The Romance of Tristan and Iseult

by Joseph Bédier

Book Overview

"A powerful rendition, an incomparable tale." -- The New York Times
"Definitely a book to preserve and cherish." -- Chicago Sun
"The first complete English edition, brilliantly translated. Throughout it retains the beauty and sense of fatality that have made it one of legendary literature's most fascinating tales." -- Time
This immortal tale from the Age of Chivalry concerns the doomed love between a knight and a princess...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486440192
• ISBN13: 9780486440194
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 89 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Romance

A fairy tale, mideavel romance with a dragon, a giant, love potion, murder, deciet, love, loyalty, honor, etc. This translation is beautiful. It reads like butter.

The Endless Quest...

Ever wonder why we are consumed with being "in love", having that passionate lust, courting endlessly for the unattainable blissful love? Tristan and Isuelt is where it all began, with more that 1,000 European versions from Brittany to France. This book is a captivating mystical story about the passionate side of love. Tristan, (meaning the child of sadness) a Nobel hero and Isuelt, the Irish Princess, engage in a love that is so intoxicating and absolute. After consuming a "love" potion, the two spend all their energies on being together, facing various barriers they overcome to attain the pre-destined love. This book demonstrates that the positive thing in love is self-transcending - takes you beyond yourself and gives meaning to your life. Maybe somewhat obsessive and short in duration, but deep and exhilarating, larger than the self. When love ends it's remembered as a magical interlude, permanently in the memory of the mind which constantly plays back. This version by Bedier and Belloc is an exciting, hi-paced read, that will make anyone fall in love with being in love. It touches on a note that Passionate Love really has little to do with the norms of society. Beautifully written and a joyous read.

Before Romeo & Juliet there was... Tristan & Iseult!

"The Romance of Tristan & Iseult" is the tale of one of the earliest pairs of star-crossed lovers in literature, heavily researched and drawing from many versions of the story. Having come across the tale in many forms, from the opera "Tristan und Isolde" to cameo appearances in "The Mists of Avalon," this telling is refreshing and spirited. The authenticity of language, as well as the narrator's own action and moral interpretations make one feel that they are sitting near a fire in the great hall listening to a seneschal tell the tale of doomed love. "Tristan & Iseult" is fast-paced and beautiful. It is also an invaluable tale to read as an example of the archetypes and symbols of the tragic hero, imbedded Christ imagery, woman on a pedestal, etc.

The Magic Of True Love

"The Romance of Tristan & Iseult" is one of the foremost chivalric myths of all time. A rich mosaic of the human experience, embroidered with colorful gothic elements like spell-weaving dwarves, love potions, magical bells and even a particularly monstrous dragon, "Tristan & Iseult" is the tale of a heroic knight from fabled Lyonesse who falls madly in love with his King's betrothed through sorcery. Neither Tristan nor his Queen-to-be can resist the magic that possesses them both, and they cannot help but fling themselves headlong into an affair that shakes the very foundations of the Arthurian world.More than a mere "love story," this is a philosophical exploration of the human soul. Are Tristan and Iseult really guilty of adultery? Do they have a free will? Do they truly love each other, or is their affair nothing but a sorcerous delusion? Is King Mark the villain of the story, or is this a tale beyond conventional heroism or villainy? Readers familiar with the Arthurian legend will quickly draw parallels between Tristan and Iseult and Lancelot and Guinevere, whose tragic love brought Camelot to its knees. Indeed, Malory cites Tristan (whom he refers to as "Tristram") as a knight of such prowess and nobility that he is second only to Lancelot himself--and a close second at that.If you are a dreamer, a hopeless romantic, this is the book you've been looking for.

The twists of Courtly Love

Here is a complete English translation of the Tristan and Iseult Romances that we have been able to find. That in itself makes this book a valuable work of literature.What I enjoyed most about the Romances is the unreality of it all. You feel like you are somewhere else, somewhere magical and vicious, somewhere beautiful and bloody. This is the setting for the courtly love traditions.I also enjoyed the challenges the books presents: Is there repressed homosexuality between King Mark and our hero, Tristan? What can Tristan's dog teach human beings about loyalty and love? What issues exist in a world of both love and violence, and why are the two so closely connected?This is a great social commentary as well as an entertaining Romance. While the text reads quickly and seems simplistic, there is a lot going on under the surface.