Beroul Ordre des livres (chronologique)

Ces récits du XIIe siècle content la passion réciproque du chevalier Tristan et de la reine Iseut, femme du roi Marc de Cornouailles. Prisonniers de la fatalité de l'amour, incarnée par le breuvage magique qu'ils ont absorbé, les amants y luttent contre les forces sociales, naturelles et divines liguées contre eux. Au Moyen Âge, ce mythe a suscité à la fois fascination et rejet. Au-delà des lois et des règles morales, il pose en effet avec force et audace l'amour comme valeur absolue.

This edition contains perhaps the earliest and most elemental version of the tragic legend of Tristan and Yseult in a distinguished prose translation. Alan S. Fredrick summarizes missing episodes and includes a translation of 'The Tale of Tristan's Madness.' One of the earliest extant versions of the Tristan and Yseut story, Beroul's French manuscript of The Romance of Tristan dates back to the middle of the twelfth century. It recounts the legend of Tristan, nephew of King Mark of Cornwall, and the king's Irish wife Yseut, who fall passionately in love after mistakenly drinking a potion. Their illicit romance remains secret for many years, but the relentless suspicion of the king's barons and the fading effects of the magic draught eventually lead to tragedy for the lovers. While Beroul's work emphasizes the impulsive and often brutal behaviour of the characters, its sympathetic depiction of two people struggling against their destiny is one of the most powerful versions of this enduringly popular legend.