Anonymous, Lybeaus Desconus

Kirsty Bolton (University of Southampton)

Ed. by Natalie Hanna, University of Liverpool
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1300 - c. 1400

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poem collection

Resources

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Overview

Written c.1325-1350, Lybeaus Desconus, or Libeaus Desconus, has sometimes been attributed to Thomas Chestre, though there is little evidence to suggest this except for it being bound together with Sir Launfal, also attributed to Chestre, in one manuscript. The romance survives in six manuscripts, ranging from c.1450 and c.1650, which attest to the relative popularity of the romance. Modern editions favour the Lambeth or Naples manuscripts, which represent two slight variations of the text, with the main difference being the family reunion at the end of the narrative, which the Naples version includes but the Lambeth text does not. The closest analogue is the twelfth-century French poem, Li Biaus Desconeus, or Le Bel Inconnu, by Renault de Bâgé, though the Middle English romance

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1315 words

Citation: Bolton, Kirsty. "Lybeaus Desconus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 January 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39367, accessed 23 November 2024.]

Anonymous, Lybeaus Desconus

Dates

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