After his widowed mother shields him in childhood, Parzival eventually learns of knights and chivalry and sets off on adventure. He will rise to great fame- and even become a knight at King Arthur's "Table Round"- but an early mis-step will cost him dearly, and he must endure much as he seeks to right his sin and find the Grail. Will he succeed?
It's been a long time since I read an Arthurian book, as my focus on the legendary king occurred during our time in England. But when we visited Wertheim Castle last summer, I stumbled across a sign that associated the site with Eschenbach and his writing Parzival, a very popular work in the German Middle Ages. This warranted its inclusion on my German Reading List and got me back into Arthur. The tale focuses on Parzival and Gawain. Was it worth it? Sadly, no.
This was a difficult read for me- it was convoluted and bizarre in the details it chose to include. It had marginally interesting passages, but those were overshadowed by its deficiencies. I don't question the author's talent- the original German was in rhyming couplet, which I suspect would have made this much more enjoyable. I just find the Medieval way of writing uninteresting. Some trends across Arthurian literature from this era:
- A focus on certain sins (or what were perceived to be sins) and notable nonchalance towards others
- A main character whose prime folly appears baffling (Parzival's chief sin doesn't qualify to me as a sin at all, but his whole quest hinged on it)
- An admirable (if misplaced) desire to atone for sins, almost to the point of negating the point of the cross. These characters very much think they have to work for salvation.
- Many of the main characters are related (or friends of people who are), but they often don't recognize each other
I'm glad this one is over.
Rating: C
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