Parzival and Titurel (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]

Wolfram von Eschenbach (Author), Cyril Edwards (Translator), Richard Barber (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Oxford World's Classics | Publication Date: August 31, 2009

Written in the first decade of the thirteenth century, Parzival is the greatest of the medieval Grail romances. It tells of Parzival's growth from youthful folly to knighthood at the court of King Arthur, and of his quest for the Holy Grail. Exuberant and gothic in its telling, and profoundly moving, Parzival has inspired and influenced works as diverse as Wagner's Parsifal and Lohengrin, Terry Gilliam's film The Fisher King, and Umberto Eco's Bandolino.
This fine translation, the first English version for over 25 years, conveys the power of this complex, wide-ranging medieval masterpiece. The introduction places Eschenbach's work in the wider context of the development of the Arthurian romance and of the Grail legend. This edition also includes an index to proper names and a genealogical table, and is the first to combine Parzival with the fragments of Titurel.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Review from previous edition: "Edwards has established a new benchmark for English editions of Wolfram's works, and his volume earns the right to succeed A. Hatto's translation as the standard." --Speculum, January 2006

About the Author

Cyril Edwards is Lecturer in German at St. Peter's College, Oxford.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 31, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199539200
• ISBN-13: 978-0199539208
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best in English, September 19, 2007

By 

Shami Ghosh - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parzival and Titurel (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

Parzival is a very difficult work to read, let alone translate, and Edwards has done an admirable job here. He states in his introduction that he has chosen to retain the many ambiguities of Wolfram von Eschenbach's language - which necessarily makes the work harder to understand - and that is a difficult, but correct decision. It means that the translation does not give us what we often crave - an easy entry into what we're reading. But it's an honest translation, and a good one insofar as that is at all possible: it's far better to translate ambiguity as ambiguity, than to try and make things clearer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a Parzival for the General Reader, January 7, 2012

By 

Michael Smith - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Parzival and Titurel (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

This not the Parzival to read if you just want to follow the storyline. While this reviewer doesn't have the Middle High German to discuss the faithfulness of Edward's translation, this reviewer does have enough modern English to pronounce the book close to unreadable. For example, whatever reason Edwards had to preserve the German language word order of sentences, as he does from time to time, it's far outweighed by lack of accessibility. In addition, the preservation of "ambiguities" prevents the reader from following the action. This is a Parzival for scholars and specialists. Contains extensive, helpful end notes that illuminate many obscurities in the text, however. If you just want to know what happens, you'd be better of with the popular Hatto or Mustard and Passage translations.