The Real Launfal - Realism and Chestre's Adaptation from Landevale to Launfal

Adaptation is the process of taking a story and placing it in another context. Stories are not static, but alive and easily evolve to fit a new culture and audience. Thomas Chestre's Sir Launfal is not a mere retelling of Marie de France's Launval and its English representation, Sir Landevale, but an adaptation. It deviates greatly from its source but in the purposeful manner that suggests a conscious choice rather than random accident or mistranslation. Chestre adapts the story into his culture and his world, so he has the freedom of authorship to explore his world through the process of reworking the romance. Chestre goes on the adventure right along with Launfal, diving into his narrative and taking his character into a more vividly realistic and familiar world. Chestre digs deep into the more sordid side of knighthood and finds that knights aren't above the pettiness of society. As Chestre begins to understand the truth behind the romance, his tale evolves into more critique than homage.

Chestre, as an author takes a grittier, realistic approach to a source that was glazed over by the glamour of romance. Sir Landevale remains unspecific about its particular setting, keeping most of the story within Arthur's court at Carlisle. Chestre expands the story to include other manors, lower classes of people, and more events during Launfal's poverty, which feels much closer to reality and much more relatable even to those who aren't nobility. In "The Structure of Sir Launfal, Earl Anderson explains, "Chestre's reconception of theme has not always been judged as praiseworthy," (Anderson 116) In fact, it is criticized as a degradation of the genre that lacks "sensitivity or refinement," (Anderson 116). Chestre adds gore and battle to the tale such as Gwenevere's blinding, Valentyne's and his knight's deaths, and the added tournament at Karlyoun, but in doing so he adds the gross, mean parts of the world. Anderson's essay suggests that some see Chestre's work as a "bourgeoisfication" of the story (Anderson 116), which is the case. Chestre's story rejects the idealized world of romance and grounds Launfal in the real world, the world world that Chestre knew and his audience knew. Chestre's was a world of blood and dirt, so he wanted his romance to reflect that. He may have felt slightly disconnected from the prettier Sir Landevale version, so as an author, he decided to take up his pen and envision how the tale might have unfolded in the rougher world of late 14th century Britain.

To achieve that heightened sense of reality in the Launfal tale, Chestre had to ground it geographically in the real world. Sir Landevale is both fantastical and vague about much of its setting, mentioning Carlile as the only actual location. Chestre mentions much more specific geographical locations throughout his test and alters some from the original source to make them more realistic. The land of Triamour's origin, for example, is, in Sir Landevale, the kingdom of "Amiylion" (L. 92), or Avalon, a mythical land in Arthurian lore (Shepherd 194 n. 1). In Chestre's tale, however, Triamour hails from Olyroun, a real island in Britain, which the editor notes is an unusual level of geographical realism for the Launfal tale (Shepherd 198 n. 7). Substituting a specific place for a fictitious island reflects a desire to ground the story more closely in reality. Chestre also gives Launfal a destination when he leaves court: he goes to Karlyoun, another true geographical location, which was assumed in Arthurian legend to be the location of Camelot (Shepherd 193 n. 6). In Sir Landevale, the knight simply leaves court. A dispute has been raised about Chestre's setting for Arthur's court because he mentions Karlyoun. Kardevyle, the location of Arthur's court, can be translated as either Carlisle or Cardiff (Stephen 190 n. 2). The source was set in Carlisle, but Cardiff makes sense in Chestre's piece because it is close to Karlyoun, so it is very possible that Chestre changed the setting of the court to make the story more practical and realistic. With a geographical foundation in reality, Chestre gives his audience a world they recognize. Though they might have wondered when Olyroun was taken over by fairies, they would have recognized that Chestre's knight was traveling in their world, not the world of the source romance. By placing his romance in locations that are familiar, Chestre, as the writer, can use Sir Launfal as a means of exploring his own world and culture.

Becoming familiar with the world of the story allows Chestre and his audience to step inside and judge the story according to their standards. Sir Launfal, when placed in the real world, doesn't seem much different from a real knight. The romance tends to be simply a rose-colored version of reality. In Sir Landevale, no detail is given as to how Sir Landevale falls into debt, although it can be inferred that his largesse is to blame. Chestre, however, spends a great deal more time on the incident. In Chestre's rendition, the new Queen Gwenever insults Sir Launfal when she comes to court because she gives all the knights gifts except for Launfal, so Launfal decides to leave. Gwenever insults him by neglecting to give him a token, a physical representative of his worth, and material goods were a significant symbol of worth in medieval culture. Launfal can point to a material object as the source of his shame, which shows that his pride is closely linked to what he has. The source material hints at how superficial a persons social status often is because Landevale's entire quest for honor in the tale is actually driven by money. Chestre adopts that concept and makes Lanfal's initial shame about material wealth as well, which erodes the ideal of knighthood as an institution of honor and chivalry. Chestre continues his subtle critique of knighthood when Launfal tells a lie to get away from court. He tells Arthur that his father has fallen ill and he has been called to his side. A knight, sworn to be true, lies to save his pride, so his pride is more important to him than upholding truth. Suddenly, with this step into realism and the impure side of a character, a knight doesn't sound like such an honorable character.

The bizarre interlude with Sir Valentyne in Chestre's tale expands on Chestre's critique of knighthood. Tournaments and battles were a vital way for knights in romances to prove their manhood and their pride, yet they none are mentioned in Sir Landevale, so Chestre adds the important event of a tournament at Karlyoun. After Launfal meets Triamour and becomes wealthy, Chestre decides that a tournament is the perfect venue for the knight to display his revived pride, which he does by winning the fight. Chestre later compromises the virtue of battle when Sir Valentyne appears in the story. Chestre twists the typical joust by layering it with homosexual overtones, which Chestre uses to subvert the traditional display of virility that battles and tournaments often were. Valentyne invites Launfal to come to "pleye" (Chestre L. 514) with him in the field. Chestre also plays with the double entendres of words like "longe" (L. 512) and "quainte" (L. 536), both of which have a sexual connotation. The sexuality of the scene parodies the "boy's club" mentality that knighthood often implied-men dined together, jousted together, and traveled together, so Chestre takes the extra step and suggests that knights' relationships might be more than friendly after spending a great deal time together proving their manhood. Changing the tournament to a display of homosexuality rather than masculinity degrades and mocks the honorable status of knights in battle. As an author, Chestre continues to push the adventure beyond its source to address hidden questions and doubts about the nobility of knights.

As Chestre explores the darker side of knighthood, he considers what pride and honor truly mean, and what he finds beneath it all is gold. Money is the essential force that drives both stories. In Sir Landevale, when the knight meets his fairy queen, Triamour promises Landevale "Gold inough and grete treasour," (Sir Landevale L. 130). In Sir Launfal, Triamour elaborates a bit more,

I wyll the yeve an alner
Y-mad of sylk and of gold cler,
As oft thou puttest the hond therinne,
A mark of gold thou schalt wynne... (Chestre L. 319-323)

Triamour promises to give Launfal a magic purse, a much more practical means to distribute wealth to Launfal. She also gives him coins (marks), which, while less impressive than gold and treasure, are far more realistic. Chestre removes the glamour from Launfal's money and makes his glorious return to honor what it is: about business. Launfal needs money to get his position back. He doesn't have the spectacle of gold and treasure to make him look noble, but he is still honored when he gains wealth. Launfal doesn't win back his prestige by dazzling everyone with his treasure, and he doesn't win it back with his character because, despite being poor, he hasn't changed as a person. Launfal essentially buys his way back into favor. He isn't made by chivalry, truth or the many other qualities praised in romance, but by money.

To emphasize the power of money over a knight, Chestre opens up the story to include the community's reaction to Launfal's plight. Because the lower classes depended on nobles for support, a knight without money was unacceptable. Sir Launfal, at the story's opening, is honored as the king's steward because he has enough money to be generous. However, when Launfal loses his fortune, people's opinion rapidly changes. Away from court and poor, Launfal isn't even worthy to attend the local mayor's party. He is scorned by many (Chestre L. 215) and one boy, before Launfal has again risen in esteem, dismisses him saying,, "Neys he but a wrecche," (Chestre L. 394). Launfal has not changed personally. He has not suddenly become any less honorable or chivalric, but he has lost his wealth, and honor and praise from society come and go with wealth. Launfal is a generous person, which is admirable in a knight, but people don't honor him because he is generous, they honor him because he has the money to give. This would be a novel insight into knighthood for an audience that is accustomed to hearing knights praised and lauded for their qualities, when, what Chestre sees, is rich men praised for their riches. Chestre's subversive alterations challenge his audience to question their adoration for knights and nobles: is it for their qualities or their wealth? Chestre forces himself to answer that question as he continues on his adventure as an author and the truth he uncovers reveals that money holds more value than quality of character.

Chestre doesn't alter every aspect of the story, in fact, he repeatedly borrows direct passages from his source during the moments with Triamour. Even in the more realistic Launfal tale, Triamour retains her shroud of magic and mystery. Triamour is wealthy, noble, powerful and still one of the most beautiful creatures in the world. Triamour is a foil to the spoiled, wealth-driven people at court. She does not judge Launfal for his poverty and she gives him that pure, true kind of love that cannot be corrupted by the material world. Chestre makes an important alteration to the original source, in which Triamour says, "Ne make ye never bost of me! / And yff thou doyest, beware beform / For thow has my love forlorn!" (Sir Landevale L. 162-4). In Sir Launfal, Triamour insists that Launfal ought not to boast of her "for no kennes mede," (Chestre L. 363), or for no price. Triamour doesn't want to get any kind of reward. Her love cannot be bought or sold like a common commodity because love isn't a commodity. It's one thing in Chestre's world that has no price.

Not everyone respected love so much, and, in fact, for many, love was a much more frivolous enterprise. For many, it was courtly love. The tradition of courtly love was an important part of the medieval culture. Andrew Capellanos wrote a list of 31 rules in his book The Art of Courtly Love, which elevates this type love above all other things. His first rule, "Marriage is no real excuse for not loving," (Capellanos) highlights the trivial and adulterous quality of courtly love. Men were expected to subjugate themselves before women for, as Capellanos writes, "Every lover regularly turns pale in the presence of his beloved." Every man was expected to love a worthy lady until love, too, had become a way for a man to prove his manhood. It is this kind of 'love for honor' mentality that Triamour warns Launfal against. Gwenever, the king's unfaithful wife, demonstrates the superficiality of courtly love. Chestre adds fickleness to her character when he includes her in the opening because she neglects to give Launfal a gift. Suddenly, upon his return to court, lauded for his triumphs in Lombardy and in possession of new wealth, Gwenever proclaims, "I love hym as my lyf!" (Chestre 654). Chestre has altered her line from its original, "I wold he lovyde me as his lif," (Sir Landevale L. 200) to exaggerate Gwenever's rapid change of heart. She doesn't just find him appealing; she insists that she loves him, though she disliked him before. Chestre also has Triamour blind Gwenever when Launfal proves that he has a lover with ladies as beautiful as the Queen, (Chestre L. 1007) so true, noble love triumphs over silly courtly love. Chestre digs deeper into the aspect of courtly love in his narrative to reveal the practice as another excess of court culture that actually undermines rather than represents the traditions of honor and chivalry praised within King Arthur's court.

Chivalry, honor, and truth-these qualities define knighthood, but are more of an ideal than a reality. Having observed this disparity between fact and fiction, Chestre attempts to adapt the ideal into reality. As Chestre journeys through his more realistic version of the story, he finds another important quality of knighthood, perhaps the most important quality: money. Nobility in medieval times and medieval romance was built on and defined by money. A man could be a saint but without a penny to his name, he'd never be noble. Like so many things, then and now, money can be found beneath a person's value=. It is the bottom line. Chestre's adventure into adaptation reveals that our present day world is not the only one corrupted by materialism. By truly owning the story, making it his own, and traveling through his world with the character, Chestre has redefined the meaning of romance. Romance glosses over reality, which Chestre reveals in his deviations for the source. When Chestre adapts the romance of Sir Launfal into his world, he shows that key subjects of romance-knighthood, battle, love-are not the faultless qualities that the genre may suggest.

Works Cited
Anderson, Earl R. "The Structure of Sir Launfal" Papers on Language and Literature. Spring77, Vol. 13 Issue 2. EBSCO Publishing, 2002.
Capellanus, Andrew. "The Art of Courtly Love." Medieval Sourcebook. Internet Medieval Sourcebook, 1997. 6 Oct 2007.
Chestre, Thomas. Sir Launfal. Middle English Romances. Ed. Stephen H.A. Shepherd. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1995. Pp. 190-218.
Shepherd, Stephen H.A. ed. Middle English Romances. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1995.
Sir Landevale. . Middle English Romances. Ed. Stephen H.A. Shepherd. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1995. Pp. 352-364.