Chapter ARTHUR to Arvida of A by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Arthurian Romances.

King Arthur and the Round Table, a romance in verse (1096).

The Holy Graal (in verse, 1100).

Titurel or The Guardian of the Holy Graal, by Wolfram von Eschenbach. Titurel founded the temple of Graalburg as a shrine for the holy graal.

The Romance of Parzival, prince of the race of the kings of Graalburg. By Wolfram of Eschenbach (in verse). This romance was translated into French by Chrétien de Troyes in 1170. It contains 4018 eight- syllable lines.

Launcelot of the Lake, by Ulrich of Zazikoven, contemporary with William Rufus.

Wigalois or The Knight of the Wheel, by Wirnd of Graffenberg. This adventurer leaves his mother in Syria, and goes in search of his father, a knight of the Round Table.

Iwain or The Knight of the Lion, and Ereck, by Hartmann von der Aue (thirteenth century).

Tristan and Yseult (in verse, by Master Gottfried of Strasburg (thirteenth century). This is also the subject of Luc du Gast’s prose romance, which was revised by Elie de Borron, and turned into verse by Thomas the Rhymer, of Erceldoune, under the title of the Romance of Tristram.

Merlyn Ambroise, by Robert de Borron.

Roman desdiverses Quêtes de St. Graal, by Walter Mapes (prose).

A Life of Joseph of Arimathea, by Robert de Borron.

La Mort d’Arthur [d’Arthur], by Walter Mapes.

The Idylls of the King, by Tennyson, in blank verse, containing “The Coming of Arthu r,” “Gareth and Lynette,” “Geraint and Enid,” “Merlin and Vivien,” “Lancelot and Elaine,” “The Holy Graal,” “Peleas and Estarre”, “The Last Tournament,” “Guinevere”, and “The Passing of Arthur,” which is the “Morte d’Arthur” with an introduction added to it.

(The old Arthurian Romances have been collated and rendered into English by sir Thomas Malory, in three parts. Part i. contains the early history of Arthur and the beautiful allegory of Gareth and Linet; part ii. contains the adventures of sir Tristram; and part iii. the adventures of sir Launcelot, with the death of Arthur and his knights. Sir Frederick Madden and J. T. K. have also contributed to the same series of legends.)

Sources of the Arthurian Romances. The prose series of romances called Arthurian owe their origin to: 1. The legendary chronicles composed in Wales or Brittany, such as De Excidio Britanniæ of Gildas. 2. The chronicles of Nennius (ninth century). 3. The Armoric collections of Walter [Calenius] or Gauliter, archdeacon of Oxford. 4. The Chronicon sive Historia Britonum of Geoffrey of Monmouth. 5. Floating traditions and metrical ballads and romances. (See Charlemagne and Mabinogion.)

The story of king Arthur, of course, has been represented in sundry forms. There is an opera by Dryden, music by Purcell (1691); a play by Hathaway (1598); an heroic poem entitled Prince Arthur (1695), by sir Richard Blackmore, followed in 1697 by King Arthur; a poem in twelve books by Edward, lord Lytton; Idylls of the King, by Tennyson; Death of King Arthur, a ballad.

Arthuret (Miss Seraphina the papist, and Miss Angelica), two sisters in sir W. Scott’s novel called Redgauntlet (time, George III.).