Richard Coeur de Lion

by Katherine H. Terrell (Translator)

A dark and memorable Middle English Crusades romance is now translated into modern English.

Genres: Poetry, Classics

280 pages, Paperback

Published January 22, 2019

Reviews

[Jordan Noelle]

Girl whatever

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was torn over how to rate this romance because, on the one hand, the story is carefully crafted to achieve its narrative goals, whereas, on the other hand, those goals are despicable in character. So, I decided to split the difference.
This is a work of ideological fiction, a deliberate reimagining of history that seeks to console medieval England in the wake of the failed Third Crusade and create an English national identity that is rooted in the romanticized portrait of King Richard the Lionheart. Except, I should add, Richard pursues a military strategy of genocide by means of mass-cannibalism, which is difficult to view in a romantic light--at least to my modern sensibilities. Richard is a psychopath, relishing the chance to laugh at the men he maims, impales, divides, and devours. We, the readers, are invited to partake in the joke.
I did not enjoy reading this story. It is seven-thousand lines of fantasy that is gratuitously violent, mind-numbingly racist, and boundless in its cruelty. For a week or two, the romance made me feel queasy in church--especially when one of the priests alluded to his historically-fraught dream of a global Christianity.
All that being said, I am glad I had the opportunity to study this text. It serves as a necessary reminder of the insidious possibilities in fiction--the ability of a text to poison our worldview, our humanity, and our memory.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some parts were better than others but I would definitely consider reading a Medieval Romance again to grasp the genre more. The cannibalism episodes were written in appalling detail and some of the fighting scenes were too drawn out for me to really like it but I can see how it appeals to a certain audience. It would be a fun story to listen to in a tavern in Medieval times though!

[rania · Rating 2 out of 5]

i hope i never have to read another fucking book like this again. - so anti crusading romance rn icl

i also hate how the only interesting bit was the batshit cannibalism episode in the middle ?? why ??? surely the author couldn't justify such cruelty and madness ?? and yet ... i guess he did ???????

0/10 never willingly reading again

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was assigned reading for my medieval pilgrimage literature class. This was oddly enjoyable, just from the sheer outlandishness of the plot. This long poem was based off a real person, making him an English hero. Though he was French and claimed he’d sell London if somebody gave him enough money for it, so that’s really funny.
An interesting read when you know the context of it. It is also so insanely racist against anyone that isn’t English or Christian that it’s almost comedic. Of course I understand why the nuances of this poem are that it’s a horribly biased and almost genocidal in its plot, but what am I gonna do, cancel the anonymous poet? What’s his twitter? I’m sorry but I had a surprisingly fun time reading this crazy shit! I definitely recommend reading the introduction for the historical context, it makes this a lot more enjoyable.

[Chanel Earl]

There were some interesting things here, and even though I don't think this is history, it was nice to learn more accurate history of Richard the lion heart, than the history I got from the Robin Hood legends.

Not a fan of the violence, cannibalism and merciless slaughter of hundreds of thousand of people. Richard is no hero.