Before Malory: Reading Arthur in Later Medieval England. By Richard J. Moll. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003. Pp. ix + 368. $ 60.

Using William of Malmesbury's distinction between veraces historiae and fallaces fabulae as a model, Richard J. Moll sets out to trace the difference between fact and fiction in the Middle English historical Arthurian tradition. He differentiates between the Brut and the romance tradition, the former ultimately based on Geoffrey of Monmouth and the latter on the French Vulgate. As is well known, these two versions provide different reasons for Arthur's fall: the Brut tradition cites Mordred's treachery, whereas the Vulgate Morte Artu blames Lancelot's adulterous affair with Guinevere for the demise of Arthur's realm and the fellowship of the Round Table.


Jörg O. Fichte
Tübingen University