You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
I did not like this book. I came into reading it by accident - I was just finishing Le Morte de Arthur when I saw Parzival was the Classics Book Club book at Powell's for December. Since it was related I purchased it. One thing led to another and I didn't go to the meeting, but was left with a book I was only semi-interested in.
Here are my struggles with it... I found the narrative indulgent. So much time was spent reiterating how people know each other, talking about jousting and virgins and speaking in allegory. I had a really hard time caring because it didn't feel like much was actually happened. I attribute much of this to the fact that this is an epic poem from about 1200 translated from German, which may not be the best genre for me. Though a story rooted in Arthurian legend, the scenery and narrative structure are very much German (according to the preface). Further, names of characters are inconsistent with more familiar spellings (ex: Gwain/Gawan, Uther/Ither). While many were easy to identify, others were not.
Basically, I was kind of hoping for an extension and a fresh take on a story I love, and don't really know what I got.
Here are my struggles with it... I found the narrative indulgent. So much time was spent reiterating how people know each other, talking about jousting and virgins and speaking in allegory. I had a really hard time caring because it didn't feel like much was actually happened. I attribute much of this to the fact that this is an epic poem from about 1200 translated from German, which may not be the best genre for me. Though a story rooted in Arthurian legend, the scenery and narrative structure are very much German (according to the preface). Further, names of characters are inconsistent with more familiar spellings (ex: Gwain/Gawan, Uther/Ither). While many were easy to identify, others were not.
Basically, I was kind of hoping for an extension and a fresh take on a story I love, and don't really know what I got.
An enjoyable translation of one of the first narrative mythological poems about the Holy Grail ever written. It is uniquely translated with a voice fresh in humor and little idiomatic surprises. The oratory nature of the tale is definitely pervasive, as well--the repetition and narrative delivery are notably auricular, I imagine hearing it read aloud would add a certain level of excitement that the prose otherwise lacks, simply by virtue of being 7oo years old.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Knowing the basics of the Arthurian Myth and Romances, I still enjoyed this. Granted the translation I read forced me to use my brain to fully understand what was happening. It was a challenge but a fun one. Some of the lines did get a chuckle out of me when I imagined an actual person saying it. While this story did challenge me with its content and translation, I enjoyed my time with it.
This is actually a 3.5 star rating. The introductory material provided a good historical overview of the tale, its setting and themes, as well as the difficulties of translation. As far as the tale itself, von Eschenbach's style takes some getting used to, but that isn't a particularly daunting task. I very much liked the mystical material of the story, the Castle of Wonders and the Grail; I also learned much about the chivalrous notions of love and service, and there was a lot of dynamically described jousting, and the descriptions of the armor of knights, the furniture of kings, and the garments of ladies was sumptuous and evocative. I enjoyed all of these elements of the story. Where I had difficulties was in keeping track of the vast array of characters. Despite an index of characters (which was invaluable) and a family tree supplied by the editors, I couldn't keep everyone straight all the time. Everyone seemed to be related to everyone else, and frequently I was in a bit of a muddle as to who was jousting whom and why, which armies were battling and why, who was pursuing whom for love or revenge. Despite this, I consider my time with Parzival to have been well spent, enjoyable, and edifying.
Joseph Campbell calls young Parzifal "naive, destructive, and violent." I feel a connection with Parzival because I, too, was this young man who has caused more harm in life than good. But, like him, I think I've found redemption and have married well. Also, I love Wagner's opera so am thrilled to have now read the source material!
adventurous
funny