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The Medieval Romance of Jaufre

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The Medieval Romance of Jaufre 1 THE MEDIEVAL ROMANCE OF JAUFRE: a storyteller’s perspective PhD thesis Cardiff University 2019 Margaret Anne Purbrick 2 SUMMARY Much of the scholarship to date on the medieval romance of Jaufre has focused on various theories about the date of its composition and its relationship to the works of Chrétien de Troyes. It is the only surviving Arthurian romance written in Occitan: it is anonymous, and dedicated to a king of Aragon. This study, by a professional storyteller, takes a different, practical approach to the story, and comprises three parts: first, it contains a thorough investigation into the circumstances in which Jaufre was composed, concluding that the most likely date for its creation was 1225, when the young king James I of Aragon was married to Leonor, a granddaughter of Aliénor of Aquitaine and Henry II of England. This circumstance has been overlooked in other research, but it is important as the family of Aliénor and Henry encouraged and promoted the composition of Arthurian stories across Europe. The dissertation then examines how the story may have been performed in the 13th century, and what other stories would have been known to the author. The text reveals features which are a strong indication of oral presentation, and suggest an oral derivation for the subject matter. Finally, this research had as its major aim a re-introduction of the tale of Jaufre to modern audiences, as a piece of storytelling, which entailed a number of artistic and creative choices and decisions, in addition to the need for translation and adaptation. The story has now been presented in English to a number of varied audiences, both academic and general, possibly for the first time in its history, and a critical account is included of this process and of audience responses. 3 STATEMENT Except where indicated by specific reference, the work submitted is the result of my own investigation, and the views expressed are my own. Margaret Anne Purbrick January 18th 2019. No portion of the work presented has been submitted in substance for any other degree or award at this or any other university or place of learning, nor is being submitted concurrently in candidature for any degree or other award. Margaret Anne Purbrick January 18th 2019 4 Acknowledgements With grateful thanks to my family, especially my father, the late John L W Lister, who enabled this whole project through his generosity and faith in me, and my mother, Margaret “Poppy” Lister, who would have been cheering me on. Not forgetting my brothers, John and Paul Lister, my sisters, Clare Yates and Sheila Radcliffe, and my patient, long-suffering husband Steve. Thanks are also due to Sioned Davies and Carlos Sanz Mingo, my supervisors, to Juliette Wood for her advice, and all the many storytellers and listeners who have assisted me along the way. A final mention must go to my cats, Persia and Mylo, for their attempted editing efforts and distraction techniques. 5 Table of Contents SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................ 3 STATEMENT ......................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 1 - Introduction ....................................................................................................... 9 1 Aim of the Research .................................................................................................... 9 2 Methodology and Critical Approaches by Other Scholars........................................ 10 3 Structure of the Dissertation ..................................................................................... 13 Chapter 2 - The Story of the Story .................................................................................... 14 1 The Manuscripts and Fragments ................................................................................. 14 1 (b) Layout and punctuation within the manuscripts ................................................. 17 2 The date of composition .............................................................................................. 26 2 (a) Previous Scholarship .......................................................................................... 26 2 (b) The Historical Background ................................................................................. 34 2 (b) (i) Aragon: The Family of James I ....................................................................... 35 2 (b) (ii) Marriage to Leonor. ........................................................................................ 41 3 The Cultural Background ............................................................................................ 44 3 (a) The influence of the Matter of Britain .................................................................. 44 3 (b) Polycultural Medieval Iberia ................................................................................ 48 4 The later transmission of the story .............................................................................. 50 5 Conclusion to Chapter 2 .............................................................................................. 56 Chapter 3 - Medieval Storytelling and Performance ......................................................... 58 1 Composition and Orality ............................................................................................ 58 1 (a) Theoretical Context ............................................................................................. 59 1 (b) Features of Orality within Jaufre ......................................................................... 63 Conclusion to Section 1 ............................................................................................... 84 2 Transmission ............................................................................................................. 85 2 (a) Reading and Memorisation ................................................................................. 85 6 2 (b) Written accounts of storytelling ........................................................................... 87 2 (c) Internal evidence in Jaufre .................................................................................. 90 2 (d) Musical accompaniment ...................................................................................... 94 3 Practical Performance Concerns .............................................................................. 94 3 (a) The structure of Jaufre ........................................................................................ 95 3 (b) Presentation ........................................................................................................ 99 4 A detailed study of the adventure at the leper’s house .......................................... 103 5 Conclusion to Chapter 3.......................................................................................... 112 Chapter 4 - Originality and Subversion ............................................................................ 113 1 Love and Marriage .................................................................................................... 114 2 Chivalry ...................................................................................................................... 125 2 (a) Knighthood and Kingship .................................................................................. 126 2 (b) ‘Aventure’ ........................................................................................................... 130 3 The Hero .................................................................................................................... 132 3 (a) Physical Description ......................................................................................... 132 3 (b) Combat .............................................................................................................. 137 3 (c) Character traits and emotions ........................................................................... 148 4 Topography: Forests and Wastelands ....................................................................... 153 5 Magic and the Supernatural ...................................................................................... 161 6 Conclusion to Chapter 4 ............................................................................................. 170 Chapter 5 - Telling Jaufre to a Modern Audience ........................................................... 173 1. Performing medieval stories to 21st century audiences ............................................ 173 1(a) Structure and Memory ........................................................................................ 174 1 (b) Performance and Performance theory.............................................................. 177 1 (c) Orality and storytelling ....................................................................................... 180 1 (d) The experience of other researchers and performers ...................................... 184 2. Storytelling in the UK in the 21st century ................................................................... 186 2 (a) Interviews with professional storytellers ........................................................... 190 3. Performing Jaufre .....................................................................................................
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