Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 20, 1909.djvu/565

 REVIEWS.

The Legend of Sir Perceval. Studies upon its Origin, De- velopment, and Position in the Arthurian Cycle. By Jessie L. Weston, Vol. I., Chretien de Troyes and Wauchier de Denain. Vol. II., The Prose Perceval according to the Modena Ms. [Grimm Library.] Nutt, 1906, 1909. 8vo, pp. xxvi + 344. and xvi-i-355.

There are some parts of Miss Weston's book for which there can be nothing but praise and gratitude. She has gone to the sources, and from them she has increased the available materials for study of the Arthurian legend. Chretien's poem, before Miss Weston published her first volume of Sir Perceval, was only known in Potvin's edition, which was taken from a single manuscript. Miss Weston compared all the Mss., and not only drew from them some curious inferences, but enabled other students to judge for themselves as to many of the difficulties. The second volume is even more valuable ; it gives from a second Ms. (Modena) a better text of what has hitherto been known as the ' Didot ' Perceval, — the prose version of Robert de Borron's Perceval.

Miss Weston's theory of the succession of stories is given in summary at p. 277 et seq. of her second volume; it is coherent and plausible, though from the nature of the matter not all the stages are capable of proof. She brings out very clearly the importance of the English Syr Percyvelle as representing the old story, without the Grail ; on the other hand Peredur is regarded with suspicion, — "As the story now stands, I see very little genuine element in it" (p. 2S5). Gawain is the original