Customer Reviews

Yvain: The Knight of the Lion

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an amazing translation of the poem. While most translators will convert the peice to prose, Raffel keeps to Chretien's original format and has developed a unique English poetic style to compliment the French. The translation captures all of Chretien's wit and playfulness by keeping the cadence of the poem light but never sing-songy. I cannot reccomend this translation enough!

When I started this book, an assignment for a college class, I did not anticipate any difficulties putting it down. I expected awkward style and one-dimensional, if archetypal, characters. Instead, I found the opposite. Raffel's translation does an excellent job of highlighting the simple beauty of Chretien's poem, and the characters are interesting and human. And, perhaps most importantly, with a slight suspension of disbelief, Yvain is an entertaining tale of adventure.

This translation of the Medieval romance of Yvain by Chretien De Troyes is one of the most enjoyable medieval romances I've ever read. While many romances are actually thinly disguised moralistic alegory, this tale reads out like an adventure story, and easily grabs the reader's attention. It is a wonderful example how something that was written over 800 years ago can still be enjoyable today, and how, while the world around us changes, great storytelling remains great storytelling.

This book was an assignment for an elective college class and so I was not planning on throughly reading or caring about medieval history. It was difficult to get into the style of reading a poem, but once I got the hang of it after a few pages the book was excellent. It kept my attention and I finished it very quickly. I would suggest actually reading it to anyone assigned or interested in medieval history!

I was not told that some stuff would be underlined throughout the text. Slightly annoyed but other than that it was ok. Fast shipping!!!