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Emotions and Attitudes in Chrétien de Troyes' Erec et Enide and Hartmann Von Aue's Êrec der Wunderaere

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2020

Carol K. Bang*
Affiliation:
Baltimore, Md.

Extract

Comparisons between Chrétien de Troyes' Erec et Enide, composed about 1160, and Hartmann von Aue's Êrec der Wunderaere, written soon after 1190, began in 1862 with Karl Bartsch's article, a few years after both romances had been made easily accessible in I. Bekker's edition of Chrétien's Erec (1856) and Moritz Haupt's edition of Hartmann's Erec (1839). Bartsch's pioneer work consists, however, mainly in paralleling the texts to show the more or less similar sequence of events.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1942

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References

Note 1 in page 297 According to Gustave Cohen, Chrétien de Troyes et son Œuvre (1931), p. 157, between 1160 and 1164; according to Wendelin Foerster, Einleitung, Erec und Enide (1934), p. x, about 1150.

Note 2 in page 297 Cf. Gustav Ehrismann, Geschichte der deutschen Literatur bis zum Ausgang des Mittelalters (1927, ii, ii, 1, p. 161.

Note 3 in page 297 Über Christian's von Troyes und Hartmann's von Aue Erec und Enide, Germania, vii (1862), pp. 141–185.

Note 4 in page 297 ZfdA, x, MS. Cangé 26, Reg. 74498.

Note 5 in page 297 From the Ambraser Handschrift, an edition in which Lachmann also took part.

Note 6 in page 297 Étude sur Hartmann d'Aue (Paris, 1898).

Note 7 in page 297 Op. cit.

Note 8 in page 297 Hartmann und Chrétien (Münster, 1931), Forschungen zur deutschen Sprache und Dichtung, herausgegeben von J. Schwietering. Hft. 2.

Note 9 in page 297 Hartmann von Aue, Einführung, Erec/Iwen (1933), p. 14.

Note 10 in page 298 Hartmann von Aue, Studien zu einer Biographie, Bd. i, ii (Halle, [Saale], 1933, 1938).

Note 11 in page 298 A summary of the work done in comparing OF and MGH literature is given by W. Kellermann in his exhaustive studies: Wege und Ziele der neuen Chrestien de Troyes-Forschung, GRM (1935); Altdeutsche und altfranzösische Literatur, GRM (1938).

Note 12 in page 298 Summaries of the arguments regarding sources are given by: W. Gaede, Die Bearbeitungen von Chrestiens Erek und die Mabinogionfrage (Berlin, 1913); R. Zenker “Weiteres zur Mabinogionfrage,” ZffSpr. xlv (1919), 50 ff., 57; ZffSpr. xlviii (1926), p. 2 ff.); Drube (op. cit., p. 9 ff.); Hans Naumann (Zu Hartmanns Erec. ZffPh., xlvii (1918), p. 361).

Note 13 in page 298 Cf. Wendelin Foerster, “(Der grosse) Erec,” Christian von Troyes Sämtliche Werke (1890), Bd. 3, p. xvii, The differences between Hartmann and Chrétien are “ausschliesslich der bewussten Absicht Hartmanns zuzuschreiben.” They betoken his “Eigenart.” Naumann (Einführung, pp. 12–13) holds substantially the same view, as does Drube (op. cit., p. 103), who rejects Zenker's parallels as “zusfällig und unbedeutend.”

Note 14 in page 298 Cf. Ehrismann, Geschichte, ii, ii, l, p. 163: “So wird die Frage nach der Selbstständigkeit H.s nicht für alle Teile mit voller Sicherheit zu lösen sein. Aber der Gesamteindruck lässt doch die grundsätzliche Verschiedenheit zwischen H.s. und Chr.s künstlerischer Auffassung und Begabung erkennen.”

Note 15 in page 298 W. Scherer, Geschichte der deutschen Litteratur (3. Auflage, 1885), p. 162. On the whole, Scherer's vivid comparisons between the German and the French texts still hold true, though it would seem unfair to assert “auch Hartmann ist ein blosser Uebersetzer wie Veldeke.”

Note 16 in page 299 Cf. E. R. Curtius, “Zur Interpretation des Alexiusliedes,” ZffPh., lvi (1936), 126, in reference to the tradition behind the repetition of a word, “ausmalend-wiederholende Amplifikation.” Cf. also H. Hempel, Französischer und deutscher Stil im höfischen Epos,“ GRM, xxiii (1935), 9, ”Stichwortwiederholung“ of joie in Yvain.

Note 17 in page 299 Wendelin Foerster's Kristian von Troyes Erec und Enide, dritte Auflage, 1934 (No. 13, Romanische Bibliothek) is the French text referred to in this article; Hartmann von Aue, herausgegeben von Fedor Bech, Êrec der wunderaer, vierte Auflage (Leipzig: Brockhaus, 1934), the German text.

Note 18 in page 299 Cf. Piquet, op. cit., p. 317.

Note 19 in page 299 Cf. Drube, p. 99 ff.

Note 20 in page 300 Cf. Drube, p. 99, for the toning down of pride.

Note 21 in page 300 Similarly, Innigkeit of joy is noticeable at times in the Erec-Guivrez friendship.

Note 22 in page 300 Cf. Ehrismann's words (Geschichte, ii, ii, 1 p. 164): “reflektierende, aufklärende Ausschweifungen (die sog. psychologische Vertiefung).”

Note 23 in page 300 Ehrismann, “Ritterliches Tugendsystem,” ZfdA, lvi (1919), 197.

Note 24 in page 300 Einführung, Hartmann von Aue, Erec/Iwein, p. 20.

Note 25 in page 300 Studien über Freude und Trûren bei mittelhochdeutschen Dichtern, Von Deutscher Poeterey, Bd. 12 (Leipzig, 1932), pp. 95 ff.

Note 26 in page 300 Cf. Naumann's interpretation: “höfische Gnade” (Einführung, p. 19).

Note 27 in page 301 Op. cit., p. 95 ff.: a) “Tatsächlich ist die Freude der Gesamtheit der Artusritterschaft ... prinzipiell unzerstörbar.” b) “Mitfreude an den glücklichen Einzelschicksalen der Artushelden....”c) “Der höfische Mensch freut sich an Werten, die nicht zur Daseinsnotdurft gehören, an der Welt des ästhetisch Schönen, an Dichtung und Musik (Erec 2151 ...), am sportlichen Spiel (Erec 2155 ...), am Tanz (Erec 8063 ...)...” Negatively Korn describes this fröude: Aber diese Freude ist nicht die naive, problemlose homerische Daseins-fülle und -üppigkeit. Unter der glänzenden Oberfläche strahlender Freude liegen tragische Abgründe verborgen.“ How much leit not only lies half hidden, but actually breaks out and extinguishes fröude, becomes evident when one compares the two texts.

Note 28 in page 301 Sparnaay, op. cit., i, p. 98 suggests for this passage a variant source. Cf. also Zenker, ZffSpr., xlviii (1926), 3 ff.

Note 29 in page 302 To the elimination of the father's boastfulness Bartsch (op. cit. p. 181), called attention.

Note 30 in page 302 âne schande is probably Hartmann's characteristically lowered version of non ignobilis. Cf. Alfred Hübner, “Die ”mhd. Ironie“ oder die Litotes im Altdeutschen,” Palaestra, clxxi, 14: “Die Litotes oder mhd. Ironie ist eine gemeingermanische, im mdh. auffallend stark hervortretende Stileigentümlichkeit.”

Note 31 in page 302 In contrast to these two extremes (enor in Chrétien and scham in Hartmann) the corresponding passage in the Erex Saga, edited by Gustaf Cederschiöld (Copenhagen, 1880), pp. 5 ff., reveals natural dignity. Stress is laid here on the love-theme, the power of the sudden, unknown emotion, which causes the maiden to marvel in sweet bewilderment at herself, to forget to take over the care of the guest's horse. In the Scandinavian version the old husbondi himself, seeing all, unnoticed leads the horse away. When the stranger asks for Evida's hand, the husbondi lets the decision rest with his daughter: “ef þat er hennar vili” and again:“ ok nú segi hón sin vilja!” (Neither Chrétien nor Hartmann allows Enide any voice in the matter.) The Old Norse husbondi offers a frank explanation of his poverty with no trace of humility, “Recessiveness” is apparent here only in the ON litotes (a trait even more characteristic for the sagas than for Hartmann's MHG; cf. also Lee M. Hollander, “Litotes in Old Norse,” PMLA, liii (1938), 2–3: “Enn þess vaentir mik, at af viti og kvennligum listum hafi min dóttir eigi sior enn vaenlik.” In the Welsh Mabinogion, which is here mainly interested in the impressions of decayed wealth and the story behind the old knight's poverty, both extremes are also lacking.

Note 32 in page 303 This is the MHG version of the Aristotelian mean between extremes. Cf. also Ehrismann,“ ”Ritterliches Tugendsystem,“ Zfda, lvi (1919), 151; Ehrismann, Geschichte, ii, II, 1, p. 164; Hans Naumann, Höfische Kultur (1929), p. 4; H. Hempel, ”Französischer und deutscher Stil,“ GRM (1935), pp. 6, 70.

Note 33 in page 303 Cf. J. Schwietering, Die Demutsformel mittelhochdeutscher Dichter, Abhandlungen der königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, philologisch-historische Klasse, n.F., Bd. xvii, 3 (1931), pp. 35, 55, for the manifestation of Demut in general, and in particular in reference to the expression tumber kneht.

Note 34 in page 303 Cf. Cohen, op. cit. pp. 33 ff., 129, 132.

Note 35 in page 303 See Julius Schwietering, “Der Wandel des Heldenideals in der epischen Dichtung des 12. Jahrhunderts,” ZfdA, lxiv (1927).

Note 36 in page 303 Cf. Foerster, Kristian von Troyes, Wörterbuch zu seinen sämtlichen Werken (1914), p. 55: “Kristians Erec steht den chansons de geste noch sehr nah.”

Note 37 in page 303 Cf. Hempel, Französischer und deutscher Stil, p. 8 ff.; Scherer, Geschichte p. 162.

Note 38 in page 303 Cf. W. Kellermann, Altdeutsche und altfranzösische Literatur, GRM 26 (1938), p. 8: “Jener Zustand relativer Einheit... aber verschiedene Tönungen....”

Note 39 in page 304 Cf. Naumann, Einführung, p. 14: “... die Nation, die Generation, und das Individuum” as contributory factors.

Note 40 in page 304 Schwietering (Der Wandel, p. 140) has pointed to erbärmde as the ethical factor in the transformation of the joie de la cort episode, adding: “Es liesse sich im Einzelnen zeigen, wie Hartmann von diesem ethischen Aspekte aus umgestaltend in seine Vorlage eingriff.”

Note 41 in page 304 Cf. W. Meyer-Lübke, “Crestien von Troyes Erec und Emde,” ZffSpr., xliv (1917).

Note 42 in page 305 Cf. H. Hempel, “Französischer und deutscher Stil im höfischen Epos,” GRM, xxiii (1935), 9.

Note 43 in page 306 Cf. Schwietering, Die Demutsformel mittelhochdeutscher Dichter, pp. 37, 55.

Note 44 in page 307 For an explanation see Ehrismann, Geschichte, ii, ii, 1, p. 166.

Note 45 in page 307 Cf. E. Hoepffner, “Matière et sens dans le roman d'Erec et Enide,” AR, xviii (1934). A summary of explanations offered by various critics concerning the much-discussed turning-point in the work is also offered here and by S. Hofer in “Die Problemstellung im Erec,” ZffPh., xlviii (1928). Professor Leo Spitzer, on the other hand, has stressed (in recent lectures on Erec) the importance of la parole, the spoken word, in medieval thought.

Note 46 in page 308 Cf., however, Sparnaay, i, p. 85.

Note 47 in page 309 Zenker posits here his y source, “Weiteres zur Mabinogionfrage,” ZffSpr, xlv (1919), 65.

Note 48 in page 310 Zenker, “Weiteres zur Mabinogionfrage,” ZffSpr, xlviii (1926), 19, here posits a y source, a different Keu tradition, which deals more kindly with the seneschal. The scham and the schande, however, are undoubtedly the contribution of Hartmann, the moralist.

Note 49 in page 311 Cf. Sparnaay, i, 102, in reference to parallels with Wolfram's Parzival: “Orilus ist von ihm [Erec] vor Prurin (134, 12) besiegt worden, hat ihn aber später vor Karnant (134, 15/17) aus dem Sattel gehoben. Den Kampf vor Prurin erwähnt auch der Erec (2575 ff.), von Erecs Niederlage weiss er nichts, vielleicht jedoch weil Chrestien es vermied über die Schmach seines Helden zu berichten.” The attitude both of Hartmann and of Chrétien would seem to be characteristic here.

Note 50 in page 311 Cf. Karl Korn, Studien über “Freude und Trûren” bei mittelhochdeutschen Dichtern, Von deutscher Poeterey, Bd. 12 (Leipzig, 1932), pp. 16–17, concerning the “kontrastiernden Affekte,” the “Freud-Leid-Fühlen,” already in “frühhöfische Zeit.”

Note 51 in page 311 Cf. Gustave Cohen, op. cit., p. 148. Cf. also Sidney Painter, French Chivalry (Baltimore, 1940), pp. 101 ff.

Note 52 in page 313 It is possible, however, according to the opinion of Hermann Paul, “Zum Erec,” PBB, iii (1876), p. 195, that this passage is fragmentary in Hartmann. But a hint of this tone of sly mischievousness under a cloak of offended pride is already present in the French text in Erec's conduct at the approach of the three robbers (“Erec le vit et sanblant fist /Qu'ancor garde ne s'an preist” and this is lacking in Hartmann.

Note 53 in page 314 Cf. Felix Piquet, op. cit., p. 213, “non erat hic locus.” The reader is also reminded of the lengthy theological arguments that pour freely from the hps of the untutored twelve-year old peasant girl in Der arme Heinrich.

Note 54 in page 314 Cf. Piquet, p. 321.

Note 55 in page 314 Walther Kolz, “Erec und Enidens Läuterungsfahrt,” GRM, xviii (1930), 302, calls this “die erste wortlose Liebestat.”

Note 56 in page 315 Cf. Drube, p. 100.

Note 57 in page 315 Cf. A. E. Schönbach, Ueber Hartmann von Aue (Graz, 1894), pp. 428 ff., on this passage. Altogether Schönbach offers a valuable analysis of Hartmann's Erec, particularly of the religious element.

Note 58 in page 316 This “plus” (Erec's inquiries and Enide's explanation) in Hartmann is construed by Zenker, “Weiteres zur Mabinogionfrage,” ZffSpr., xlviii (1926), 28, as corresponding to a lacuna in Chrétien. But is Chrétien much given to explanation? The schande and weinen, at all events, are probably Hartmann's.

Note 59 in page 316 Cf. e.g. Ehrismann, Geschichte, ii, ii, 1, p. 166; Piquet, p. 205.

Note 60 in page 317 This unabashed offer of Chrétien's Enide, which refers to herself, must, however, be weighed against the fictitious tale of Hartmann's Enide, which debases her husband's character, accuses him of rape (and ignoble birth).

Note 61 in page 317 Op. cit., pp. 33 ff., 132.

Note 62 in page 317 Cf. Kolz, op. cit.

Note 63 in page 317 Kolz points to the fact that the whole matter was, to begin with, a convenient deal.

Note 64 in page 317 Cf. A. Witte (on H. Drube's Hartmann und Chrétien), Anzeiger pp. 119–124, ZfdA, lxviii (1931), on the question of wollen and können in Hartmann.

Note 65 in page 319 Cf. E. Philipot, “Un episode d'Erec et Enide,” Romania, xxv (1896), 289 ff.

Note 66 in page 319 Cf. H. Hempel, “Französischer und deutscher Stil im höfischen Epos,” GRM, xxiii (1935), 193.

Note 67 in page 319 Sparnaay (i, p. 100) calls attention here to lines 8200, 8240, in which Hartmann refers to his source, his meister. Zenker, Weiteres zur Mabinogionfrage, ZffSpr, xlviii (1926), p. 57 ff., lists parallels in other works (numbers of fair mourners) and posits his y source. It is quite possible that Hartmann is here deliberately following some one else, not inventing, but is his choice, in the first place, not significant? And is it, in the second place, not highly probable that the treatment, the exploitation of the theme, belongs to Hartmann?

Note 68 in page 320 Cf. H. Hempel, “Französischer und deutscher Stil in höfischen Epos,” GRM, xxiii (1935), 8, for “Entfaltung.”

Note 69 in page 322 “Created or adopted,” depending upon whether one adheres to Foerster's or Zenker's hypothesis.

Note 70 in page 323 Piquet, op. cit., p. 229.

Note 71 in page 324 Ehrismann, Geschichte, ii, ii, 1, p. 170.

Note 72 in page 324 The insult to an innocent maid deserves at least the loss of the culprit's hand. Erec, der guote, however, will merely teach a lesson, threatens, then lets the dwarf off with a severe beating (1037–76). Both incidents showing degrees of pity are lacking in Chrétien.

Note 73 in page 324 Cf. Sparnaay, ii, p. 71.

Note 74 in page 325 MHG der list, meaning generally skill, shrewdness, often, however, approaching NHG die list, e.g., 3841, 3877, 3906, 3939, 4409, 4997, 5009, 5027, 5158, 5167, 5239 etc. Even God acts toward Enide mit gnaedeclîchem liste. Both Erecs are endowed with the classical polarity sapientia-fortitudo; cf. E. R. Curtius, “Zur Literaturästhetik des Mittelalters,” ii, ZfrPh. lviii (1938), p. 225, but Hartmann stresses the sapientia, Chrétien the fortitudo.

Note 75 in page 325 Hartmann disregards here Erec's first encounter with Yders, which would have afforded a logical occasion for feelings of diffidence. He also disregards Erec's status as happy bridegroom.

Note 76 in page 325 Sparnaay, ii, pp. 70, 71.

Note 77 in page 325 Cf. Hans Naumann, Höfische Kultur (Halle [Saale], 1929), p. 51.

Note 78 in page 325 Cf., however, Foerster, (Der Heine) Erec (1934), note to line 6951: “Der Schluss ist sehr abgebrochen und schlecht überliefert ... vielleicht ist der alte echte Schluss verloren gegangen.” In (Der grosse) Erec, 1890, p. 334: “6943-Schluss sind inhaltlich recht schwach.... Doch ist der Schluss durch HP (E), die nie interpolieren, recht gut gestützt.” Sparnaay, i, 111 agrees with Foerster's opinion as set forth in Der kleine Erec, believes that Chretien's original ending is probably lost and suggests a peaceful ending in Erec's own country. In contrast to these endings, the Norse Erex Saga, with its genealogical details leads us forward across the solid earth“ þau gátu tvá sonu ... urou þeir báoir konungar ... ok tóku ríki eptir fóour sinn,” Erex Saga, Gustaf Cederschiöld (Copenhagen 1880), p. 43.

Note 79 in page 326 Cf. J, Schwietering, “Der Wandel des Heldenideals in der epischen Dichtung des 12. Jahrhunderts,” ZfdA, lxiv (1927), 142 ff.

Note 80 in page 326 Cf. Günther Müller, Gradualismus, Deutsche Vierteljahrsschrift, (1924), pp. 681 ff. Cf. Naumann, Höfische Kultur, p. 51.

Note 81 in page 326 Cf. Drube, op. cit., p. 92.

Note 82 in page 326 Sparnaay, ii, p. 105. Sparnaay, however, states definitely (ii, 67) that Hartmann is at times in Erec (e.g. in the lament on the heath) far from this ideal.