"In the fertile, rich and lovely island of England there lived a most valiant knight"

Given how often in the first chapter of Tirant lo Blanc I let out an incredulous "what?!" -- at least once a page -- I probably should not continue right now. I was especially charmed by the siege of the "city" of Warwick by the king of the Canary Islands, whose invading army was larger than England's. I was especially not charmed by the asshattery of Count William of Warwick in his marital conduct (not that his martial conduct was any great shakes either).

It is possible that having just finished reading angevin2's transcript of Daniel's The Civil Wars* has simply put me in the wrong brain space for medieval chivalric romance, so I am not ruling it out reading it later. Instead, I think I will continue with Drayton's England's Heroicall Epistles (Elizabethan RPF shipper fics),** or start that reread of Orlando Furioso (Renaissance chivalric romance -- now with 130% more irony). Or maybe actually buckle down for a first read of Ramayana (Indian epic).

Choices. Choices are good.


* Which ends, in Shakespeare terms, in act III of 3 Henry VI, with Warwick the Kingmaker ticked off by Edward IV throwing over his negotiations with a marriage with France for Lady Grey. So not the same Warwick.

** As in historical shipper fics by an Elizabethan, rather than of Elizabethans. Clearly, there is sequel potential here.

---L.