La Mort Le Roi Artu

The multi-volume project responds to long-standing lacunae in Old French text study and Arthurian scholarship, in that it aims to provide a linguistically and scribally authentic text of a single illustrated Arthurian manuscript; in this case, it is one that has never before been edited, collated, or translated. Since research on text, language, and manuscript may be impeded by editorial policies operative in older editions of medieval narratives and since viewing the manuscripts directly is often difficult or impossible, the editorial board set protocols for the Lancelot Prose of 229 editions that would address the need for authentic, accessible texts, packaged with ancillaries to address a variety of reading and experience levels. At the same time, the board wished to take into account the potential of electronic images to enhance scholarly work and teaching based on the editions. The idea of a strictly "diplomatic edition" was discarded in light of digital technology's ability to provide high-resolution images of an original that are useful for close private study and public viewing. Thus each edition provides a useful, portable, authentic reading of Old French Arthurian narrative that is supported externally by online electronic images and internally by a selection of wonderful illustrations and a variety of ancillary materials and essays developed through years of study and teaching based on Yale 229.