths And Dates Of Texts -- Appendix 3 : Manuscripts Of The Conte Du Graal Cycle -- Appendix 4 : Full Contents Of Conte Du Graal Cycle Manuscripts -- Appendix 5 : Arthurian Verse Romances : Dates And Manuscripts -- Appendix 6 : Contents Of Arthurian Verse Romance Manuscripts. Thomas Hinton. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes.