TNTL 112

Roel Zemel

Moriaen en Perceval in 'Waste Land'

Abstract - The Middle Dutch Roman van Moriaen can thematically be interpreted as a literary criticism of Chrétien de Troye's Conte du Graal. In Chrétien's romance the grail symbolism is accompanied by representations of Waste Land as well as by a negative view of worldly knighthood. Moriaen is also about Waste Land but here 'chevalerie' is looked upon in a positive way. The Dutch author also reveals how little he thinks of Perceval's quest for the grail, as told in Chrétien's romance. He therefore wrote an answer to the Conte du Graal, in order to rehabilitate the genre of Arthurian romance.