Conjointure Arthurienne: actes de la 'Classe d'excellence' de la Chaire Francqui, 1998 by Juliette Dor

Abstract

454 Reviews Inevitably, the author has been faced with the recalcitrant problem of the defini? tion of 'Anglo-Norman'. If it is to have any objective value at all, the term can only be linguistic: certain traits, which do not appear consistently in continental texts, can be identified as Anglo-Norman. When applied to literature, the definition be? comes much more nebulous. What is to be done with authors of continental origin whose language does not betray insular characteristics, but whose activity has been exercised principally or exclusively in England, and whose works have been preserved in Anglo-Norman manuscripts? Convention has usually decreed that authors of this category have been excluded from the Anglo-Norman canon. Many texts of indisputably continental origin, particularly early ones, have survived only in AngloNorman manuscripts, and the bedrock of this manual is provided by a compilation of manuscripts; there is potential conflict here. Unsurprisingly, then, the definition adopted by Dean is extremely liberal, and the net is east very widely indeed. The manual embraces continental texts such as the Chanson de Roland, the Chanson de Guillaume, and other epics, and works of Wace, not to mention those of Marie de France. This of course is theoretically contestable, but pragmatically, it might be appropriate to adopt the point of view that you cannot get too much of a good thing, and the presence of this non-insular material will certainly broaden the appeal and, indeed, the value of the manual. The latter is beyond dispute. One is rarely given access to such a concentration of precise and accurate information, presented with such clarity and methodological rigour. This volume is a major contribution to our know? ledge of Anglo-Norman literature, and all scholars working in this field are deeply in the debt of Dean and all those involved in the realization of this remarkable project. University of Edinburgh A. J.Holden Conjointure Arthurienne: actes de la 'Classe d'excellence' de la Chaire Francqui, 1998. Ed. by Juliette Dor. Louvain-La-Neuve: Institut d'Etudes medievales de 1'UniversiteCatholiquede Louvain. 2000. vi + i25pp. ?22.31; 900 BF. This collection contains nine essays, the acts ofa colloquiumheld in Liege in February 1998 and associated with a visiting professorship held by Derek Brewer at this time. Ofthe essays, five are by leading Belgian medievalists, the 'Classe d'excellence', and four by invited outside contributors. Brewer himself starts offthe volume with a study of Lancelot in Malory's Le Morte Darthur, arguing that, notwithstanding the hero's late recognition of his own guilty action, he remains essentially the same throughout the work. The English note is continued by Elisabeth Brewer, who brings out well the important role played by women in Tennyson's Idyllsof theKing when compared with Le Morte, the poet's major source. Given the provenance of the volume, it is particularly pleasing to read the contribution by Geert Claassens on a short Middle Dutch Arthurian romance, Lanceloet en het hert met de witte voet. Concerned as it is with the significance of narratorial interventions in the text, Claassens's study has much wider implications than his subject matter might at first suggest. The remaining articles focus on French material, ofwhich two relate to Chretien de Troyes. Catherine Deschepper reviews the critical literature on Kay, a figureshe rightlyterms ambiguous, before examining in helpful detail the role played by the seneschal in the Conte du Graal. Delphine Piraprez revisits an old topic, the question of allegory in the Chevalier de la Charrette and in the Roman de la Rose, and succeeds well in presenting the notion that Chretien exposes the reader to the possibility of interpreting his work in a variety of ways. The role of Arthur's mother, Ygerne, in Geoffrey of Monmouth and in Wace, is examined by Martine Thiry-Stassin. She brings out ef? fectivelyenough the novel way in which Wace presents the character, but rather spoils MLR, 98.2, 2003 455 the impact ofthe article at the end with an over-hasty and sketchy examination of other female characters. Donald Maddox concentrates his attention upon the Bel Inconnu and upon the 'Fier Baiser' theme in particular. Of special note is the exploration of...