Medieval SCANS

This is a constantly changing page with links to every online source I have access to. A big project! Thanks for being patient! knight swinging sword

lancelot↑

To do:
- Short descriptors of each text, preferably in a collapsable format (well see.)
- Reorganize subsections, add easy access buttons to each, images to each to denote what they are
- Find my other pdfs, find texts online that I didn't have saved to bookmarks.

Bonus heres my favorite movie, Yvan Lagrange's 1972 Tristan Et Iseult.

You can get into the texts in any order you want! Theres no overarching canon, but there are thematic things that run through a lot of different stories. Its not important to read one text before reading any other in most situations, so just start with the texts you get the most out of, whether theyre fun, or informative, or just the only one you can fit into your schedule cus med lit is often long!
This is my personal list of favorite short and fun texts I hand out when people ask for a place to start!

King Artus - 21 pages
A short hebrew text. A fun introduction to the kind of stories found in Arthurian lit! It cuts off suddenly at the end, but its a silly little story that goes over a lot of random events.

Lanceloet and the Stag with the White Foot - 19 pages
A dutch text found in the Lancelot Compilation. Lancelot goes on a quest and fails just a bit. Its a lot of fun and kinda homo in a gay way.

Tristam als Monch (Tristan as a Monk) - 21 pages
I truly think Tristan and Isolde texts are some of the best places to start, theyre short, contained, and just all around fun love stories. This is a German story of Tristan dressing up as a monk to see if Isolde still loves him (he had a bad dream).

Tristan le Menestrel - 10 pages
A short section about Tristan found in one of the Perceval continuations. This follows Tristan dressing up as a wandering minstrel with his friends to get Isoldes attention. Its just silly cute.

But say you want to sink your teeth into a more substantial story and learn the main events most texts reference? Heres my two recomendations for good introductions, actually fun retellings of old texts that tend to drag on and make not great experiences.

Keith Baine's Le Morte D'Arthur
Le Morte D'Arthur tends to be held as the standard Arthurian stories. Though theres issues with that take its a story a lot of people know, and pretty influential! But, the original text sucks. Its bad. Ive read it 3 times take it from me, dont fucking read the original text. oh my god. So heres Mr Keith! He rewrites it to be a way more enjoyable experience that is something I come back to often cus i actually enjoy it :-) (this is actually the exact book i read during my coding class i took in highschool and the reason i have to look up so many guides on how to code shit. thanks keith. bitch)

Lancelot and the Lord of the Distant Isles
Another big imortant text a lot of things reference is the French Vulgate cycle. But that shit sucks. Its like 10 long books and is french. So heres this. I have my issues with how it adapts it, but it is a fun romp through the general French story. Also focuses on my favorite character. Im not biased though I do just think its a good modern version of the horrid vulgate (the vulgate is one of my favorite medieval works).

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Including the ones above. Grouped vaguely through main character/theme when relevant and to the best of my knowledge, updated whenever I can. Noted page length on texts that are relatively short.

If any links here don't work, let me know through one of my other social medias and I'll fix it!

ME=Middle English

Keith Baine's Le Morte D'Arthur

Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur /part two (Original text) - ME

King Artus - 21 pages

Cheretien De Troyes Four Arthurian Romances

Geoffrey of Monmouth's The History of the Kings of Britain

The Alliterative Morte Arthure

The Mabinogion

The Avowyng of Arthur

The Awntyrs Off Arthur

King Arthur and King Cornwall - ME