The Englisshe boke:
1. The stanzaic Morte Arthure; the Alliterative Morte Arthure. ed. in L.D. Benson, King Arthur's Death, University of Exeter reprints, (1988)
The Alliterative Morte Arthure, c. 1400 is the source of ėKing Arthur and the Emperor of Romeķ. Note the absence of a Lancelot/Guinevere plot, the prominence of Gawain as Arthur's chief knight.
the stanzaic Morte Arthure c. 1350: one of main sources for final book.
The Frensshe book(s):
1. La conte de la charette
(the Knight of the Cart) by Chretien de Troyes (c. 1180) Light-hearted
romance which satirises the excessive aspects of courtly love. Lancelot
and Guinever unabashed lovers. It is to this tale that Lancelot owes his
enhanced importance in Arthurian cycle.
translated in Penguin
2. La Suite de Merlin: contains
most of the information used in the early books about Arthur's birth and
rise to power. (c. 1230)
with the Prose Lancelot, the Quest
and the Mort (and other material) in Norris J. Lacy et al..The Lancelot-Grail
Cycle. Garland 5 vols.
3. La Queste de Saint Graal:
a spiritual, allegorical and uplifting account of the Quest of the Grail.
(c. 1225)
Penguin translation
4. The Prose Lancelot. A
very long work giving all Lancelot's advnctures, mainly motivated by his
love for Guinevere. Malory uses them for the Tale of Sir Lancelot, playing
down the connection with G. (1220)
5. La Mort le roi Artu:
source for ending. Includes Arthur discovering L and G's love through L's
paintings in Morgan's castle; a much earlier placing of Aggravain's revelation;
much less emphasis on the causes and fateful nature of the final battle;
no final scene between L and G. (c.1225).
Penguin translation.
6. Prose Romance of Tristan
- tale of Tristan
NB Tale of Sir Gareth: no precise source. The French counterpart of Gareth is Gaheris/Gaheriet, two minor and interchangeble brothers of Gawain. Neither has G's special relationship to Sir L, although they are dear to Gawain.
Note: Penguin Malory text is from Caxton's edition of 1485, but augmented by the Winchester manuscript, discovered in 1934.
Vinaver's edition is of the Winchester
ms. with reference to Caxton text.