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The Romance of Tristan and Iseult (Vintage Classics) Paperback – May 31, 1994

by Joseph Bedier (Author), Hilaire Belloc (Translator)

35 customer reviews

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A tale of chivalry and doomed, transcendent love, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult is one of the most resonant works of Western literature, as well as the basis for our enduring idea of romance. The story of the Cornish knight and the Irish princess who meet by deception, fall in love by magic, and pursue that love in defiance of heavenly and earthly law has inspired artists from Matthew Arnold to Richard Wagner. But nowhere has it been retold with greater eloquence and dignity than in Joseph Bédier’s edition, which weaves several medieval sources into a seamless whole, elegantly translated by Hilaire Belloc and Paul Rosenfeld.

The Romance of Tristan and Iseult (Vintage Classics)

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Product Details

Series: Vintage Classics
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Vintage; Reissue edition (May 31, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0679750169
ISBN-13: 978-0679750161
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3382 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Classics
- #4499 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary
- #9189 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

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Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars

5 star		60%
4 star		28%
3 star		9%
2 star		0%
1 star		3%

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful

The Magic Of True Love

By K. Jump on August 22, 2001

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

"The Romance of Tristan & Iseult" is one of the foremost chivalric myths of all time. A rich mosaic of the human experience, embroidered with colorful gothic elements like spell-weaving dwarves, love potions, magical bells and even a particularly monstrous dragon, "Tristan & Iseult" is the tale of a heroic knight from fabled Lyonesse who falls madly in love with his King's betrothed through sorcery. Neither Tristan nor his Queen-to-be can resist the magic that possesses them both, and they cannot help but fling themselves headlong into an affair that shakes the very foundations of the Arthurian world.
More than a mere "love story," this is a philosophical exploration of the human soul. Are Tristan and Iseult really guilty of adultery? Do they have a free will? Do they truly love each other, or is their affair nothing but a sorcerous delusion? Is King Mark the villain of the story, or is this a tale beyond conventional heroism or villainy?
Readers familiar with the Arthurian legend will quickly draw parallels between Tristan and Iseult and Lancelot and Guinevere, whose tragic love brought Camelot to its knees. Indeed, Malory cites Tristan (whom he refers to as "Tristram") as a knight of such prowess and nobility that he is second only to Lancelot himself--and a close second at that.
If you are a dreamer, a hopeless romantic, this is the book you've been looking for.

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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

An oft retold tale told wonderfully

By Jonathan Burgoine on July 1, 2001

Format: Paperback

I would not have read Bedier's translation of "Tristan and Iseult" on my own. Throughout my degree, and my previous highschool education, I've come across "Tristan and Iseult" in four different forms before Bedier's, and was so tired of the tale that I thought no one would breathe life into it again for me.
Not so.
Bedier's translation (which was then translated by Hilaire Belloc and completed by Paul Rosenfeld) has repainted "Tristan and Iseult" into a truly living piece of mythology. Presented with exquisite detail, and with portions of the story even my four previous readings had never uncovered, this is, I believe, how the tale was meant to be told.
The achetypal doomed-romance, "Tristan and Iseult" is the well-known tale of the romance between those two lovers, born of a magical philtre, and doomed in the face of Iseult's marriage to King Mark. The age of chivalry practically shines from the pages, and the heart-wrenching story itself is a joy to read, with only a few bumps and jolts of prose along the way (likely, I imagine, translation difficulties).
If you are at all interested in mythology, especially that of Arthurian theme or times, Bedier's translation of "Tristan and Iseult" is the one for you. You won't be disappointed.

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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

Before Romeo & Juliet there was... Tristan & Iseult!

By F. Mercer on November 12, 2001

Format: Paperback

"The Romance of Tristan & Iseult" is the tale of one of the earliest pairs of star-crossed lovers in literature, heavily researched and drawing from many versions of the story. Having come across the tale in many forms, from the opera "Tristan und Isolde" to cameo appearances in "The Mists of Avalon," this telling is refreshing and spirited. The authenticity of language, as well as the narrator's own action and moral interpretations make one feel that they are sitting near a fire in the great hall listening to a seneschal tell the tale of doomed love.
"Tristan & Iseult" is fast-paced and beautiful. It is also an invaluable tale to read as an example of the archetypes and symbols of the tragic hero, imbedded Christ imagery, woman on a pedestal, etc.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

Ancient Tale well told.

By Alan Montgomery on February 16, 2006

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

The story of Tristan and Iseult (or Isolde) is well known through Wagner's famous opera, but this is the real tale. It isn't embellished, but instead it tells the complete tale clearly and succinctly in a manner reminiscent of the older manuscripts like Beowulf. The story (unlike the current film) does include the magic potion, a typical device of the older legends. The heart-breaking ending may be clear even in the third or fourth chapter, but getting there is a major trip to treasure. To those familiar with Wagner's names, there are some variant spellings, but they don't amount to much. Kurvenal is Gorvenal for example. A most enjoyable book.

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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

A Keeper

By Rachel Andrews on December 30, 2003

Format: Paperback

I had to read this for a history class and thought I woult dread it, but it is a very nice love story - way better than Romeo and Juliet, and did reflect the changing view of romantic love in literature of the time. I will be keeping it in my library instead of selling it back to the bookstore - and that says a lot!

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

Romance

By Maritsa on March 14, 2006

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

A fairy tale, mideavel romance with a dragon, a giant, love potion, murder, deciet, love, loyalty, honor, etc. This translation is beautiful. It reads like butter.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Bédier and Belloc's Great Epic

By Joseph L. Tremblay on February 7, 2008

Format: Paperback

The style of this epic story is a crossing of the dragons and chivalry of King Arthur, with the romance and tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. But Tristan & Iseult predate them both. Many versions of the story exist; the origins are in 12th century Norman writings. French scholar Joseph Bédier published his reconstruction of the original story in 1900. Hilaire Belloc, the French-born English writer, provided us with this definitive English translation of Bédier's work.

I came to find this book through my interest in the writer Hilaire Belloc, and I met him through his friend G.K. Chesterton. Belloc's work was typically Christian apologetics, political, history, mystery, poetry, essay, or farrago. This was a wide range of writing, and Tristan & Iseult stretched it further. His early biographer Robert Speaight told us that Belloc had a special love for his translation of Tristan & Iseult. Continuous words came from Belloc in order to keep food on the table; much of it was tremendously good and some of it was tiresome, but this story was one that he wanted preserved if ever a "Collected Works of Hilaire Belloc" were gathered. An epic story suited his temperament and his life story.

Belloc's text makes use of some archaic grammar and paragraph structure, which help the mood of this kind of story; but sentences are short and simple, and so easy to read. The terseness of the text reminds me of Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf. And like the hero Beowulf, Tristan is a warrior who cannot be conquered.

The Romance of Tristan & Iseult is a story with knights and ladies, dragons and magic, lepers and hermits, castles, forests, and sea. There is no perfect role-model in a story like this. Most every character is presented as good and evil; but one can recognize what is right and what is wrong, even as one makes excuses for the wrongs.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Five Stars

Star-crossed lovers

Published 4 months ago by Ariel Rosetti

Incredible

I've never read a love story that had more of an impact on me than Bedier's Tristan and Iseult. It is a beautiful book and a quick read, so you've really no excuse in not giving it... Read more

Published 5 months ago by Me

🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

Perfect story of two lovers who will stop at nothing to be together. I strongly recommend this to everyone :)

Published 5 months ago by Ellen Corcoran

Five Stars

An all time classic of romantic literature.

Published 8 months ago by James Hodges

Five Stars

Great story.

Published 13 months ago by Old Woman in Shoe

Great book

I love this romance story. The book and movie were great. The only promblem I had was translating some words into modern language bit besides thst it was good.

Published 14 months ago by ariel

easy read

I read this for a history course. Easy read, interesting plot and helps the reader understand the development of romance in writing in the Middle Ages

Published 18 months ago by Ruthie

Great epic poem in fine english translation

Hilaire Belloc, the early 20th century Franco-English man of letters, delivers a delightful and sensitive modern English translation of "The Romance of Tristan and Isolde,"... Read more

Published 23 months ago by Transcendental Thomist

Love the story

I'm in love with [Tristan and] Isolde! The various versions of the tale all have something interesting to say, and this one is no different. Read more

Published on November 14, 2013 by Roland J. Denzel

I bought this book for a literature class

I bought this book for a literature class. It was not the correct ISBN #, but that was my fault for not verifying before I bought it.

Published on May 9, 2013 by Amazon Customer

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