PhD Thesis
Ystoryaeu Seint Greal – Between Translation and Adaption
Translations and/or adaptations of texts in a foreign language, mostly Latin or Old French, form a considerable part of what is preserved of medieval Welsh prose. Ystoryaeu Seint Greal (The Stories of the Holy Grail) is a collection of two 13th century texts – La Queste del Saint Graal and Perlesvaus – that have been transformed from the Old French source into Middle Welsh. Both tell about the adventures of several Knights of the Round Table on their Quest for the Holy Grail.
My thesis focuses on the first part of Ystoryaeu which is a translation, or better, adaptation of La Queste del Saint Graal. In parts it is a quite accurate translation of the Old French text, in other parts the source has been shortened considerably so that the Middle Welsh text is more like a summary. I would like to examine differences between source and adaptation, but also features both texts have in common, regarding content as well as style and linguistic aspects. In the end I hope to find out more about the socio-cultural environment that induced the production of texts like Ystoryaeu Seint Greal.
Project Organisation
- International Celtic Studies Postgraduate Seminar 2012 at the Philipps-Universität Marburg, Agust 17th-19th 2012. Together with Julia Damm, Claudia Zimmermann, Jan Niehues and Axel Harlos.
