Romance of Tristan and Iseut

Edward J. Gallagher is Professor of French Studies, Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts.

This edition stands out because it is not a reworking of Belloc's version but a translation of Bedier's actual text. Gone are archaic spellings (The Little Fakry Bell becomes "The Enchanted Bell") and abstruse terms (the Tintagel Minster now reads as the church at Tintagel). Gallagher provides a brief, informative introduction, useful glossaries of proper names and specialized terms, and five well-selected texts about the Tristan legend, including a haunting scene Bedier composed but chose not to use. Beautifully written, this modern English translation proves once again that the love of Tristan and Iseut endures beyond all limits of time and space. Summing up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. --C. B. Kerr, Vassar College, in CHOICE