merlyn
07-20-2017, 03:06 PM
Last year, I bought a copy of "The Romance of Perceval in Prose" (also known as the Didot Perceval) at a used book sale. (It was translated into English by Dell Skeels for University of Washington Press, and published in 1966.) It's an early take on Perceval and the Grail (after Chretien de Troyes, but presumably before the Vulgate Cycle - and apparently an attempt to conclude the Robert de Boron trilogy which began with "Joseph of Arimathea" and "Merlin").
It has two noteworthy features. The first, which I'd learned of even before I discovered this copy, is Merlin's departure. He doesn't disappear until after Arthur's final battle; once Arthur has been taken away to Avalon, Merlin gives a report to Blaise and Perceval (the latter now ruling at the Grail Castle as the new Fisher King), then announces that he must withdraw to a place known only as his "esplumoir" (there's been much debate among Arthurian scholars as to exactly what it is), at God's wish. A much later departure than the familiar Nimue version (and I confess that I like this take on the timing of Merlin's removal better and think it a pity that it didn't become the norm).
The second feature I did not learn about until I read the book. After the Grail is achieved, the "adventures" of Arthur's kingdom end. Arthur's knights, disappointed at having no more adventures to embark upon, plan to leave Britain for somewhere else (presumably a land where there are still adventures to be found). Kay learns of this and, alarmed, tells Arthur. To keep his knights on, Arthur decides to conquer Gaul, so that they'll have a war with much fighting to occupy them, leading into the wars abroad from Geoffrey of Monmouth, culminating in the Roman war with Lucius and Mordred's rebellion. This feels almost like the first hint of the concept that would reach its full flowering in T. H. White, that Arthur's kingdom would end (or at least, enter its final days) when the knights had run out of adventures.
These two elements alone make this book worth seeking out, if you can locate a copy.
It has two noteworthy features. The first, which I'd learned of even before I discovered this copy, is Merlin's departure. He doesn't disappear until after Arthur's final battle; once Arthur has been taken away to Avalon, Merlin gives a report to Blaise and Perceval (the latter now ruling at the Grail Castle as the new Fisher King), then announces that he must withdraw to a place known only as his "esplumoir" (there's been much debate among Arthurian scholars as to exactly what it is), at God's wish. A much later departure than the familiar Nimue version (and I confess that I like this take on the timing of Merlin's removal better and think it a pity that it didn't become the norm).
The second feature I did not learn about until I read the book. After the Grail is achieved, the "adventures" of Arthur's kingdom end. Arthur's knights, disappointed at having no more adventures to embark upon, plan to leave Britain for somewhere else (presumably a land where there are still adventures to be found). Kay learns of this and, alarmed, tells Arthur. To keep his knights on, Arthur decides to conquer Gaul, so that they'll have a war with much fighting to occupy them, leading into the wars abroad from Geoffrey of Monmouth, culminating in the Roman war with Lucius and Mordred's rebellion. This feels almost like the first hint of the concept that would reach its full flowering in T. H. White, that Arthur's kingdom would end (or at least, enter its final days) when the knights had run out of adventures.
These two elements alone make this book worth seeking out, if you can locate a copy.