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29th out of 602 books
—
706 voters
The Romance of Tristan and Iseult
A tale of chivalry and doomed, transcendent love, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult is one of the most resonant works of Western literature, as well as the basis for our enduring idea of romance. The story of the Cornish knight and the Irish princess who meet by deception, fall in love by magic, and pursue that love in defiance of heavenly and earthly law has inspired arti...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
May 31st 1994
by Vintage
(first published 1900)
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The story of Tristan and Iseult is a myth as old as time itself, a legend of love and loss. It is tragic, romantic and beautiful. Joseph Bédier’s retelling of this classic tale is arguably the most accurate translation. Tristan, an epic soldier and esteemed guard, falls in love with Iseult, a fair maiden and kind queen. The love is forbidden, the trials are hard, but they are determined to be together, somehow.
When I was a teenager I fully believed the story of Tristan and Iseult to be romantic....more
When I was a teenager I fully believed the story of Tristan and Iseult to be romantic....more
A classic myth, but maybe not the best version.
Tristan and Iseult is a big deal: it’s said to be a major influence for the romance between Lancelot and Guinevere, Romeo and Juliet, and pretty much the majority romantic love stories after the 12th century. This myth was passed down verbally and has been committed to text by several different authors. Bédier argues that his version is adapted from the original poem, which may or may not be historically accurate. The style is conversational as if a...more
Tristan and Iseult is a big deal: it’s said to be a major influence for the romance between Lancelot and Guinevere, Romeo and Juliet, and pretty much the majority romantic love stories after the 12th century. This myth was passed down verbally and has been committed to text by several different authors. Bédier argues that his version is adapted from the original poem, which may or may not be historically accurate. The style is conversational as if a...more
His parents were wed in a castle standing above the sea called Tintagel "well fenced against all assault or engines of war, (with) its keep, which the giants had built long ago, (a) compact of great stones, like a chess board of vert and azure." He was lost for a long time, his royal origin hidden and unknown, but fate was kind and he was brought back to King Mark, ruler of Cornwall, brother of his deceased mother Blanchefleur (the husband of his late father, Rivalen King of Lyonesse). He served...more
I loved this book! I bought a new app (1.99) called Free Audiobooks for my i-pod touch, yes, I am chuckling at the app called Free Audiobooks that cost me $1.99…. :) Best two bucks ever! All the books are public domain and read by volunteers at Librivox, a total of 2,947 classics! This should keep me entertained and not have to run to the library and download all those cd's to the computer. I liked the library e-version of books you could rent online and in three weeks when your loan was up they...more
I adore this story, and I know that the beautiful writing of Joseph Bedier is largely to thank- but I must give credit to the specific reader at librivox who helped me to fall in love with the tale.
I listened to Tristan and Iseult as an audiobook, acquired through Librivox and read by Joy Chan. (Available here: http://librivox.org/tristan-and-iseul...)
Joy Chan's soothing voice drew me entirely into the ancient story, and as she adopted a slight affect for each character, rendering each distinct,...more
I listened to Tristan and Iseult as an audiobook, acquired through Librivox and read by Joy Chan. (Available here: http://librivox.org/tristan-and-iseul...)
Joy Chan's soothing voice drew me entirely into the ancient story, and as she adopted a slight affect for each character, rendering each distinct,...more
The Romance of Tristan and Iseult: As Retold by Josehph Bedier
Trans. Hilaire Belloc and Completed by Paul Rosenfeld
Vintage Books
1945 (1965 edition)
Tristan and Iseult is little bit like the story of every mythical hero. Tristan is brave and smart, is orphaned, but a rightful king. He makes friends and enemies everywhere and has almost supernatural abilities. He also has a fatal flaw, he loves the wrong woman. Like Lancelot, he falls in love with his lord's wife. Of course Tristan can blame a magi...more
Trans. Hilaire Belloc and Completed by Paul Rosenfeld
Vintage Books
1945 (1965 edition)
Tristan and Iseult is little bit like the story of every mythical hero. Tristan is brave and smart, is orphaned, but a rightful king. He makes friends and enemies everywhere and has almost supernatural abilities. He also has a fatal flaw, he loves the wrong woman. Like Lancelot, he falls in love with his lord's wife. Of course Tristan can blame a magi...more
Jan 16, 2012
Amalie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
romance,
legands-myths
Searched and read the e-book. Why? Tristan and Isolde was one of the most influential romances in the medieval period. Although this story line has been used endlessly later, in many classic romance stories like the Arthurian romance of Lancelot and Guinevere, this is a very good read and the original.
This one, Bedier's translation which was then translated by Hilaire Belloc) is the living piece of mythology. He tells Tristan and Isolde the same way you've probably heard it a thousand times. I b...more
This one, Bedier's translation which was then translated by Hilaire Belloc) is the living piece of mythology. He tells Tristan and Isolde the same way you've probably heard it a thousand times. I b...more
Kept my attention. Long before Hobbits and Harry Potters there was this. Picture yourself in a hall, with log fire and torch-light, with some fairly evil smells coming from a rush covered floor - the story teller begins ... yes, this tale really works.
a despicable soothsaying dwarf!
passion and joy most sharp, and anguish without end, and death!
evil giants!
a magic, multicolored dog with a little fairy bell!
why anyone writes books without these things is a mystery to me. plus it's all true.
passion and joy most sharp, and anguish without end, and death!
evil giants!
a magic, multicolored dog with a little fairy bell!
why anyone writes books without these things is a mystery to me. plus it's all true.
May 11, 2011
Kerry
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who enjoys medieval literature, and REAL romance stories
Shelves:
on-a-real-shelf-books-i-own
This translation, by Joseph Bédier, is widely considered the most true to the original stories. I like to think of their story as true, at least in some degree-but that's for each reader to decide for him or herself. The tale reads as if being spoken by a bard, and while that doesn't quite come through during the entire story, the reader (listener) is being directly addressed by the bard at the beginning and at the close of their tale. The story is beautifully told in the old language, detailing...more
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I dearly love this story, hell I even named my son Tristan, but I had not read this in English in years. (I used to read French well enough to love it in the original, to the extent there is an orgiinal, but alas those days are gone... ) so I went looking for a good translation and this is THE one. So very well done. But language and translation skill aside, this is just a great story. If you at all like Romance, capital R, or epic tales, or lovers who have a few more serious problems than who f...more
I'm glad I read this beautifully written, beautifully translated classic... but man I hate Tristan and Iseult. I would probably have given it more stars for its legacy and place in history, but I'm reacting badly to the thousands of "oh how romantic" sighs I hear when I talk about this book. I know my history, I can understand this may have been an epic love story in medieval times of chivalry and honor, but now it just reads like two people finding excuses to justify being total dicks. I'm too...more
romantic and sweet. violent and passionate. lovely. this book made me wish that i was raised on stories like this. it was absolutely fascinating!
{....and NOTHING, i repeat NOTHING! like the film version that made me first despise james franco and his ugly crying face. if anyone were to make a film version of this, it would be 4+ hours long and opulent and beautiful..full of dragons and magic and the love and loyalty of friends and family not just the passion of lovers.}
so, why did i not give i...more
{....and NOTHING, i repeat NOTHING! like the film version that made me first despise james franco and his ugly crying face. if anyone were to make a film version of this, it would be 4+ hours long and opulent and beautiful..full of dragons and magic and the love and loyalty of friends and family not just the passion of lovers.}
so, why did i not give i...more
This was great.
I decided to read this story becasue I'm trying to bone up on my knowledge of the Arturian Legend. And having just read "Le Morte de'Arthur", I couldn't help but notice that there was a huge amount of time spent in that book on Tristram and Iseult (like an entire 3rd of the book!). The names were fairly unfamilar to me, but I felt like the story was just another version of the love triangle between Lancelot, Gwenivere, and Arthur (see my review on "Le Morte de'Arthur"). Also, I of...more
I decided to read this story becasue I'm trying to bone up on my knowledge of the Arturian Legend. And having just read "Le Morte de'Arthur", I couldn't help but notice that there was a huge amount of time spent in that book on Tristram and Iseult (like an entire 3rd of the book!). The names were fairly unfamilar to me, but I felt like the story was just another version of the love triangle between Lancelot, Gwenivere, and Arthur (see my review on "Le Morte de'Arthur"). Also, I of...more
I really enjoyed this book. From what I remember about the movie, it is nothing like the book. I will always say books are so much better than the movie.
When we start we meet Tristan who was a great warrior he always put his King before himself. He had been injured in battle and they were sure he was going to die. So giving him a kings burial. They sent him on the seas in a boat. He then was saved by the beautiful Iseult who was the niece of one of the men he had killed. She then discovers this...more
When we start we meet Tristan who was a great warrior he always put his King before himself. He had been injured in battle and they were sure he was going to die. So giving him a kings burial. They sent him on the seas in a boat. He then was saved by the beautiful Iseult who was the niece of one of the men he had killed. She then discovers this...more
Tristan et Iseut, l'éternelle histoire de l'Amour et de la Mort si étroitement liés... Cette reconstitution et "réécriture" par Bédier me semble une bonne synthèse des différentes sources et de ce que j'en connais. Le choix de suivre plutôt Thomas que Béroul me convient parfaitement: plus "romantique" et moins terre-à-terre, il correspond davantage à ma sensibilité et à mes attentes. Le style m'a moins plu que celui de mon édition en librio (version de Pierre Dalle Nogare): j'y ai notamment trou...more
I really enjoyed this story! It was full of intrigue and passion and the mystery of spells and potions. It was intriguing because my only experience with this story was the awful movie version with James Franco and that does not do this story justice nor follow the plot line of the real story. I'm not particularly fond of the fact that a marriage vow is broken, but I get the point of the story that true love is more important than anything else.
I will say that it was difficult to get into the fl...more
I will say that it was difficult to get into the fl...more
I read this book primarily to familiarize myself with romantic traditions of the middle ages, and in that sense I found the text quite helpful. Since this particular edition pieces together multiple fragments to create a narrative, the story has a decidedly piecemeal feel to it. One can imagine various troubadours over the years elaborating on one section or another to please a particular audience, eventually creating a sprawling epic that is only partially about the romance between the two titl...more
First published in 1334, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult isn't like our modern novels and stories with (sometimes) too much dialog and descriptions of scenery. This story, being rather short, was very much to the point. But, as a reader, I didn't need three pages full of fluff words to know that Tristan and Iseult loved each other like no other. Even if you've seen the movie Tristan and Isolde, you don't know this story. It is completely different that what was portrayed. I highly recommend re...more
I didn't mind the theme or even the writing style - but I didn't like a single character. And, to me, if I don't like anyone in the story - I typically just don't like or don't care about their story. Very true here. I just couldn't care if Tristan and Iseult got to stay together or, if they would be hung/burned/banished to the lepers, etc. It lacked the great dialogue, character development and even lovely foreshadowing that Shakespeare has. I'd rather read 700 pages of more dialogue and intera...more
Even though this was first published in 1900 I think it is a beautiful compilation of the old poetry and legend. I was surprisingly moved by the way Bedier retold the story. Make sure you read the introduction written by Bedier, he claims to be more a historian than a story teller and attempts to stay true to the historical poetry of the legend without embellishment. I was surprised how much I liked it. Despite the language from a different time period I did not find it difficult to read or to g...more
Há histórias intemporais de amor que duram vidas e são transmitidas de geração em geração como exemplo do amor cavaleiresco. Remontando ao tempo de Artur, Camelot e Merlin, este amor proibido advém de várias versões da lenda que foi popularizada por vários autores, principalmente entre os séculos XIX e XX.
Joseph Bédier recontou algumas das lendas do imaginário arturiano e esta foi uma delas, imortalizando mais uma vez, uma história de amor, que no fim, venceu tudo e todos e inspirou românticos e...more
Joseph Bédier recontou algumas das lendas do imaginário arturiano e esta foi uma delas, imortalizando mais uma vez, uma história de amor, que no fim, venceu tudo e todos e inspirou românticos e...more
It wasn't really a pleasurable read for me (I spent the last half wishing it was over) but I really liked the unusual twist... I started reading it not knowing anything about the story. So at first, I thought it was going to be a typical tragic romance (two people fall in love, ends in tragedy, etc.). Not exactly...
Once they took the philtre, at first I was disappointed. It seemed like a cheap plot device, especially since I wanted to see them fall in love. But then I realized something.
Tristan...more
Once they took the philtre, at first I was disappointed. It seemed like a cheap plot device, especially since I wanted to see them fall in love. But then I realized something.
Tristan...more
" Tristan and Iseult " is one of the oldest stories written in french, certainly one of the founding works of the Modern novel.
The legend of "Tristan and Iseult" is based on the oral tradition. "Tristan and Iseult" actually entered the French Literature written in the 12th Century. Over the years, several pieces of the story of "Tristan and Iseult" have emerged. These include versions of the famous "Béroul" and "Thomas of England", while others have survived only half, that is the case with the...more
The legend of "Tristan and Iseult" is based on the oral tradition. "Tristan and Iseult" actually entered the French Literature written in the 12th Century. Over the years, several pieces of the story of "Tristan and Iseult" have emerged. These include versions of the famous "Béroul" and "Thomas of England", while others have survived only half, that is the case with the...more
Before Romeo and Juliet, and Lancelot and Guenevere, there were Tristan and Iseult.
Tristan and Iseult's story is one of honor, betrayal, jealousy, forbidden love, potions, Kings, Queens, etc... It has everything needed to create a lasting and memorable tale. The wording in this story is so well done! It just screams: "tragedy!"
There are a lot of questions regarding this tale. Did Tristan and Iseult really live? Is their story true? Who knows? I don't.
I do know, however, that this tale along with...more
Tristan and Iseult's story is one of honor, betrayal, jealousy, forbidden love, potions, Kings, Queens, etc... It has everything needed to create a lasting and memorable tale. The wording in this story is so well done! It just screams: "tragedy!"
There are a lot of questions regarding this tale. Did Tristan and Iseult really live? Is their story true? Who knows? I don't.
I do know, however, that this tale along with...more
داستان دلكش تريستات و ايزوت از جمله ي زيباترين سرگذشت هاي عاشقانه است كه از قرن ها پيش تا كنون مايه ي كار شاعران و نقاشان و موسيقي دانان كشورهاي اروپا قرار گرفته است
...
بعضي خاورشناسان و اديبان ايراني ميان داستان تريستان و ايزوت و افسانه ي ويس و رامين كه فخرالدين اسعد گرگاني در حدود 446 هجري درست يك قرن پيش از تاريخ منظومه ي برول - اولين داستان اروپايي به سبك كتاب حاضر- از روي متن پهلوي به نظم درآورده است مشابهت هايي بسيار يافته و گاهي پنداشته اند كه ميان اين دو داستان ارتباطي هست. هانري ماسه خاو...more
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بعضي خاورشناسان و اديبان ايراني ميان داستان تريستان و ايزوت و افسانه ي ويس و رامين كه فخرالدين اسعد گرگاني در حدود 446 هجري درست يك قرن پيش از تاريخ منظومه ي برول - اولين داستان اروپايي به سبك كتاب حاضر- از روي متن پهلوي به نظم درآورده است مشابهت هايي بسيار يافته و گاهي پنداشته اند كه ميان اين دو داستان ارتباطي هست. هانري ماسه خاو...more
Em relação ao livro anterior desta colecção ("Romeu e Julieta"), gostei relativamente mais deste. Contudo, o tipo de escrita retirado da oralidade fez-me alguma confusão desde o início, mais no aspecto de entrar devidamente na história, pois de certa forma é também o aspecto mais curioso no livro.
Enquanto história de amor também me convenceu mais (duas pessoas que deviam seguir caminhos separados mas se apaixonam perdidamente com uma poção de amor bebida por engano, o que não há para gostar?), p...more
Enquanto história de amor também me convenceu mais (duas pessoas que deviam seguir caminhos separados mas se apaixonam perdidamente com uma poção de amor bebida por engano, o que não há para gostar?), p...more
I thought it was time to see the movie, with James Franco, again, so I decided to read the truest version of the original story first. The movie was unbelievably romantic.
The book is about two people who fall into an everlasting love. Some people help them protect their love and others are arch enemies. About 2/3 the way through the book I was thinking--enough already. But nothing can beat a beautiful love story. There is just something terribly satisfying about reading an original classic.
The book is about two people who fall into an everlasting love. Some people help them protect their love and others are arch enemies. About 2/3 the way through the book I was thinking--enough already. But nothing can beat a beautiful love story. There is just something terribly satisfying about reading an original classic.
Bedier's version is wonderful. He doesn't do anything overtly daring wtih the story. He tells Tristan and Isolde the same way you've probably heard it a thousand times. I bet he even used Wolfram's text as the original. On a sentence by sentence level, though, this is a breathtaking book with no lack of lines that leave me reeling, heart pounding, and so jealous I can't see straight. An exquisite rendering of a classic medeival romance and most definitely a very good read.
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Bédier was born in Paris, France to Adolphe Bédier, a lawyer of Breton origin, and spent his childhood in Réunion. He was a professor of medieval French literature at the Université de Fribourg, Switzerland (1889–1891) and the Collège de France, Paris (c. 1893).
Modern theories of the fabliaux and the chansons de geste are based on two of Bédier's studies.
Bédier revived interest in several importan...more
More about Joseph Bédier...
Modern theories of the fabliaux and the chansons de geste are based on two of Bédier's studies.
Bédier revived interest in several importan...more
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“Fold your arms round me close and strain me so that our hearts may break and our souls go free at last. Take me to that happy place of which you told me long ago. The fields whence none return, but where great singers sing their songs forever.”
—
18 people liked it
“...for most men are unaware that what is in the power of magicians to accomplish, that the heart can also accomplish by dint of love and bravery.”
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8 people liked it
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Aug 11, 2012 05:19am