The Historical Figure of Arthur in Wace's Roman de Brut

Abstract

In the Roman de Brut, Wace uses three historiographical parameters-linearity, genealogy and truth-telling-to frame his narrative in a consistent yet flexible manner. (VZ) In 1155, Maitre Wace completed the text now known as the Roman de Brut . Chronologically situated between Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia and the romances of Chretien de Troyes, it represents a pivotal text in the development of the story of Arthur, the first narrative retracing his life in the vernacular. With its often fanciful recounting of the 'historical facts' of Britain's past, its epic battle scenes, and its budding courtois atmosphere influenced by the political and cultural context of the twelfth century, Wace's text is neither historiography nor fiction. Many influences intertwine to make this a rich text, stylistically as well as thematically. The Roman de Brut recounts the history of Britain until the seventh century, situating the origins of its kings in the legendary myth of the wandering Trojans who, under the leadership of Brutus, arrived in the land of Albion and founded Britain. From Brutus, a long line of kings would descend, the most prestigious of whom would be Arthur. As the narrative's shining star, Arthur holds a place without equal, both in terms of the glory that comes with his numerous conquests and personal qualities and in terms of the amount of space he occupies in the narrative, with over a quarter of the text devoted to his reign. Given Arthur's status as focal point, many scholars have gravitated toward the portion of the text where he appears, examining Wace's contribution to the development of the Arthurian legend, especially as it relates to later romances.1 While there is much to be gained by considering the evolution of the Arthurian world from one text to another, the Brut is a rich and complex text that merits consideration in its entirety and for its own merits. Moreover, the historiographical nature of the Brut shapes Arthur's existence in unique ways, which are very different from later treatments of Arthur. Unlike in Chretien's romances, for instance, where the Arthurian world exists as an entity independent from an external historical reality, the Brut carefully retraces the entire timeline of the British past and situates Arthur in the context of an historical framework. In so doing, Wace embraces three important elements that guide his writing: Arthur evolves in a narrative that is a linear, genealogical, and truthful recounting of past events. Linearity, genealogy, and truthfulness frame many medieval historical narratives-Geoffrey and his predecessors also drew on historiographical tradition-and reflect the way that historiography was conceived at this time. My purpose here is to analyze how these three parameters shape Arthur's existence and our perception of him as an 'historical' figure in the Brut. I will consider how Arthur fits into the narrative as a whole and gives the text meaning, as well as show how Wace uses the historical framework to highlight Arthur's exceptional nature. In so doing, Wace creates a quasi-legendary perception of the king that will enable his myth to endure well beyond Wace's time. In the opening lines of his text, Wace explains the purpose of his writing: Ki vult oir e vult saveir De rei en rei e d'eir en eir Ki cil furent e dunt il vindrent Ki Engleterre primes tindrent, Quels reis i ad en ordre eu, E qui anceis e ki puis fu, Maistre Wace l'ad translate Ki en conte la verite. (vss. 1-9)2 [Whoever wishes to hear and to know about the successive kings and their heirs who once upon a time were the rulers of England-who they were, whence they came, what was their sequence, who came earlier and who later-Master Wace has translated it and tells it truthfully.] In this passage, Wace establishes his affiliation with the tradition of medieval historiographical writing by telling his reader that his will be a chronological, truthful account of a succession of important events, in this case, the genealogy of the kings and their respective reigns. …