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Book/Printed Material "Amadis of Gaul." Book One. Le Premier livre de Amadis de Gaule, qui traicte de maintes adventures d'armes & d'amours, qu'eurent plusieurs chevaliers & dames, tant du royaulme de la Grand Bretaigne, que d'aultres pays

About this Item

Title

  • "Amadis of Gaul." Book One.

Other Title

  • Le Premier livre de Amadis de Gaule, qui traicte de maintes adventures d'armes & d'amours, qu'eurent plusieurs chevaliers & dames, tant du royaulme de la Grand Bretaigne, que d'aultres pays

Summary

  • Amadis de Gaule (Amadis of Gaul) is a chivalric romance novel by Rodriguez de Montalvo, who based it on stories that had been circulating on the Iberian Peninsula since the 1360s. The original, in Spanish, was published in 1508. Nicolas Herberay des Essars translated the novel into French, with his own additions and adaptations. Book one of his work was first published in 1540 in this large-format version. The story narrates the adventures of Amadis, the archetype of the knight. The novel was an enormous success, which in part had to do with Des Essars's decision to divide the narrative into four volumes that were published sequentially, the first time that the element of suspense was knowingly introduced into literature in this way. Des Essars published one book per year, beginning in 1540, and including all the books actually written by Montalvo. The original books and the translations were later taken over by others. King Francis I (reigned 1515-47) and Holy Roman emperor Charles V (reigned 1519-56) praised the novel, which became emblematic of several generations, as it was both a presentation of bygone and romanticized medieval times as well as a how-to manual for the contemporary gentleman. It was in response to the clichés generated by the success of Amadis de Gaule that the great Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) wrote Don Quixote, whose main character aspires to be Amadis. Translated into many languages, the novel gained new recognition when it was adapted for the opera by Lully in 1684, Handel in 1715, Johann Christian Bach in 1779, and Massenet in 1922.

Names

  • Herberay, Nicolas de, sieur des Essars, active 16th century Translator.
  • Rodríguez de Montalvo, Garci, flourished 1500 Author.

Created / Published

  • Paris : Denys Janot, 1540.

Headings

  • -  France
  • -  Spain
  • -  1360 to 1500
  • -  Chivalry
  • -  French literature
  • -  Knights and knighthood
  • -  Manners and customs
  • -  Romances

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of France.
  • -  Content in French.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666972

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Herberay, Nicolas De, Sieur Des Essars, Active 16Th Century Translator, and Garci Rodríguez De Montalvo. "Amadis of Gaul." Book One. Paris: Denys Janot, 1540. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666972/.

APA citation style:

Herberay, N. D. & Rodríguez De Montalvo, G. (1540) "Amadis of Gaul." Book One. Paris: Denys Janot. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666972/.

MLA citation style:

Herberay, Nicolas De, Sieur Des Essars, Active 16Th Century Translator, and Garci Rodríguez De Montalvo. "Amadis of Gaul." Book One. Paris: Denys Janot, 1540. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666972/>.