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Article: Grail; Medieval writers invented quest for the holy vessel.(BOOKS)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- April 4, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Washington Times LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Eric Wargo, SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Late in the 12th century, the French writer Chretien de Troyes penned a prose romance about an immature would-be knight named Perceval, who encounters a wondrous, strange vessel serving an unknown personage in a mysterious castle. Adhering rigidly to his first les
sons in courtly manners - not to talk too much - the young hero doesn't inquire about the odd spectacle he has witnessed. He then goes on a series of adventures wherein he learns (among other things) that, to show proper compassion to his host, he should have asked.
This story, left unfinished when Chretien died in 1190, is the ...