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Tirant lo Blanch
Book by Joanot Martorell and Martí Joan de Galba (1490) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Tirant lo Blanch (Valencian: [tiˈɾand lo ˈblaŋ(k)]; modern spelling: Tirant lo Blanc)[a] in English Tirant the White,[1] is a chivalric romance written by the Valencian knight Joanot Martorell, finished posthumously by his friend Martí Joan de Galba with additions by Joan Roís de Corella and published in the city of Valencia on 20 November 1490 but written in the early 1460s as an incunabulum edition. The title means "Tirant the White" and is the name of the romance's main character who saves the Byzantine Empire.
It is one of the best known medieval works of literature in the Catalan language. It is considered a masterpiece in Valencian literature and in Catalan literature as a whole,[2][3][4][5][6] and it played an important role in the evolution of the Western novel through its influence on the author Miguel de Cervantes. The book has been noted for its use of many Catalan proverbs,[7] as well as being a precursor to the present-day genre of alternate history.
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Plot
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Tirant lo Blanch tells the story of a knight Tirant from Brittany who has a series of adventures across Europe in his quest. He joins in knightly competitions in England and France until the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire asks him to help in the war against the Ottoman Turks, Islamic invaders threatening Constantinople, the capital and seat of the Empire. Tirant accepts and is made Megaduke of the Byzantine Empire and the captain of an army. He defeats the invaders and saves the Empire from destruction. Afterwards, he fights the Turks in many regions of the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, but he dies just before he can marry the pretty heiress of the Byzantine Empire.
The novel is divided into six parts. The first part corresponds to the knight William of Varoïc; the second deals with Tirant in England; the third, Tirant in Rhodes and Sicily; the fourth, Tirant in Constantinople; the fifth, Tirant in Africa, and the sixth, the return to Constantinople and the outcome. It is a work of great length that begins with the narration of the adventures of William of Varoïc who instructs Tirant in the rules of chivalry. The protagonist, Tirant the White is trained in England where Joanot Martorell lived from 1438 to the end of 1439. Tirant earns the title of knight thanks to a series of victories against kings, dukes, and giants. Later, he leaves England and takes up residence in France, Sicily, and Rhodes - the latter besieged by the Genoese and the Sultan of Cairo , who are defeated by Tirant.
For a long period, Tirant travels through Jerusalem, Alexandria, Tripoli, and Tunisia. It is then that he is requested by the emperor of Constantinople and meets his beloved, Carmesina (the emperor's fictional daughter). Tirant and his companions arrive in Constantinople in a dark period due to the death of the emperor's son Richard (unknown name). The royal palace is dressed in grief and mourning. The love story between Tirant and Carmesina is favourable thanks to the actions of the maids: Plaerdemavida and Estefania. At the same time, the widow Rested, the princess's nurse does everything possible to break up their love relationship. The widow Rested is in love with the knight Tirant. She herself is in charge of setting a trap and making him believe that his beloved is unfaithful to him with a gardener named Lauseta. Tirant decides to leave Constantinople and boards a ship that takes him to Africa. Plaerdemavida, surprised by the knight's actions, realises the Rested widow's pain and boards the ship too.
For a decade, Tirant the White and Plaerdemavida reside in Africa separately. At the same time, Carmesina becomes a nun and enters a convent. Plaerdemavida marries the king of Fez and inherits the title of queen of Fez. A decade later, Tirant and Plaerdemavida meet again in African lands and she explains everything to Tirant. Later, both decide to return to Constantinople so that Tirant can recover his beloved Carmesina. Finally he achieves her love after fighting in Barbary and they have intercourse before the wedding night (deaf wedding), then marries her, and becomes the caesar of the Byzantine Empire. He reconquers Turkish territories after that. Consequently, he dies on one of his journeys to make the kings, counts, and dukes aware of their wedding. Carmesina dies of grief and so does Emperor Ricard some time later. The empress then marries Tirant's cousin, Hippolytus with whom she had intercourse during Tirant's stay in the palace.
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Themes
Compared to books of the same time period, it lacks the bucolic, platonic, and contemplative love commonly portrayed in the chivalric heroes. Instead the main character is full of life and sensuous love, sarcasm, and human feelings. The work is filled with down to earth descriptions of daily life, prosaic and even bitter in nature.[citation needed]
Influence
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Tirant lo Blanch is one of the most important books written in Valencian. Written by Joanot Martorell in the 15th century, the Tirant is an unusual chivalric novel in its naturalistic and satirical character, which also appears to have a strong autobiographic component. It tells the feats and adventures of Knight Tirant lo Blanc from Brittany. At times, it parallels the life and adventures of Roger de Flor, main leader of the mercenary Company of Almogàvers, which fought in Asia Minor and Greece, both for and against the Emperor of Byzantium. This historical resemblance is evident in the description of events occurring around Constantinople and the defeat of Sultan Mehmed II "the conqueror". While Roger de Flor's almogàvers had the upper hand in the region, the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 was a huge shock to Christian Europe, marking an end to the Byzantine Empire that Martorell's contemporaries wished to change. In writing his novel, Martorell perhaps rewrote history to fit what he wanted it to be - which in a way makes it a precursor of the present-day genre of alternate history.
The Spanish text of Don Quixote praises the book, in Chapter 6 of Part I, because of certain characteristics of Tirant lo Blanch – characters with unlikely or funny names such as Kirieleison de Montalbán, the presence of a merry widow, the fact that in the book knights eat, sleep, and die in their beds having made a will, and the title can be understood as "Tirant the Blank", lacking a major victory to put on his shield – the book is quite different from the typical chivalric romance. These aspects make the book exceptional, and made Cervantes state that "por su estilo", which can be translated "because of its style" but more likely means "in its own way", the book is "a treasure of enjoyment and a gold mine of recreation" ("un tesoro de contento y una mina de pasatiempos"), the "best book in the world." It is an (unintentionally) funny book, and Cervantes liked funny books, believed the world needed more of them, and wrote his own in Don Quixote.[8] Cervantes saw this 100-year-old book as the crown jewel of his library.[9]
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Translations and adaptations
Translations
The book has been translated into several languages including French,[10] Italian,[11] Spanish,[12] Polish,[13] Russian,[14] Finnish,[15] German, Dutch, Swedish and Chinese. There is also an adaptation in modern Catalan by Màrius Serra in 2020.[16]
Abridged English Translations
Modern abridged translations of the book into English include Tirant lo Blanc, translated by David H. Rosenthal[3] (1983, 1996) and The White Knight: Tirant lo Blanc (Project Gutenberg), translated by Robert S. Rudder (1995).
Unabridged English Translation
Tirant lo Blanc: The Complete Translation (Catalan Studies, Vol 1) translated by Ray La Fontaine (February 1994)[2] is currently the only unabridged English translation of the novel but it is currently out of print.
Film Adaptation
The plot of the 2006 film adaptation is based on the later part of the adventures of Tirant and events leading to his involvement in Constantinople and afterwards.
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Notes
References
External links
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