The Romance of Tristan: The Tale of Tristan's Madness (Penguin Classics)

Romance of Tristan is a great read. Takes you back to the 11th and 12th Centuries and describes a somewhat tragic love affair between Tristan and the King's wife, Yseut(Isolde). The King is Tristan's uncle, and Tristan is a great knight in King Mark's court, so this adds to the story's impact. Tristan and Yseut are fatalistic lovers, drawn to each other by a 'love potion', and constantly plotting their meetings even under serious auspices of the King and his courtiers. The plots and tales and protocols of that time in history are vividly described and Beroul uses many characters to paint the tale. It appears that Beroul is largely sympathetic to the fugitive lovers and his bias is clearly against the ones who try to harm or plot against them.I would recommend reading the introduction of this book for some good insight from the translator and for his insights into the original 12th century text. This translation makes for a fast and captivating read.

From a historical standpoint, it is very education in the way that it shows how religion was intertwined with every aspect of life during the era. Aside from that, it is a great story. It is not too romantic, and keeps an ongoing feeling of anticipation for what was going to happen next. Lastly, it is a very easy read.

A must read for those who want to go deeply into Arthurian lit. Maybe not one of the primary books, but definitely a worthy addition to any Arthurian library.

It is usually the case that within a page or two of reading an introduction, the reader knows whether or not they are in the hands of a reliable editor and translator. Alan Fedrick inspires such confidence. His is a scholarly, readable prose translation, adequately but not overwhelmingly annotated. Beroul's account of the Tristan and Yseult legend (in others, the lovers' names appear variously as Tristram, Isolde, Iseut, etc.) is the oldest extant version, although it now exists only in fragmentary form. Its fascination lies partly in that it belongs to an older form of storytelling, with quite different conventions from modern forms. So be prepared for characters dying more than once, events occurring out of sequence, and plenty of unapologetic author intervention. Some of the plot elements are wonderful, and have been borrowed and reworked ever since, by Shakespeare and others. Some have become interwoven with the Arthurian cycle. Read this if you are interested in seeing how the art of fiction has evolved in Europe through the ages, or if you enjoy fables that have a folksy (and sometimes vulgar) flavor.

excellent academic read.

I absolutely loved this book. I read it in one sitting, and it was one of the first books to get me into Medieval literature, especially Arthurian romances. Tristan is my favorite Arthurian character, and I wish there was more to read about him!I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Medieval literature, especially Medieval romances, such as the Lais of Marie de France and Arthurian romances. It is highly romantic, magical, even funny sometimes, and very fun to read. It will always be one of my favorites. My only complaint is that it ended so quickly.

Though the story of Tristan and Iseult predates even this particular telling of the story, it is the earliest extant version we have, and it suffers not at all from its age. Full of love, battle, humor (and there are some great points of humor in the book), and a visit from Aruthur's knights, this is a classic tale of romance and betrayal. Any fan of Arthurian myth should read this timeless tale that has inspired so many to write books, music, and poetry. Even before there was the story of Romeo and Juliet, there was this story of star crossed lovers.

Great and obscure piece of literature. Worth reading.

Okay its written by Beroul, but noone knows exactly who he was and he appears to have spent some time in the old country - could have been Breton, Norman or Cornish, now no way of knowing. This version describes a forgotten kingdom lost to the passage of time; the forest of Morrois (Bodmin or Dartmoor?), the island of St Samson (St Michaels,St Nicholas or Looe?), Croiz Rouge (Carn Brea / Redruth?) Not surprising this became a classic of western literature, but this version comes from the 'vulgar' tradition so is probably most authentic to the real oral tradition.It is a beautifully vivid and humane story with some hauntingly erotic scenes that can still make a modern man weep - sunlight falls from Mark's bare-chested grasp upon the sleeping face of Yseult ; his nephew sleeps innocent upon the grass; his naked blade thrust between them [ who needs Game of Thrones...?!]the deep theme of true love is rather philosophical - we are left questioning throughout whether it is a madness affliction or a drug-induced delusion - when the spell wears off, these two 'lovers' seem to be mechanically clanking together in a state of deep confusion.The Germanic, chivalric versions are stolid, macho, puritanical and artificial by comparison with the original born of the physical mystery of mind and body; Beroul feels more like Chaucer or Shakespeare, with the bardic magic of Mabinogyon, high and low art woven with insightful ambiguity into real human experience.

Simply this is a brilliant translation. The notes are helpful and the sections of the story clear. The feeling of the original remains. I loved it.

This is an excellent edition of this great Cornish legend, with very helpful introduction and notes.

A tragic tale of ill-fated lovers told by a narrator who at times spoils his own story. Told as a series of episodes, the style is quite different from contemporary literature and is part of the joy of reading something so old.The story is morally ambiguous with the narrator seemingly siding with the adulterous lovers. God too seems to be providing miracles for the unrepentant pair which seems quite contrary to the chivalry I expected in a medieval tale. As my first real reading of such a romance I clearly have much to learn of the genre. I was also surprised that King Mark is at Tintagel and that King Arthur and is Roundtable are in Wales.

A decent retelling of the legend with far more sympathy for the lovers than some versions have given them. Would have liked a longer story but still good.