'And many a strange adventure came my way in that time': Adaptation of the 13th c. French text 'The Quest of the Holy Grail' in 15th c. Ireland.
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Ulster
Department Name: Research Office
Abstract
This project focuses on the Irish adaptation of the French 'Queste del Saint Graal', entitled 'Lorgaireacht an tSoidhigh Naomhtha', supposedly written between the 14th and 15th centuries. Very few studies focus on the latter, and apart from the modern editor's commentaries, no scholars attempted an in-depth comparison between the French and the Irish texts, the first being the second's supposed source.
The distinctive characteristic of the Lorgaireacht an tSoidhigh Naomhtha lies in the evidence of it being the sole adaptation of already known and wide-spread European Arthurian material. Other vernacular Arthurian texts are found in Ireland and depict similar motifs as in the European Arthurian versions, but in the case of these five vernacular Irish texts we cannot be sure of their ultimate source as opposed to that of the Lorgaireacht. Moreover, the Lorgaireacht presents an unique literary product, as no other adaptations of texts from the Lancelot-Prose Cycle survive in Irish. One can infer from this that it had an important status in the eyes of the compiler to be given such attention. The religious aspect of the French text is even more prominent in the Irish text, and the first purpose of its adaptation resides in its didactic message and examples of good Christian behaviour.
Through the examination of the Irish and French manuscript tradition of these texts, this study aims to look at the source of the adaptation and try to understand how an Irish adaptation of a French Arthurian text was made possible. Considering the highly important influence of the French language and culture in Ireland since the second half of the 12th century, and the archaic features that the text presents, an earlier composition date cannot be disregarded, and evidence for this will be examined as well. Furthermore, the study aims to look at the exegesis present in the Irish text and compare it to the French and English texts, the latter of which was composed by Thomas Mallory during the 15th century. This overview of the Irish exegesis will provide us with an understanding of the adaptation process of the Lorgaireacht an tSoidhigh Naomhtha.
The distinctive characteristic of the Lorgaireacht an tSoidhigh Naomhtha lies in the evidence of it being the sole adaptation of already known and wide-spread European Arthurian material. Other vernacular Arthurian texts are found in Ireland and depict similar motifs as in the European Arthurian versions, but in the case of these five vernacular Irish texts we cannot be sure of their ultimate source as opposed to that of the Lorgaireacht. Moreover, the Lorgaireacht presents an unique literary product, as no other adaptations of texts from the Lancelot-Prose Cycle survive in Irish. One can infer from this that it had an important status in the eyes of the compiler to be given such attention. The religious aspect of the French text is even more prominent in the Irish text, and the first purpose of its adaptation resides in its didactic message and examples of good Christian behaviour.
Through the examination of the Irish and French manuscript tradition of these texts, this study aims to look at the source of the adaptation and try to understand how an Irish adaptation of a French Arthurian text was made possible. Considering the highly important influence of the French language and culture in Ireland since the second half of the 12th century, and the archaic features that the text presents, an earlier composition date cannot be disregarded, and evidence for this will be examined as well. Furthermore, the study aims to look at the exegesis present in the Irish text and compare it to the French and English texts, the latter of which was composed by Thomas Mallory during the 15th century. This overview of the Irish exegesis will provide us with an understanding of the adaptation process of the Lorgaireacht an tSoidhigh Naomhtha.
