Parzival (Penguin Classics) (edição: 1980)

Alussa loputonta jaarittelua, mutta loppua kohden tarina muuttuu suorastaan kiinnostavaksi. Kertojan tyyli on aika veikeä. Tykkäsin. Ei kovin kauhean raskas lukukokemus, kiitos suorasanaisen hyvän suomennoksen. ( )

Based on Lachmann's 6th ed., 1926 ( )

You may not have heard of Parzival before. Although it's a famous piece of medieval German literature, it's second tier compared to more well-known myths such as Gilgamesh and Beowulf.

I was warned—but it is a slog! At times, I felt as though I was reading something written by one of those random text generators, using material from fantasy novels. I would have the thread of the story for a while, then lose it, and then pick it up again.

One striking aspect of the presentation is that it is written as though it was spoken word (as the story was traditionally told).

One question I have—if this is a chapter in the Arthurian epic, why is it German (as opposed to Old English)?

Although the book is called Parzival, it talks as much about Parzival's father (Gamuret), and his friend Gawain.

Many passages in the book have an air of absurdity to them. Although the same could be said of our era, the social conventions of the era are bizarre and incomprehensible. Much of the plot of the book hinges upon people seemingly deciding to make their lives impossible.

The tenor of the story is pervaded by an extreme sense of machismo and patriarchy. Knights regularly get in duels, only to discover later that they've attacked their allies, or that there was no reason for their engagement.

I will say, in reading modern fantasy such as Robert Jordan and Brandan Sanderson, it's amazing the degree of influence Parzival commands. From the names, to the medieval setting, to the story arc, so many modern fantasy series are essentially remixes of this book. ( )

PARZIVAL

Junto con el Fausto de Goethe y el Cantar de los Nibelungos, el Parzival (ca. 1220) de Wolfram von Eschenbach es uno de los principales mitos de la cultura alemana. Del interés que suscitó en su tiempo nos hablan los más de 80 manuscritos conservados, algo inaudito para una obra de esa época. Un interés que no ha dejado de aumentar con los años, suscitando una ingente bibliografía que, sin olvidar la famosa ópera de Wagner, ha tratado de esclarecer de diferentes maneras los numerosos misterios que esta obra guarda tan celosamente. Por muy asombroso que parezca, este poema de casi 25.000 versos permanecía inédito hasta ahora en castellano, faltando así el último y esencial eslabón del ciclo novelesco en torno al Grial. Von Eschenbach no sólo completa y desarrolla con mayor profundidad la historia inacabada que dejó Chrétien de Troyes a finales del siglo XII, sino que introduce una enigmática transformación simbólica que afecta a todo el sentido de la leyenda: el Grial ya no es una copa de efectos maravillosos, ni el cáliz de la Última Cena, sino una piedra mágica caída de la corona de Lucifer en el momento de su derrota, que proporciona todos los alimentos deseados. La ampliación del argumento y de la geografía, la nueva complejidad de sus personajes y del tema hacen de Parzival uno de los grandes poemas épicos de la Edad Media y quizá de todos los tiempos.

Not since completing John Milbank's Theology and Social Theory have I felt such a sense of accomplishment– but for entirely different reasons. (Here, the battle was with sheer boredom, and boredom was a tenacious challenger.) ( )