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La dimension morale dans le Roman de Tristan de Béroul

1988; CESCM; Volume: 31; Issue: 121 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3406/ccmed.1988.2400

2119-1026

Barbara Nelson Sargent,

Medieval Literature and History

The author calls into question an interpretation of the Roman de Tristran proposed by certain scholars : that it is a work with a conscious moral dimension. Three possibilities are considered : that the whole of medieval literary production (including so-called secular writing) is fundamentally Christian ; that only a part of this corpus is explicitly edifying, and Tristran belongs to this category ; that the most prudent course is to read this romance without pre-conceived ideas. An objective reading indicates that the words, acts, and feelings of the main characters do not support the idea that Béroul was guided by Christian ethics, or indeed any ethics. On the contrary, an outstanding feature of this tale is its amorality.