Author Description

"The Knightly Tale of Golagros and Gawane, the finest of all Older Scots romances, was written during the last quarter of the fifteenth century. It was one of the earliest works published by Scotland's first printers, Chepman and Myllar, on 8 April 1508. It uses the thirteen-line alliterative multi-rhymed stanza to vivid effect. Its greatest sophistication, however, lies in its thematic engagement with matters of sovereignty and chivalry, in its persistent interest in negotiated exchanges rather than outright warfare, and in its moving depictions of the limitations of an aristocratic ethos fundamentally dedicated to destructive violence. The introduction and notes to this new edition of the poem show how the Golagros poet works from two Arthurian adventures he derived from the prose continuations to Chretien de Troyes' Perceval, following a Scottish tradition of rehandling prose material into verse. It also reveals, however, the poem's extensive knowledge of an earlier romance likely composed on the borders of north-western England, The Awntyrs of Arthur at the Tarn Wadling, and thus situates Golagros against traditions both French and English." "The text is re-edited from the sole witness, the Chepman and Myllar print, and the introduction also supplies valuable new commentary on early print culture in Scotland. Extensive notes and a full concordance-glossary are also supplied. This is likely to become the standard edition of the poem."--Jacket.