Synopses & Reviews
This verse translation of Yvain; or, The Knight with the Lion brings to life a fast-paced yet remarkably subtle work often considered to be the masterpiece of the twelfth-century French writer Chrétien de Troyes. The creator of the Arthurian romance as a genre, Chrétien is revealed in this work as a witty, versatile writer who mastered both the soaring flight of emotion and the devastating aside and was as skillful a debater of the finer points of love as he was a describer of battles.
Review
"Chretien, twelfth-century French poet, is one of the fountainheads of Arthurian romance. . . . Cline brings Yvain to glowing, entertaining life in a delightful, sprightly, colloquial rhyming version worthy of the best translations from the French by Richard Wilbur. . . . One hopes Cline will do the whole canon of Chretien—it would be a marvelous enrichment of accessible Arthurian literature."--Wall Street Journal
Review
"Cline demonstrates impressive abilities as a translator."--Romance Philology
Review
"A narrative which progresses rapidly and freely, which is easily and pleasantly read. . . . It would be useful as a text for courses in literature in translation, comparative literature, and medieval culture."--Modern Language Journal
Review
"More than any previous translator, Cline succeeds in translating energetic exchanges between characters and the playful tone of the narrator."--Translation Review
Review
"Cline's translation shows a remarkable appreciation of Chrétien's genius; she succeeds splendidly in capturing his witty style, irony, playfulness."--Book Exchange
About the Author
Ruth Harwood Cline is a research associate in the department of history at Georgetown University.