Although a few summaries of the results gained in certain limited areas of Tristan scholarship have appeared, a comprehensive historical study of its development has not yet been made. In this dissertation the ideas and achievements of successive generations of critics are presented and conclusions drawn as to the trends in intellectual history which account for the distinct changes in methods, attitudes and interests. The opening chapter discusses the theories on the origins of the medieval Tristan romances in oral and literary tradition. After examining the earliest speculations about the geographical birthplace of romance it then presents the views of the Romantics concerning the historical and mythological sources of the legend and the language of the first Tristan poem. As shown in the review of subsequent origin research, opinions about the oral diffusion became sharply divided; when this, the "insular-continental debate," subsided, scholars turned their attention first to reconstructing the archetypal poem and later to interpretation of the extant material. The first of three chapters dealing with Gottfried's Tristan describes the recovery of manuscripts, studies of the transmission, and preparation of editions. The second surveys the changing patterns in Gottfried criticism up to the beginning of the twentieth century: after an enthusiastic reception among the early Romantics Gottfried's poem, though still admired by the minority which posited mythological origins, was condemned by most literary historians on grounds of immorality and blasphemy. Later critics were preoccupied with eliciting the poet's biography from his work and assessing the extent of his dependence on Thomas of Brittany. The question of Gottfried's originality maintained its prominent position in twentieth-century interpretations, examined in the next chapter. To most critics the novelty in his treatment lay in the association of Tristan-love with religion, and the problems arising from this relationship were frequently discussed in terms of the medieval "Zeitgeist." Implicit throughout this study and elaborated in the conclusion are the links between Tristan scholarship and intellectual history. For example, the eighteenth-century idea of human nature influenced the early theories of origins; when the Enlightenment aversion to the medieval period had been overcome, the new interest in history, mythology and the age of chivalry among the Romantics accounted for some approaches to the material, but other attitudes (e.g., denigrations of Gottfried's poem and the lack of interest in producing a reliable edition) reflected current nationalistic tendencies and hostility towards the French—from whom Gottfried borrowed the theme. Later developments (source studies, genealogical research into manuscripts and extant versions, quasi-mechanical reconstructions, biographies) typified the scientific outlook of positivism. Gottfried's independence of Thomas, at first underplayed for political reasons, finally attracted attention in the twentieth century when interpretation became the primary concern among scholars. Both the general interest in finding an adequate definition of Tristan-love and the methods adopted in interpretations of Gottfried's amatory doctrine showed the marked impact exerted by "Geistesgeschichte" on literary criticism. Depth psychology and modern political ideologies (National Socialism and Marxism) have also determined the approach taken by some scholars. It appears that Tristan scholarship is now moving in new directions, for in recent research into the structure and symbolism of Gottfried's poem hypotheses about the metaphysical background have been displaced by intrinsic study of the work itself. / Arts, Faculty of / Central Eastern Northern European Studies, Department of / Graduate

The romance is essentially an account of the lives and adventures of two knight-errants, Ysaie le Triste, and his son, Marcq l'Essilliet. In many instances, the author has been content to reproduce conventional Arthurian adventure motifs. His knights set forth on perilous quests, participate in numerous tournaments, and are occasionally permitted to enter the realm of the Fairies which lies on the fringe of their own Arthurian world. By the end of the romance, both knights have won the love of fair princesses. The author has also included in his story the biography of a hideous dwarf-character, named Troncq, who accompanies each of the knights on his quests and acts as his valet. He has permitted this strange character to play the principal role in the numerous comic episodes with which he has interspersed his narrative. The dwarf's role is, in fact, as lengthy as that of either of his masters. Nevertheless, it is only towards the end of the story that the author reveals his true identity. He is a supernatural being who has been obliged by a curse to appear on earth in a grotesque form, so that he might seek there a mortal hero capable of accomplishing various difficult tasks on his behalf. When the knight, Marcq, eventually proves himself equal to these tasks, Troncq experiences metamorphosis and regains his former beauty. The story then concludes with a description of his triumphant return to Fairyland. That the author should have permitted a hideous dwarf-valet to play such an important role in his tale of chivalry represents a drastic departure from Arthurian tradition. A survey of the dwarfs who appear in other romances reveals that they are almost invariably supernumerary characters. It is possible, however, that the author of this romance has given to the role of his dwarf a significance which is not immediately apparent to the modern reader. A study of Troncq's role reveals that his creator was a master of the difficult art of fusing together themes borrowed from very diverse sources. Troncq resembles other Arthurian dwarfs in so far as he is ugly, and plays the humble role of valet. But his true literary counterparts are not to be found in romance, but rather in certain Celtic folklore tales. Like Ysaie le Triste, these tales relate the experiences of supernatural creatures who have been obliged to appear on earth in the form of grotesque dwarfs. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to determine whether the author of the romance borrowed the theme of the ugly dwarf from the Celtic storytellers or whether they were indebted to him for it. For his description of Troncq's experiences on earth, the author has drawn upon his own observation of everyday reality; he has modelled his character after the dwarf-entertainers who are known to have frequented various medieval courts. Interestingly enough, a study of these dwarf-fools reveals that theirs was, in the eyes of their contemporaries, the most degrading function that a man could possibly exercise in society. The significance of Troncq's role is therefore quite obvious. He is a caricature of the human condition. He is a creature of supernatural origin, just as Everyman is a child of God; and the curse which has obliged him to live in exile on earth is symbolic of the mark of Original Sin which Everyman has borne since the Fall. As for his assumption of the humiliating role of entertainer, it represents the state of degradation that all men must endure while they earn their redemption. Troncq's biography and the romance of Ysaie le Triste end upon a note of optimism. The dwarf's triumphant return to the land of the Fairies is obviously intended to symbolize the happy lot awaiting all good Christians on the Day of Judgement. / Arts, Faculty of / French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies, Department of / Graduate

Inaug.-Diss.--Göttingen.

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2001. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-129). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

The author's Habilitationsschrift (Universität Zürich, 1983). / Includes bibliographical references (p. 313-326) and index.

The author's Habilitationsschrift (Universität Zürich, 1983). / Includes bibliographical references (p. 313-326) and index.

Originally presented as the author's thesis, Marburg. / Bibliography: p. 222-231.

Thesis--Fribourg. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 316-338).

Note:

In its earliest form, the Tristram legend was probably a Celtic folk-tale known in oral tradition as early as the eighth or ninth century. During the early part of the twelfth century it became known in France and Brittany; and there, in the later years of that same century, it was recorded in a lost romance now referred to as the Ur-Tristan. From this source, so it is believed, the earliest extant romances upon the subject were derived. During the twelfth century, two main versions developed—first the version des jongleurs, given in the poems of Béroul and Eilhart von Oberge, and second, the version courtoise given in Thomas's Tristan and some derivatives of it. Among these last, the Tristan of Gottfried von Strassburg, written about 1215, is generally regarded as one of the masterpieces of medieval literature. In the early thirteenth century, the legend was employed in an anonymous romance, the French prose Tristan. In this version, which was greatly influenced by the prose Lancelot cycle, the narrative is so grossly adulterated by the machinery of thirteenth-century courtly romance that the original love story is all but obscured. In most texts of the prose Tristan, even the traditional love-death scene is altered. This account of the legend became for five centuries the only version in which it was known. Two treatments of the legend appeared in Middle English literature. First is the northern Sir Tristrem, an anonymous poem composed about 1300 and based upon the Tristan of Thomas. Secondly, the Morte d'Arthur, composed by Sir Thomas Malory about 1469, contains an account of the Tristram legend based entirely upon the French prose Tristan. The legend did not again receive a major treatment in English literature until the mid-nineteenth century, when it became the subject of poems by Matthew Arnold, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Algernon Charles Swinburne. Arnold's "Tristram and Iseult" is based, except for the love-death episode, upon the version courtoise. Arnold regarded as the central problem of the narrative, not the love story itself, but Tristram's conflicting loyalties to the two Iseults, and sympathized, not with the ill-fated lovers, but with Iseult of Brittany, the innocent victim of the tragic love. She becomes in his poem symbolic of the Stoic way of life, the compromise which Arnold offered to resolve the conflict of emotion and intellect. Tennyson treated the Tristram legend in "The Last Tournament," one of the Idylls of the King based upon Malory's Morte d'Arthur. The legend is employed in the moral allegory of the Idylls as an illustration of the evil consequences of adultery. In thus regarding the love story merely as a tale of adultery, Tennyson deviated greatly from the traditionally sympathetic treatment of the narrative. Swinburne's Tristram of Lyonesse is, like Arnold's poem, based chiefly upon the version courtoise. In Swinburne’s treatment the love story is again central, the theme being an exaltation of the ennobling and sanctifying power of human love. Along with the explicit exaltation of passionate love is an implied criticism of the hypocritical morality and distrust of passion which Swinburne regarded as prevalent in his age. Although these three Victorian poems differ widely in plot, characterization and purpose, the Tristram legend is employed didactically in each, and the purposes governing its didactic treatment are dictated by the age in which and for which the poems were written. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate