This story of the passionate, adulterous, tragic love of Lancelot and Guinevere is at once the perfect expression of 'courtly love' and its inversion. Lancelot, the heroic stranger in King Arthur's court, sacrifices all in service of his king, and yet also falls in love with Arthur's queen, the most beautiful woman in Britain.That this spotless knight, who repeatedly saves Arthur and his world from destruction, should be the fateful underminer of the king's self-confidence and, ultimately, a terrible weapon in the hands of Arthur's great adversary Galehaut, is a contradiction that has fascinated the Western mind for hundreds of years.The Arthurian legend that most of us know comes from Malory and "The Once and Future King". But there are also several books, including the thirteenth-century "Book of Galehaut", which gives a surprising and unfamiliar version. It is a double love story - the tale not only of Lancelot's love for Guinevere, but also the love of Galehaut, the Lord of the Distant Isles, for Lancelot.

About the Author
It is the achievement of Patricia Terry and Samuel Rosenberg, both seasoned translators of medieval romance, to tease out from the French sources the essential story of Lancelot, Guinevere, Galehaut, and Arthur, and, without distorting the original, retell it for today's readers. Terry has taught French and comparative literature and Rosenberg is Professor Emeritus of French and Italian at Indiana University, Bloomington.


Book Information
ISBN 9781567923247
Author Patricia Terry
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint David R. Godine Publisher Inc
Publisher David R. Godine Publisher Inc