The Roman de Troie by Benoît de Sainte-Maure: A Translation (Gallica)

Benoît de Sainte-Maure's "Roman de Troie", dating to around 1165, is, along with the "Roman de Thèbes" and the "Roman d'Eneas", one of the three "romances of antiquity" ("romans d'antiquité"). These romances launched the plots, themes and structures of the genre, then blossoming in the hands of authors such as Chrétien de Troyes. As an account of the Trojan War, Benoît's work is of necessity a poem about war and its causes, how it was fought and what its consequences were for the combatants. But the author's choice of the octosyllabic rhyming couplet, his fondness for description, his ability to recount the intensity of personal struggles, and above all his fascination with the trials and tribulations of Love, which affect some of the work's most prominent warriors (among them Paris and his love for Helen, and Troilus and his love for Briseida), all combine to fashion this romance - in which events from long ago are presented as a reflection of the poet's own feudal and courtly worlds. This translation, the first into English, aims to bring the poem and the author to a wider audience. It is accompanied by an introduction and notes. Winner of the 2018 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award Benot de Sainte-Maure's Roman de Troie , dating to around 1165, is, along with the Roman de Thbes and the Roman d'Eneas , one of the three"romances of antiquity" ( romans d'antiquit ). These romances launched the plots, themes and structures of the genre, then blossoming in the hands of authors such as Chrtien de Troyes. As an account of the Trojan War, Benot's work is of necessity a poem about war and its causes, how it was fought and what its consequences were for the combatants. But the author's choice of the octosyllabic rhyming couplet, his fondness for description, his abilityto recount the intensity of personal struggles, and above all his fascination with the trials and tribulations of Love, which affect some of the work's most prominent warriors (among them Paris and his love for Helen, and Troilusand his love for Briseida), all combine to fashion this romance - in which events from long ago are presented as a reflection of the poet's own feudal and courtly worlds. This translation, the first into English, aims to bring the poem and the author to a wider audience. It is accompanied by an introduction and notes. Glyn S. Burgess is Emeritus Professor of French at the University of Liverpool; Douglas Kelly is Emeritus Professor of French and Medieval Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Table of Contents Introduction A Note on the Translation Outline of the Roman de Troie Prologue Part Causes and Effects Part The Trojan War Part Settling Scores and Surviving Appendix Notes on Some Commons Words in the Roman de Troie Appendix Manuscripts of the Roman de Troie Bibliography First English translation of an important twelfth-century romance, giving an account of the Trojan war and its consequences.Winner of the 2018 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award Benoît de Sainte-Maure's Roman de Troie, dating to around 1165, is, along with the Roman de Thèbes and the Roman d'Eneas, one of the three'romances of antiquity'(romans d'antiquité). These romances launched the plots, themes and structures of the genre, then blossoming in the hands of authors such as Chrétien de Troyes. As an account of the Trojan War, Benoît's work is of necessity a poem about war and its causes, how it was fought and what its consequences were for the combatants. But the author's choice of the octosyllabic rhyming couplet, his fondness for description, his abilityto recount the intensity of personal struggles, and above all his fascination with the trials and tribulations of Love, which affect some of the work's most prominent warriors (among them Paris and his love for Helen, and Troilusand his love for Briseida), all combine to fashion this romance - in which events from long ago are presented as a reflection of the poet's own feudal and courtly worlds. This translation, the first into English, aims to bring the poem and the author to a wider audience. It is accompanied by an introduction and notes. Glyn S. Burgess is Emeritus Professor of French at the University of Liverpool; Douglas Kelly is Emeritus Professor of French and Medieval Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Benoît de Sainte-Maure's Roman de Troie, dating to around 1165, is, along with the Roman de Thèbes and the Roman d'Eneas, one of the three "romances of antiquity" (romans d'antiquité). These romances launched the plots, themes and structures of the genre itself, which went on to blossom in the hands of Chrétien de Troyes. As an account of the Trojan War, Benoît's work is of necessity a poem about war and its causes, how it was fought and what its consequences were for the comabtants. But the author's choice of the octosyllabic rhyming couplet, his fondness for description, his ability to recount the intensity of personal struggles, and above all his fascination with the trials and tribulations of Love, which affect some of the work's most prominent warriors (among them Paris and his love for Helen, and Troilus and his love for Briseida), all combine to fashion this romance, in which events from long ago are presented as a reflection of the poet's own feudal and courtly worlds. This translation, the first into English, aims to bring the poem and the author to a wider audience. It is accompanied by an introduction and notes. -- From back cover Benoît De Sainte-maure's 'roman De Troie', Dating To Around 1165, Is, Along With The 'roman De Thèbes' And The 'roman D'eneas', One Of The Three 'romances Of Antiquity'. This Translation, The First Into English, Aims To Bring The Poem And The Author To A Wider Audience. Outline Of The Roman De Troie -- The Roman De Troie -- Prologue -- Overview Of The Plot -- Causes And Effects -- The Trojan War -- Settling Scores And Surviving -- Appendix I : Notes On Some Common Words In The Roman De Troie -- Appendix Ii : Manuscripts Of The Roman De Troie. Translated By Glyn S. Burgess And Douglas Kelly. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. Preface and Acknowledgements vii Introduction 1 A Note on the Translation 33 Outline of the "Roman de Troie" 35 THE "ROMAN DE TROIE" Prologue 43 Overview of the Plot 45 Part One: Causes and Effects 53 Part Two: The Trojan War 127 Part Three: Settling Scores and Surviving 367 Appendix I: Notes on Some Common Words in the "Roman de Troie" 415 Appendix II: Manuscripts of the "Roman de Troie" 432 Bibliography 435 Indexes of Personal and Geographical Names 453 Index of Personal Names 454 Index of Geographical Names 469