Full Description
"Every medievalist with a sense of humor has wanted to do this sort of book, but too few have. Morris Bishop gives us a delightful collection of medieval storytelling, ranging from the twelfth to the fifteenth century, in Latin, Norse, French, Spanish, Italian, and English. Recommended for all popular collections and especially for children."—Library Journal
"A pleasant collection of medieval tales intended for light reading. There are the usual bits and pieces from the Arthurian legend, from the lais and the collections like the 'Decameron,' from saints' lives, and from the moralized exempla of the preachers' handbooks, all illustrating the lighter side of the extraordinarily rich tradition of medieval narrative art."—Virginia Quarterly Review
From the rich store of medieval tales, Morris Bishop brings together a delightful collection of thirty-five stories. Some are romantic, some religious, some realistic, some even scurrilous. There are merry tales and moral tales, sagas, allegories, and fables. They vary widely in theme and their characters represent every class of medieval society. The tales in A Medieval Storybook vividly illustrate medieval life and thought. Above all they excel as stories, and demonstrate the high level attained by narrative art in the Middle Ages and the great gift the medieval writers had for creating lively and memorable characters. Some of the stories in the book were translated by Bishop; others were translated in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Line drawings by Alison Mason Kingsbury add considerably to the charm of this collection.
Contents
PrefaceI. Romances of King Arthur's CourtThe Story of Merlin
The Sword in the Stone, by Sir Thomas Malory
Launcelot, Elaine, and Guenever, by Sir Thomas Malory
Tristan's EndII. Adventures and EscapadesThe Story of Frithjof and Ingebjorg
Amleth's Revenge, by Saxo Grammaticus
A Knight Who Made a Bargain with a Merchant
A Story of beyond the Sea
The Cruelty of Francesco Orsini, by Giovanni Fiorentino
A Night in Naples, by Giovanni BoccaccioIII. Lovers' Weal and WoeThe Dapple-Gray Palfrey, by Huon Leroi
The Lay of the Nightingale, by Marie de France
The Falcon, by Giovanni BoccaccioIV. Wonders and ProdigiesThe Life of Saint Brandon, by Jacobus de Voragine
The Famous History of Friar BaconV. Moral TalesThe Execrable Devices of Old Women
Of the Cunning of the Devil, and of the Secret Judgments of God
Of the Transgressions and Wounds of the Soul
Of Extreme Fear
The Marvelous Conversion of the Blessed Hildegund, Virgin, by Caesarius of Heisterbach
The Cleric Who Deflowered a Jewish Maiden, by Caesarius of Heisterbach
How the Novice Theobald Conquered His Pride, by Caesarius of Heisterbach
Friar JuniperVI. Merry Tales and Salty FictionsOf the Churl Who Won Paradise
A Dean and a Magician, by Juan Manuel
King Ben Abit and Queen Romaquia, by Juan Manuel
A Profound Judgment
The Pear Tree
Fra Cipolla, by Giovanni Boccaccio
A Father's Wise Counsel, by Franco Sacchetti
The Rustic Ambassadors, by Franco Sacchetti
The Noble Crest, by Franco Sacchetti
Sacchetti and the Astrologer, by Franco Sacchetti
The Blind Man of Orvieto, by Franco Sacchetti
The Reeve's Tale, by Geoffrey Chaucer
