ABSTRACT
The story of Tristan and Isolde is transposed into the nineteenth century, to the vicinity of Castle Dore, Mark's reputed fortress. Most of the traditional motifs and characters, including the love potion and the spying dwarf, are woven into a fascinating plot involving a Breton fisherman, an elderly innkeeper, and his headstrong young wife. The connection between past and present is made explicit through the researches of a local physician, yet despite his knowledge he fails "to stay a senseless repetition of one of the saddest love stories in the world." The triumph of fate over human will powerfully evokes the spirit of the original legend.
