ABSTRACT
READE, JOHN (1837-1919), Irish-born Canadian clergyman, whose blank-verse poem 'The Prophecy of Merlin" (1870) reveals the influence of Tennyson. To comfort Bedivere as he mourns the departure of Arthur for Avalon, Merlin prophesies the future greatness of Britain, culminating in the gloriOUS reign of the "Good Queen" Victoria and the "Blameless Prince" Albert. [RHT]
REED, HENRY, contemplates, in his poem "Tintagel" (1946), the sea-battered ruins of the ancient castle. Linking human emotion with the forces of nature and the march of time, he meditates on the "perpetually recurring" story of one of the world's great romances. The four sections are: "Tristram," "Iseult B1aunchesmains," "King Mark," and "lseult la Belle." [CNS]
RENAUT DE BEAUJEU, author of Le Bel Inconnu ("The Fair Unknown"), a verse romance of 6,266 lines written ca. 1185-90; Renaut has recently been identified with Renaud de Bage, Lord of Saint-Trivier (ca. 1165-ca. 1230). The poem relates the story of Gauvain's son, Guinglain, who is assigned the task of liberating the daughter of the King of Wales, transformed into a serpent by two enchanters. Although young and inexperienced, Guinglain goes to Sinaudon, conquers the two enchanters, Mabon and Evrain, releases Esmeree from the spell, and marries her. As with most romances of this type, the basic plot (also present in the Italian Carduino, the Middle High German Wigalois, and the Middle English adaptation of Renaut, Chesrre's
Libeaus Desconus) is enhanced by motifs to be found elsewhere: sparrowhawk contest, seduction by a fairy, prevention of the rape of a damsel. Also interesting is the theme of the Fier Baiser by means of which Guinglain releases Esmeree from the enchantment. This, like much else in Arthurian romance, is of Celtic origin, and is related more or less distantly to the various versions of the Loathly Lady story, as found in Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale.
