Lancelot-Grail: 8. The Post Vulgate Cycle. The Merlin Continuation: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation

The most comprehensive account of the story of Arthur, the Round Table and the Grail is to be found in the work known as Lancelot-Grail or the Vulgate Cycle. It tells the story of the Arthurian world from the events of the Crucifixion, where the Grail originated, to the death of Lancelot after the destruction of the Round Table. It draws in many different strands, from the pseudo-historical stories about Arthur to the romances of chivalric adventure and the spiritual quest for the Grail It consists of five works: the longest is Lancelot, a kind of chivalric history of the Round Table, which leads into the quest for the Grail and Arthur's death. The first two books were added later, and provide an account of events through Arthur's marriage and early military victories. Not long after the cycle was completed, another writer retained the first two books of the Vulgate Cycle but recast the last three books with a rather different emphasis; this version is known as the Post-Vulgate Cycle, and is one of the main sources used by Sir Thomas MaloryThe Post-Vulgate Cycle is a reworking of part of the Vulgate Cycle, from the end of The Story of Merlin onwards. There is no section devoted to Lancelot, and he plays a much smaller part in the story; instead, the focus returns to Arthur himself. The Grail quest has a secular purpose, to repair the damage done by Balin's use of the Holy Lance to strike king Pellehan (the Dolorous Blow), which has brought divine wrath on the land. And Arthur's death is more clearly the consequence of his incest with his sister, which is introduced into the story just after his coronation. `Adventure predominates, but in a broader sense than in Lancelot, and there is a strong emphasis on Logres, Arthur's realm as the `kingdom of Adventures'.This sequel to The Story of Merlin opens with Arthur's unwitting incest with his sister, and his establishment, with Merlin's help, of his title to the kingdom. The story of the events leading up to the Dolorous Blow is then recounted, as well as the consequences. A sequence of adventures follows, largely involving Gawain and his brothers; Lancelot appears only at the end of the continuation, as does Perceval, whose story concludes the romance.
The Post-Vulgate Cycle reworks the Vulgate Cycle from the end of The Story of Merlin. The sequel opens with Arthur's unwitting incest with his sister, and his establishment, with Merlin's help, of his title to the kingdom. The story of the events leading up to the Dolorous Blow is then recounted, as well as its consequences. A sequence of adventures follows, largely involving Gawain and his brothers; Lancelot appears only at the end of the continuation, as does Perceval, whose story concludes the romance. For a full description of the Post-Vulgate Cycle see the blurb for the complete set.