French Literature Reviews - 2026

B. Finet - Van der Schaaf (eds.), Middle Dutch Arthurian Romances
Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Baukje Finet - Van der Schaaf (eds.), Middle Dutch Arthurian Romances

Presses Universitaires de Grenoble, coll. "Moyen Âge européen", 2012.

334 p.

EAN 9782843102356

28,00 EUR

Publisher's Overview:

Le Roman du Chevalier à la manche (The Tale of the Knight with the Sleeve), incorporated in the 14^th century into the Middle Dutch Lancelot-Queste del Saint Graal-Mort le Roi Artu trilogy—known as the Lancelotcompilatie (87,000 verses) and dated 1320–1325—represents an abridged version of an earlier, fragmentary text.
The bipartite romance tells the story of an anonymous young man, abandoned at birth, who sets out in search of his parents. The first part recounts how the young hero, through his prowess and a triumphant victory in a tournament, wins the love of the maiden who gave him a "sleeve" upon his departure from King Arthur's court, and reunites with his mother. The second part begins with a new quest to find his father. His wanderings lead him to the castle where his father is imprisoned alongside other knights. He frees them all and succeeds in reuniting his parents in marriage.
Considered "original" because its French source text is not extant, the romance contains numerous borrowings from Arthurian romance and later chivalric romances.
The narrative of Lancelot and the White-Footed Stag, inspired by the Lai de Tyolet, relates the feat accomplished by Lancelot: severing the white foot of a stag to claim the promised reward, namely, marriage to an anonymous queen.
The translation is accompanied by an introduction examining the literary relations between the Low Countries and France in the Middle Ages, the dating of both narratives, their sources, an index of proper and anonymous names, as well as an index of themes, motifs, and situations.

Contents:

I – The Tale of the Knight with the Sleeve

Introduction

Notice

The Tale of the Knight with the Sleeve

Index of proper and anonymous names

Index of themes, motifs, and situations

Select bibliography

II – Lancelot and the White-Footed Stag

Introduction

Lancelot and the White-Footed Stag

Index of proper and anonymous names

Index of themes, motifs, and situations

Select bibliography

Baukje Finet - Van der Schaaf

Baukje Finet - Van der Schaaf's doctoral dissertation focused on the two Middle Dutch adaptations of the Chanson d'Aiol. She has published articles on several 15^th-century Dutch adaptations of prose romances: Le Roman de Mélusine, L'histoire du très vaillant chevalier Paris et de la belle Vienne, fille du dauphin, L'histoire de Pierre de Provence et de la belle Maguelonne, fille du roi de Naples, and L'histoire de la reine Sebile.

This volume presents translated texts accompanied by introductions, indexes of names and themes, and bibliographies. The material examines specific Middle Dutch adaptations and their relationship to French chivalric traditions, reflecting the literary exchanges between the Low Countries and France during the medieval period. Readers interested in medieval chivalric romance and the transmission of Arthurian narratives across linguistic boundaries may find this collection relevant.

The publication focuses on two distinct narratives, examining their structural elements, potential sources, and historical context. Baukje Finet - Van der Schaaf has previously published research on several fifteenth-century Dutch adaptations of prose romances, bringing specialized expertise to the editorial work presented here. The volume serves as a resource for exploring the ways in which continental source materials were received, translated, and reshaped within the Middle Dutch literary landscape.