Protheselaus
Protheselaus is a verse
terminus ante quem
for the completion of Protheselaus.
It is a sequel to Ipomedon in the same sense in which sequels were composed to the
Burgundy
, defends Ismeine, is made prisoner by the "Maiden of the Isle" (Pucele de l'Isle), finally escapes, recovers his inheritance and marries Medea.
Although Protheselaus is a continuation of the story of Ipomedon it has a different atmosphere In Ipomedonte auctor. In place of the satire, burlesque and occasional eroticism of Ipomedon the characters in Protheselaus -- especially the hero himself and his friends Dardanus and Melander -- are virtuous, selfless, and motivated by concern for the wellbeing of others.[1] By contrast with Ipomedon, Protheselaus attracted relatively few readers in later times and was not translated into other languages.
Notes
- ^ Spensley (1972)
Bibliography
- Editions of the Anglo-Norman text
- Franz Kluckow, ed., Hue de Rotelande: Protheselaus. Göttingen, 1924
- A. J. Holden, ed., Protheselaus by Hue de Rotelande. London: Anglo-Norman Text Society. 3 vols
- Further reading
- William Calin, "The Exaltation and Undermining of Romance: Ipomedon" in Norris J. Lacy and others, eds, The Legacy of Chrétien de Troyes
- Walther Hahn, Der Wortschatz des Dichters Hue de Rotelande. Berlin, 1910
- F. Lecoy, "Un episode du Protheselaus et le conte du mari trompé" in Romania vol. 76 (1955)
- Dominica Legge, Anglo-Norman Literature and its Background (Oxford, 1963) pp. 86-95
- André de Mandach, Naissance et développement de la chanson de geste en Europe, IV: Chanson d'Aspremont (Geneva: Droz, 1980) pp. 18-27
- R. M. Spensley, "Form and Meaning in Hue de Rotelande's Protheselaus" in Modern Language Review vol. 67 (1972) pp. 763-774