Anonymous, Lybeaus Desconus

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Overview

Written c.1325-1350, Lybeaus Desconus, or Libeaus Desconus, has sometimes been attributed to Thomas Chestre, though there is little evidence to suggest this except for it being bound together with Sir Launfal, also attributed to Chestre, in one manuscript. The romance survives in six manuscripts, ranging from c.1450 and c.1650, which attest to the relative popularity of the romance. Modern editions favour the Lambeth or Naples manuscripts, which represent two slight variations of the text, with the main difference being the family reunion at the end of the narrative, which the Naples version includes but the Lambeth text does not. The closest analogue is the twelfth-century …

1315 words

Citation: Bolton, Kirsty. "Lybeaus Desconus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 January 2021 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39367, accessed 29 March 2024.]

39367 Lybeaus Desconus 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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