Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Colophon
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 The Adaptation Process
- 2 Style and Narrative Strategy
- 3 Chronological and Genealogical Structures in the Morte Darthur, the Buch der Abenteuer and the Tavola Ritonda
- 4 Narrative Plot Development in the Morte Darthur, the Buch der Abenteuer and the Tavola Ritonda
- 5 ‘The Best Knight in the World’: Adapting Character Constellations
- Conclusion
- Appendix: Note on the Texts and Manuscripts
- Bibliography
- Index
- Arthurian Studies
Conclusion
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 March 2014
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Colophon
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 The Adaptation Process
- 2 Style and Narrative Strategy
- 3 Chronological and Genealogical Structures in the Morte Darthur, the Buch der Abenteuer and the Tavola Ritonda
- 4 Narrative Plot Development in the Morte Darthur, the Buch der Abenteuer and the Tavola Ritonda
- 5 ‘The Best Knight in the World’: Adapting Character Constellations
- Conclusion
- Appendix: Note on the Texts and Manuscripts
- Bibliography
- Index
- Arthurian Studies
Summary
This study has covered several aspects of late Arthurian chronographies as a group. The central conclusions emerging from the chapters above are:
that one of the defining features the chronographies in question share is that of lengthened central sections created by adaptors adding new characters and adventures into the phase of Arthur's prime.
that these central sections are characterised by a ‘timelessness’ resulting from the adaptors' condensation of sources and removal of chronological context and that this timelessness is expressed in different ways by the various adaptors.
that Arthur's lengthened prime gradually reshapes the plot development of chronographies, reducing the tension of the collections and variously placing more emphasis on genealogical progression, structural apparatus and characterisation to unite the texts and retain readers' interest.
that this alteration of the plotline has a strong influence on the changing characterisation of Arthurian protagonists in late medieval romance adaptations, leading to the creation of more detailed and ambivalent Arthurian knights such as Lancelot and Perceval and a more static role for King Arthur.
Whether these common features are significant enough to create a subgenre unto itself is entirely a question of definition. In any case, establishing such a genre is not the primary concern of this study. Rather, its aim is to provide a vocabulary and a framework of comparison within which the structure of the individual chronographies can be better judged and understood.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Malory and his European ContemporariesAdapting Late Arthurian Romance, pp. 147 - 158Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2014