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Le Roman de Tristan en Prose, vol. v, christine ferlampin-acher, ed. Classiques Français du Moyen Age, no. 153. Paris: Champion, 2007. Pp. 594. isbn: 978-2- 7453-1526-7. 45 Euro.
Publication of this volume concludes the edition of Prose Tristan manuscript BnF fr. 757 (the second half of Version I) and also a massive editorial project that Philippe Ménard began over twenty years ago. After finishing the edition of Vienna 2542 (Version II), Ménard's team began editing the second half of the short version (I), starting where the two traditions diverge significantly as V.I omits and V.II includes the grail quest. Yet V. I does not simply omit material that V.II includes. Instead, both versions contain substantial new but not identical content. Volume V thus caps off a project of daunting complexity, critical both to the study of the prose Tristan legend and to the larger Arthurian corpus in French.
The content of this volume covers the episodes between Tristan's return to Yseut at Joyeuse Garde and the conclusion to the romance (Löseth §449 ff.). In her analysis, Christine Ferlampin-Acher designates two large narrative blocks and several themes. The narrative focuses initially on Tristan's final chivalric adventures, especially in the company of the mysterious Chevalier à l'Ecu Vermeille (Brunor); then the romance turns to the end of Tristan's world. Ferlampin-Acher's thematic discussion focuses on several points, including the importance...