The ''Laud Troy Book'' is an anonymous

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...

poem dealing with the background and events of the

Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has ...

. Dating from around 1400 and consisting of 18,664 lines of rhyming

tetrameter In poetry, a tetrameter is a line of four metrical feet. The particular foot can vary, as follows: * ''Anapestic tetrameter:'' ** "And the ''sheen'' of their ''spears'' was like ''stars'' on the ''sea''" (Lord Byron, "The Destruction of Sennacher ...

couplets, the untitled poem has been given a name reflecting the former ownership, by Archbishop

William Laud William Laud (; 7 October 1573 – 10 January 1645) was a bishop in the Church of England. Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I in 1633, Laud was a key advocate of Charles I's religious reforms, he was arrested by Parliament in 1640 ...

, of the unique manuscript (Oxford,

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

MS Laud Misc. 595) in which it is found. Based on the prose ''

Historia destructionis Troiae ''Historia destructionis Troiae'' ("History of the destruction of Troy"), also called ''Historia Troiana'', is a Latin prose narrative written by Guido delle Colonne, a Sicilian author, in the early 13th century. Its main source was the Old Frenc ...

'' of

Guido delle Colonne Guido delle Colonne (in Latin Guido de Columnis or de Columna) was a 13th-century Italian judge and writer, who lived in Messina. He is the author of a prose narrative of the Trojan War entitled '' Historia destructionis Troiae'' ("History of the d ...

, the ''Laud Troy Book'' recasts the tale of the fall of Troy as a

chivalric romance As a literary genre, the chivalric romance is a type of prose and verse narrative that was popular in the noble courts of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a chivalric k ...

, with

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

as the principal heroic figure. According to , Bennett also notes that "the speeches are energetic and dramatic ... e language is homely, the similes are unhackneyed". Helen Phillips attributes the energetic quality of the poem to the

oral The word oral may refer to: Relating to the mouth * Relating to the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that primarily receives food and liquid **Oral administration of medicines ** Oral examination (also known as an oral exam or oral ...

, minstrel-like style of the poet, calling it "literature very much conducted as speech, in narrative as much as in dialogue, a style which both conveys and naturalizes its ancient history for an English lay, non-scholarly audience". Although it has been characterized as "quite untouched by any breath of true poesy" (by R. K. Root) and "rough, often deficient in grammar" (by Dorothy Kempe),Both quoted in it has also been called "the most interesting of the Troy romances".Bennett, p
194
offers the following judicious assessment of the poem:

Editions

* ''The Laud Troy Book: A Romance of About 1400 A.D., Now First Edited from the Unique MS. (Laud Misc. 595) in the Bodleian Library, Oxford'', ed. J.Ernst Wülfing,

Early English Text Society The Early English Text Society (EETS) is a text publication society founded in 1864 which is dedicated to the editing and publication of early English texts, especially those only available in manuscript. Most of its volumes contain editions of ...

, Original Series 121, 122 (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner, 1902–03)

Modern English version

* ''The "Laud Troy Book": The Forgotten Troy Romance'', trans. D. M. Smith, The Troy Myth in Medieval Britain 3 (2019)

References

External links

Online text
of the Wülfing edition
Synopsis of the plot
at the

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

Database of Middle English Romance {{italic title __NOTOC__ Middle English poems Romance (genre) Trojan War literature Works of unknown authorship Bodleian Library collection

Editions

Modern English version

See also

References

External links