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The texts analyzed underline the wide dissemination of the Arthurian story in medieval and post-medieval Europe, from Scotland to Italy, while the various analyses of the manifestations of comedy refute the notion of romance as a humourless genre. Indeed, the comic treatment of conventional themes and motifs appears to be not only characteristic of later romance but an essential element of the genre from its beginnings and from its earliest development. Authors of Arthurian romance, from Chr?tien de Troyes to Malory, writing in French, Italian, Middle Dutch, and Middle English, and the creators of an Irish prose-tale, all question the fundamental assumptions of romance and romance values through the medium of comedy. The theme of comedy in Arthurian romance has been developed from the orignal session at the Arthurian Congress in Toulouse.
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Color profile: Generic CMYK printer profile Composite Default screen ARTHURIAN LITERATURE XIX D:\Elaine\ArtLit19\Artlit19.vp 17 September 2002 09:43:21 Color profile: Generic CMYK printer profile Composite Default screen ARTHURIAN LITERATURE Incorporating Arthurian Yearbook ISSN 0261–9946 Editor: Keith Busby, University of Wisconsin, Madison Assistant Editor: Roger Dalrymple, University of St Andrews Editorial Board James Carley, York University Julia Crick, University of Exeter Tony Hunt, University of Oxford Marianne Kalinke, Illinois University Norris Lacy, Pennsylvania State University Ceridwen Lloyd-Morgan, National Library of Wales Felicity Riddy, University of York Alison Stones, University of Pittsburgh Toshiyuki Takamiya, University of Keio Raymond H. Thompson, Acadia University Arthurian Literature is an interdisciplinary publication devoted to the scholarly and critical study of all aspects of the Arthurian legend in Europe in the medieval and early modern periods. Articles on writings from later periods are included if they relate very directly to medieval and early modern sources, although the editors welcome bibliographical studies of all periods. Articles may be up to 20,000 words in length; short items, of under 5,000 words, are published as Notes. Updates on earlier articles are also welcomed. Material for consideration can be sent to the addresses below, or directly to Boydell & Brewer: contributors should follow the style sheet printed at the end of volume XII of the series. Professor Keith Busby Department of French and Italian University of Wisconsin-Madison 618 Van Hise Hall Madison, WI 53706 USA Dr Roger Dalrymple St Hugh’s College Oxford OX2 6LE The contents of previous volumes are listed at the back of this book. D:\Elaine\ArtLit19\Artlit19.vp 17 September 2002 09:43:22 Color profile: Generic CMYK printer profile Composite Default screen A r th ur i a n L i te r a t ur e XIX Comedy in Arthurian Literature EDITED BY KEITH BUSBY General Editor with ROGER DALRYMPLE Associate Editor D. S. BREWER D:\Elaine\ArtLit19\Artlit19.vp 17 September 2002 09:43:22 Color profile: Generic CMYK printer profile Composite Default screen © Contributors 2003 All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under current legislation no part of this work may be photocopied, stored in a retrieval system, published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast, transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the copyright owner First published 2003 D. S. Brewer, Cambridge ISBN 0 85991 745 2 D. S. Brewer is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK and of Boydell & Brewer Inc. PO Box 41026, Rochester, NY 14604–4126, USA website: www.boydell.co.uk A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 83–640196