Tristan and Isolde (also known as Tristan and Iseult, Tristan and Isolt, Tristram)

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Albrecht Classen (University of Arizona)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.01: French Writing and Culture: Old French to the Middle Ages , 500-1400.
Vol. editors: Marianne Ailes (University of Bristol), Matthew Siôn Lampitt (University of Bristol), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Domains

Mythical / legendary character

Dates

Date of occurrence 1150-1230

Places

France (Location)
Germany (Location)

Resources

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Recommended Reading

I. The

Tristan

romance in the Middle Ages

In contrast to the modern world, medieval culture knew fairly little of .national. or .cultural. boundaries; many peoples shared most literary traditions, although the various manifestations of specific literary, artistic, and musical traditions differed more or less from language to language. The Tristan tradition dates back to the early Celtic cultures, but individual elements also might have been borrowed from Hellenic, Persian, and Arabic sources. The main protagonist, Tristan, has long been identified with the Pictish Drust, son of Tallorc, and also with Drystan, son of Tallwch, in the Welsh tradition. The earliest versions of the high medieval Tristan romances can be found on the Continent in Anglo-Norman texts, one by Béroul (version

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3058 words

Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Tristan and Isolde (also known as Tristan and Iseult, Tristan and Isolt, Tristram)". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 May 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1281, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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Tristan and Isolde (also known as Tristan and Iseult, Tristan and Isolt, Tristram)

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