texts and the author’s meticulous scrutiny of Guinevere in each one bring to the fore the diversity of the representations of this literary figure. As Bethlehem contends, «in the universe of human character, it would be hard to find a manifestation that is not covered by one or another of the profiles that Arthur’s queen assumes in the course of the French Arthurian tradition» (323). In the third and final category of the volume, the author discusses fourteen English romances. Among them are Of Arthour and of Merlin, Landevale, Ywain and Gawain, The Stanzaic Morte Arthur, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Alliterative Morte Arthure, The Weddynge of Sir Gawen and Dame Ragnelle, and, as previously noted, Malory’s Le Morte Darthur. Pointing out differences between the French and English traditions, Bethlehem maintains that «on the whole, the English approach to the dilemma of Guinevere and the entire Arthurian triangle appears to be governed by a traditional ecclesiastic rather than a liberal code of morality» (327). The author argues too that the English texts, more so than any of the others, tend to stray from the common notions typically associated with her character and that, in the English tradition, she «becomes a popular figure of identification - nationally and personally» (411). The volume closes with the author’s constructed biography of Guinevere, which encompasses elements from the various literary tendencies discussed throughout the work, and a short summary of the various traits associated with this character. Incidentally, this summary would be more useful if it were more detailed. Given the paucity of thorough studies devoted to character development in medieval literature, Bethlehem’s contribution to the subject is much needed. Moreover, the scope of the study and the number of texts discussed over the course of the work are impressive. Granted, certain texts were analyzed in more detail than others, but nonetheless, the author’s efforts here are certainly a step in the right direction. With each narrative, Bethlehem focuses on the ways in which every new depiction of Guinevere builds upon or alters previous ones, and this approach is especially helpful for anyone tracing the evolution of her character from the beginning of the Middle Ages to the end. At times, the English is awkward (and includes numerous typos), and English translations from French, German, and old English are often lacking. Still, Bethlehem’s work will be valuable to Arthurian scholars and to anyone interested in medieval character construction. Amy L. Ingram ★ Gabriel John Brogyanyi (ed.), Studies on the Romances of Chrétien de Troyes, édité par Bela Brogyanyi, Freiburg i. Br. (Wissenschaft und Öffentlichkeit) 2005, 48 p. (Kleine Schriftenreihe/ Freiburger Institut für Paläowissenschaftliche Studien 7) This slim volume, published posthumously after the author’s death, consists of three short essays on Chrétien’s romances, two of which were previously published in VRom 31 (1972) and Kentucky Romance Quarterly (n° 19) respectively. At the time of their original publication in 1972, these articles provided original and innovative insight into Chrétien’s works, at a time when scholarship on his narrative art was only beginning to develop into what it has since become. In his first essay, titled Plot Structure and Motivation in Chrétien’s Romances, Brogyanyi focuses on the plot junctures that tie together Chrétien’s romances and his heroes. According to Brogyanyi, the typical behavior of the romances’ protagonists can be explained by one shared principle, «Chrétien’s implicit conception of human will» (2). For each of the five romances, the author examines the hero’s fault and expiation, viewing the former 213 Besprechungen - Comptes rendus as a missed opportunity that can never be regained. Moreover, he considers the role of each character’s free will in relation to his error, since, in each instance, there is a choice between two distinct courses of action. As Brogyanyi explains, the hero’s rejection of the established institution that confines him (i. e., marriage, chivalry, the court), in favor of another one, leads to his chosen course of action, which has different consequences for each hero. The institution in Chrétien’s romances, the author notes, fulfills one of two functions in all the narratives. It either «acts as a goal, drawing a character’s will into action, or «it acts as a restricting circle in which the character is caught» (15). Although the author’s goal in this essay is to analyze a common thread in the romances, he also demonstrates that Chrétien’s use of free will in the five plots is tailored to the protagonists’ individual circumstances. The volume’s second essay, Motivation in «Erec et Enide»: An Interpretation of the Romance reminds us that «Chrétien’s plots exhibit a typical pattern, whose major links all turn around movements of the protagonists’ will, hence around motives rather than fortuitous, external events» (19). It is in relation to Chrétien’s last four romances that Brogyanyi seeks to interpret his first, suggesting that such an approach clarifies certain crucial moments and actions in Erec et Enide that, when considered only within the context of the romance in which they are found, inevitably seem obscure. After examining the basic plot pattern of this romance, the author goes on to trace in detail the development of both Erec and Enide, in order to set up his discussion of the psychological motivation of each, particularly during the crisis phase of the narrative. Brogyanyi also elucidates recurring motifs that appear throughout the romance and that link the final episode of the poem, the Joie de la Cort, to previous ones. It is this last episode, the author maintains, that «sums up the important themes of the entire romance» (41). Chrétien’s «Cligès» as an Anti-Tristan: A Demythologization? completes the volume as the third and previously unpublished essay. The essay is brief and builds upon Cligés scholarship by Wendelin Foerster, who sees Cligés as an Anti-Tristan, and by Michelle Freeman, who is, according to Brogyanyi, «at the opposite end of the critical spectrum from Foerster», since she «sees echoes and transformations of Tristan material throughout Chrétien’s extant works» (44). Brogyanyi seems to fall somewhere in between, as he explains over the course of the article. Furthermore, as in the preceding two essays, the author places much emphasis on the notion of free will in Chrétien’s romances, adding here that this concept shapes the conclusion of his narratives. The end of the article focuses on Cligés as a modified version of the Tristan legend, with the most important modification affecting the love potion. Brogyanyi demonstrates how Chrétien transforms the potion from «the realm of fatality to the realm of free will» (47) and contends that «in depriving the love potion of most of its magic, he de-mythologized the Tristan legend» (48). As for his own speculation concerning Chrétien’s lost Tristan composition, the author accepts the reality of the work and asserts that he is more or less in agreement with Foerster’s postulations on the same subject: that Chrétien’s lost work may have been a short, episodic poem, similar to Marie de France’s Chèvrefeuil. Alternatively, he suggests, the Tristan romance in question may actually have been his Philomena. As previously noted, the volume’s first two articles were undoubtedly important contributions to Chrétien scholarship when they originally appeared in print. More than thirty years later, they are still valuable for anyone studying plot structure and motivation in his romances, if indeed there remain unexplored avenues where those subjects are concerned. The third essay, although it makes several good points, is underdeveloped and relies too heavily on Freeman and especially on Foerster. Nonetheless, it is practical and convenient to have the three related essays published together in one compact tome, despite 214 Besprechungen - Comptes rendus a few typos and the fact that pages 18 and 19 have been reversed. These flaws notwithstanding, the volume will make a useful addition to the libraries of Chrétien scholars. Amy L. Ingram ★ Alain Corbellari, Les «Dits» d’Henri d’Andeli, suivis de deux versions du Mariage des Sept Arts. Textes traduits et présentés, Paris (Champion) 2003, 127 p. (Traductions des Classiques du Moyen Âge 66) A. Corbellari, professeur associé für mittelalterliche Literatur an der Universität Lausanne, legte 2003 die Edition der vier von Henri d’Andeli verfassten Texte vor (bei Zitaten aus der Edition wird nachfolgend vor die Angabe der Seitenzahl Ed. gesetzt) 1 . Noch in demselben Jahr erschien dann das hier anzuzeigende Bändchen, das die neufranzösische Übersetzung dieser sowie zwei weiterer kurzer Texte enthält (Seitenangaben ohne Zusatz verweisen auf dieses Werk). Natürlich wäre es mehr als wünschenswert gewesen, Edition und Übersetzung in einem einzigen Werk gegenübergestellt zu bekommen; aber offenbar entspricht das nicht dem Konzept des Verlags Honoré Champion. Henri d’Andeli, der zwischen 1220 und 1240 literarisch aktiv war, stammt gebürtig aus der Normandie und lebte dann als «clerc» in Paris. Er wirkte somit in einer Zeit, als sich mit der Gründung der Universitäten den «clercs» die «occasion unique» (10) bot, dem Bereich von Hof oder Kloster zu entrinnen, sich somit «avec une liberté nouvelle» (10) zu äußern und eine Literatur «fondamentalement différente de celle du XII e siècle» (7) erstehen zu lassen. Diese neue «poétique de la ville» (8) befasste sich naturgemäß auch mit den «problèmes directement ou indirectement liés au savoir et à ses représentants (plus ou moins) autorisés» (11). Und auch hier zählen die Texte des Autors wieder zu «les plus anciennes et les plus réjouissantes de l’humour estudiantin» (hintere Umschlagseite). Henri d’Andeli verfasste seine in acht Manuskripten erhaltenen Texte - dabei sind in keiner Handschrift alle vier Texte zusammen vorzufinden - in Paris, so dass sie «les premiers textes littéraires français dont la provenance parisienne soit indubitable» (Ed. 7) sind. Und zugleich bilden seine Werke «l’un des plus précieux témoignages d’un changement de paradigme majeur dans la pratique littéraire» (Ed. 28). Die vier kurzen Texte des Autors, die nur einen Gesamtumfang von 1513 Versen haben, wurden letztmalig 1881 ediert 2 . Eine Neuedition war somit schon seit geraumer Zeit ein dringendes Desiderat. - Die vier Texte des Autors sind: 1) La Bataille des Vins: Dieses ca. 1224 geschriebene, 204 Verse zählende Werk ist «une des plus précises descriptions de l’état du vignoble français au Moyen Âge» (26). 2) La Bataille des Sept Arts: Der Text, der «aux alentours de 1230» (Ed. 19) entstanden sein dürfte und 462 Verse umfasst, lässt Henri d’Andeli als einen «batailleur impénitent» (Ed. 24) erkennen, der «le combat . . . contre les livres d’Aristote et leurs sectateurs menés par la Logique» (24) führt. 3) Le Lai d’Aristote: Dieser mit 581 Versen längste Text Henris, dessen «date approximative» (Ed. 22) das Jahr 1235 ist, stellt ohne Frage «un grand chef-d’œuvre» (Ed. 29) dar. Es geht dem Autor darum, «[de] ridiculiser Aristote» und ein Plädoyer zu halten «en faveur d’une science qui puisse tenir compte de la totalité de l’humain» (Ed. 25). 215 Besprechungen - Comptes rendus 1 Les «Dits» d’Henri d’Andeli, Paris (Champion) 2003 (CFMA 146). 2 A. Heron (ed.), Œuvres de Henri d’Andeli, trouvère normand du XIII e siècle, publié avec introduction, variantes, notes, glossaire, Rouen 1881 2 .