Postcolonial Fictions in The Roman de Perceforest: Cultural Identities and Hybridities by Sylvia Huot (review)

Abstract

reviews97 trace the various Arthurian references and thematic parallels. Occasionally, familiar works, like Catherine Christian's 7Ai Sword and the Flame ('primarily a historical reconstruction of Malory's tales, narrated by Bedivere,' 72) and Godfrey Turton's The Emperor Arthur ('"Historical" novel, presenting Arthur as "dux bellorum,"' 436), are paid scant attention. Conversely, those that have been overlooked by other researchers are given generous space: the annotation for Nicholas Gray's Sir Gawain andthe GreenKnight:A Play, which mingles traditional and original material, occupies twenty-seven lines. Where the compilers have not examined awork in the Literature section, as is the case of Edward Frankland's The Bear ofBritain, they provide only a very briefannotation or none at all; in other sections, they often list the secondary source for information on works not seen. Inevitably, a few items have been missed or excluded. One wonders why the 1991 edition of The NewArthurian Encyclopedia appears among rhe Sources Used, rather than the Updated 1996 edition which includes a supplement ofmaterial published from 1990-95; and why the next supplement (2001) is not mentioned, particularly since both compilers contributed to it. In these theywould have found omitted items, like Frederick Buechner's Brendan. A title index would have been welcome. Yet these are minor quibbles about a very impressive achievement. The compilers have carefully assembled a formidable amount of material, of particular value for the information it provides about the Arthurian element in works where it plays a minor role and in areas often overlooked. In an age of specialization, we need to be reminded of how widely Arthurian tradition has permeated creative endeavors outside our own particular field. While the Bibliography covers less material than the Annals (which starts in 1250) and gives less information about reprints, it is also much less expensive and offers excellent value, not only to libraries with limited budgets, but also to scholars and Arthurian enthusiasts. The compilers have served the Arthurian community well. RAYMOND H. THOMPSON Acadia University sylvia HUOT, PostcolonialFictions in The Roman de Perceforest: CulturalIdentities and Hybridities. Cambridge, UK: D.S. Brewer, 2007. Pp. 234. isbn: 1843841045. $85. While most French medievalists have likely heard ofPercefirest, the multivolume, late medieval story is rarely studied in the classroom. Editions are hard to come by, and because ofthe sheer length ofthe work, no one volume could contain all the stories—a bit like the Renart branches. Ironically, Perceforestis one ofthe touchstone medieval stories that scholars in other periods refer to, particularly in the areas of fairy tales (an original version ofthe Sleeping Beauty story is found within its pages) and early notions ofreproduction (the concept ofa child looking like an image a mother had in mind while the child was conceived appears here). A delightful advantage reading Huot's book is becoming familiar with the whole ofthe Perceforest story. The overall theme of the Perceforest saga is the revelation of a heretofore undocumented time in history when the Greeks, brought by Alexander the Great, 98ARTHURIANA ruled Britain. Linkingtwo ofthe three matièresthatJean Bodel claimed were distinct, Rome (Alexander) and Bretagne (Afthur), Perceforest develops a founding myth for England that certainly rivals that of its late medieval neighbors. A tale of conquest and colonization, Perceforest lends itself particularly well to studies of medieval notions ofculture and identity. Huot does a remarkable job oftaking rhis unusually difficult (incompletely edited, multivolume) medieval text and reading it in light of postcolonial theory. Her book is divided into three main sections. Part one, entitled 'Founding Myths: Nature, Culture, and the Production of a British Kingdom,' explores the mission civilisatrice brought by Greek kings Gadifer and Perceforest. Huot exposes fantasies that will appear in later colonial accounts of exploration and discovery, such as the notion that the indigenous peoples prove grateful to their conquerors for bring an end to barbarism, viewing the new arrivals as god-like in appearance and powers. Frequently compared to animals in Perceforest, the population ofpre-Greek Britain, like that ofNew World peoples two centuries later, possesses the capability ofachieving full human status ifand only ifgiven direction by the already-civilized Greeks. The chivalric code brings hope to the Britons: by mimicking their conquerors they prepare themselves...