The legend of Tristan and Isolde has inspired for centuries over a myriad of artists of different branches for its passionate story of two lovers who challenge every social order, with no way of resisting the intensity of their attraction. The story has been written, retold, and translated throughout centuries proving the vitality with which it spread and raising the most intriguing questions on how such a legend proliferated, was transmitted, and was adapted into a various different versions. In this study I aim to address the characteristics of one of these versions, Sir Tristrem a poem written in Middle English in the latter half of the thirteenth century and compiled into the Auchinleck manuscript in the first quarter of the fourteenth century. In chapter 1 I describe the different extant versions of the Tristan legend, focusing on those earlier written texts in French and German and describing their unique qualities. Joseph Bédier is one to have contributed greatly to the philological discussion of the extant literature by demonstrating that the existence of an “archetypal text” from which all the other versions descended was not implausible. Scholars have proceeded to categorize between two main branches, the “courtly” and “primitive” providing further insight into major narrative strands. The courtly branch is where the Middle English poem Sir Tristrem belongs. Sir Tristrem is one of the 45 texts contained in a document known as the Auchinleck Manuscript, conserved in the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh. It is the codex unicus (the only extant physical copy) of Sir Tristrem, with a digital facsimile that was made accessible online for academics and laypeople alike to consult freely. In chapter 2 I analyze the singular traits of the Auchinleck manuscript and focus on a linguistic, paleographic and historical analysis of Sir Tristrem. I argue that it emerged in the fourteenth century during a time in which its English-speaking audience searched for validation in a language that was not spoken by their Norman rulers. In chapter 3, I examine the interpretations of several scholars regarding this poem, including Susan Crane, Alan Lupack, Philippa Hardman, and Thomas Rumble. From their different perspectives, a common viewpoint emerges: the evaluations of academics on the work Sir Tristrem converge on the fact that it is a text descended from the Anglo-Norman work Tristran by Thomas d'Angleterre, albeit lacking the psychological reflection adopted by the author of the source. Subsequently, I retrace all the different characteristics between the English poem and its Anglo-Norman source. I will propose an alternative approach to the interpretation of the work that re-evaluates the choices made by the anonymous author of Sir Tristrem, in order to avoid considering it a simple English adaptation "inferior" to its Anglo-Norman source of the courtly branch, as criticism has often done. In the final chapter, I consider the plausibility of the oral transmission of Sir Tristrem. By analyzing the unique meter of the poem, which has no equivalent in Middle English literature, I explore theories regarding the possible recitation by minstrels, who played a fundamental role in its transmission. The testimony provided in the fourteenth century by Robert Manning of Brunne confirms the plausibility of oral recitation. Ad Putter, in the twenty-first century, also focuses on those elements of Middle English poetry that lend themselves to oral performance. Consequently, I conclude by exploring the possibility of a broader approach to Sir Tristrem, one that goes beyond a "bibliocentric" analysis focused exclusively on written texts. In a world where only a negligible minority could read, this approach contributes to a deeper understanding of what brought fame and fortune to the English Tristanian work.
Una leggenda che ha ispirato nei secoli scrittori e artisti di diverse discipline (letterature, arti visive, musica, teatro) è sicuramente l’appassionante vicenda dei due amanti che hanno violato le norme dell’ordine sociale senza potersi sottrarre alla potenza del loro amore. La storia di Tristano e Isotta fu narrata, plasmata, tradotta nel corso dei secoli e suscita intriganti interrogativi sulle modalità di trasmissione, circolazione e adattamento nelle diverse tradizioni. Tra le attestazioni scritte, io propongo di analizzare un componimento scritto in medio inglese intitolato Sir Tristrem che fu redatto nel manoscritto di Auchinleck, oggi conservato nella biblioteca nazionale scozzese a Edimburgo. Nel capitolo 1 si esplorano le diverse versioni scritte esistenti della leggenda, in particolare in francese e in tedesco, portando alla luce le peculiarità di ognuna e lo specifico valore letterario. Joseph Bédier ha costituito un punto di svolta, a cavallo del secolo XIX e XX, proponendo la plausibile esistenza di un archetipo della leggenda da cui sarebbero discesi i diversi testi ma questa fu messa in discussione dagli studiosi delle generazioni successive. I filologi, per convenzione si riferiscono a una divisione dei testi come appartenenti al filone “cortese” e al filone “primitivo”. Tra i testi del filone cortese vi è Sir Tristrem. È uno dei 45 testi conservati nel manoscritto di Auchinleck, di cui esiste una versione digitalizzata. Nel secondo capitolo prendo in esame le peculiarità del manoscritto Auchinleck, mi concentro sull’analisi del Sir Tristrem a livello storico, linguistico e paleografico nella sua unica attestazione manoscritta. L’emergere di un’opera in medio inglese nel quattordicesimo secolo è contestuale all’esigenza di una lingua letteraria diversa in Inghilterra da quella utilizzata dai dominatori Normanni. Nel terzo capitolo prendo in esame le interpretazioni di alcuni studiosi su questo poema, tra cui Susan Crane, Alan Lupack, Philippa Hardman e Thomas Rumble. Dai diversi punti di vista emerge un punto comune: le valutazioni degli accademici sull’opera Sir Tristrem convergono sul fatto che sia un testo discendente dall’opera anglo-normanna, il Tristran di Thomas d’Angleterre, nonostante venga meno la riflessione psicologica che aveva adottato l’autore della fonte. Successivamente, ripercorro tutte le caratteristiche differenti tra il poema in inglese e la sua fonte anglo-normanna. Proporrò un approccio alla lettura dell’opera alternativo, che rivaluti le scelte dell’anonimo autore di Sir Tristrem così da non considerarla un semplice adattamento in inglese, “inferiore” alla sua fonte anglo-normanna del ramo cortese, come spesso la critica ha fatto. Nel quarto capitolo prendo in considerazione la plausibilità della trasmissione orale di Sir Tristrem. Analizzando la metrica singolare del poema, senza alcun corrispettivo nella letteratura in medio inglese, esploro le teorie sulla possibile recitazione dei menestrelli, che hanno avuto un ruolo fondamentale nella trasmissione. La testimonianza riportata nel quattordicesimo secolo da Robert Manning di Brunne conferma la plausibilità di una recitazione orale. Anche Ad Putter nel ventunesimo secolo si sofferma su quegli elementi della poesia in medio inglese che si prestano alla recita orale. Concludo, dunque, esplorando la possibilità di un approccio a Sir Tristrem più ampio di quello “bibliocentrico”, vale a dire esclusivamente sull’analisi dei testi scritti. In un mondo in cui solo una minoranza trascurabile sapeva leggere questo approccio serve a una approfondita comprensione di ciò che ha dato fama e fortuna all’opera tristaniana in inglese.
Interpretazioni di Sir Tristrem: un poema in Inglese Medio
BASILONE, MASSIMILIANO
2022/2023
Abstract
The legend of Tristan and Isolde has inspired for centuries over a myriad of artists of different branches for its passionate story of two lovers who challenge every social order, with no way of resisting the intensity of their attraction. The story has been written, retold, and translated throughout centuries proving the vitality with which it spread and raising the most intriguing questions on how such a legend proliferated, was transmitted, and was adapted into a various different versions. In this study I aim to address the characteristics of one of these versions, Sir Tristrem a poem written in Middle English in the latter half of the thirteenth century and compiled into the Auchinleck manuscript in the first quarter of the fourteenth century. In chapter 1 I describe the different extant versions of the Tristan legend, focusing on those earlier written texts in French and German and describing their unique qualities. Joseph Bédier is one to have contributed greatly to the philological discussion of the extant literature by demonstrating that the existence of an “archetypal text” from which all the other versions descended was not implausible. Scholars have proceeded to categorize between two main branches, the “courtly” and “primitive” providing further insight into major narrative strands. The courtly branch is where the Middle English poem Sir Tristrem belongs. Sir Tristrem is one of the 45 texts contained in a document known as the Auchinleck Manuscript, conserved in the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh. It is the codex unicus (the only extant physical copy) of Sir Tristrem, with a digital facsimile that was made accessible online for academics and laypeople alike to consult freely. In chapter 2 I analyze the singular traits of the Auchinleck manuscript and focus on a linguistic, paleographic and historical analysis of Sir Tristrem. I argue that it emerged in the fourteenth century during a time in which its English-speaking audience searched for validation in a language that was not spoken by their Norman rulers. In chapter 3, I examine the interpretations of several scholars regarding this poem, including Susan Crane, Alan Lupack, Philippa Hardman, and Thomas Rumble. From their different perspectives, a common viewpoint emerges: the evaluations of academics on the work Sir Tristrem converge on the fact that it is a text descended from the Anglo-Norman work Tristran by Thomas d'Angleterre, albeit lacking the psychological reflection adopted by the author of the source. Subsequently, I retrace all the different characteristics between the English poem and its Anglo-Norman source. I will propose an alternative approach to the interpretation of the work that re-evaluates the choices made by the anonymous author of Sir Tristrem, in order to avoid considering it a simple English adaptation "inferior" to its Anglo-Norman source of the courtly branch, as criticism has often done. In the final chapter, I consider the plausibility of the oral transmission of Sir Tristrem. By analyzing the unique meter of the poem, which has no equivalent in Middle English literature, I explore theories regarding the possible recitation by minstrels, who played a fundamental role in its transmission. The testimony provided in the fourteenth century by Robert Manning of Brunne confirms the plausibility of oral recitation. Ad Putter, in the twenty-first century, also focuses on those elements of Middle English poetry that lend themselves to oral performance. Consequently, I conclude by exploring the possibility of a broader approach to Sir Tristrem, one that goes beyond a "bibliocentric" analysis focused exclusively on written texts. In a world where only a negligible minority could read, this approach contributes to a deeper understanding of what brought fame and fortune to the English Tristanian work.È consentito all'utente scaricare e condividere i documenti disponibili a testo pieno in UNITESI UNIPV nel rispetto della licenza Creative Commons del tipo CC BY NC ND.
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14239/3031