Honor, Love, and Isolde in Gottfried's 'Tristan.' By Kristine R. Sneeringer. New York: Peter Lang, 2002. Pp. viii + 252. $56.95.

Any investigation dealing with aspects of religion in Gottfried von Strassburg's Tristan confronts, inevitably, problems of ambiguity. Recent studies on God and religion in Gottfried have cautioned against over-interpretation, just as the corresponding focus of theological or religious studies on Tristan has narrowed considerably. The monograph here reviewed joins a host of others in attempting to grapple with a religious aesthetic—at once elusive yet undeniable—in Gottfried's version of the Tristan material. Although Kristine Sneeringer places emphasis on honor and love in her title and introductory considerations, the typological investigation here presented owes much to biblical interpretation and models from a theological perspective.

Salvatore Calomino
University of Wisconsin-Madison