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From Adam to Adam: Seven Old French Plays
March, 2009Translated by John DuVal
Introduction and Notes by Raymond Eichmann
Pegasus Press
John DuVal, director of the literary translation program, and Raymond Eichmann, professor of French at the University of Arkansas, have teamed up to produce a collection of seven important 12th and 14th century dramatic masterpieces from different genres. These plays represent some of the few manuscripts of dramatic presentation that have remained preserved since Medieval times.
The plays range from religious themes, such as "The Play of St. Nicholas" by Jean Bodel to the farcical "Greenwood Follies" by Adam de la Halle. Other plays include "The Boy and the Blind Man," a farcical tale of a lecherous, hypocritical blind man and a boy who constructs illusions for him, and "The Play of Robin and Marion," a tale of social mores between the aristocratic and peasant classes.
An introduction to each play provides information on the principles of translation and on the play's background, including possible dates and locations of performances, performance practices, stage design and layout, costumes, props and music.
The translations offer a lively, lyrical look at a faraway time and culture.
This collection will be of value to students and teachers of French, comparative literature, English and drama, as well as to others.