Chretien's Equal

The writers of later romances deemed Raoul's work worthy of memory on a par with the Prose <i>Lancelot</i> and placed Raoul and Chrétien on the same level in terms of authority.<br/><br/>Raoul de Houdenc was a major and innovative figure in 13th-century French literature. His surviving works are unusually diverse: they include an impassioned tract about the values of chivalry (<i>The Romance of the Wings</i>) two superbly crafted Arthurian romances (<i>Meraugis of Portlesguez </i>and <i>The Avenging of Raguidel</i>) and a swingeing polemic against declining standards especially among the bourgeoisie (<i>The Burgess's Burgeoning Blight</i>). And with his hugely influential satire <i>The Dream of Hell</i> he was the very first to compose allegory in the vernacular mastering to perfection the art of parody and the unexpected.<br/><br/>After a long period of neglect Raoul is finally receiving the scholarly attention he deserves and this is the first translation into English of his complete surviving works.<br/><br/><i>The Avenging of Raguidel</i> 'must surely be counted as one of the most fascinating and innovative of the French Gawain romances' - Norris J. Lacy.