Index of themes in 12c French Arthurian verse romances from literary themes to everyday motifs. There has long been a need for an index of the themes in the French Arthurian verse romances. E.H. Ruck's analysis includes not only therecognised literary themes - the Unspelling Quest, the FaithlessWife -of the verse romances from Wace's Brut to Froissart'sMeliador, but also the other, less obvious, motifs of equalsignificance to the researcher, hawthorns, for example, and weaponry. Dr Ruck's index encompasses the Arthurian part of Wace's Brut; all of the works of Chrétien de Troyes; all four Tristan poems together with Marie de France's Chevrefoil and Lanval; the lais of Tyolet, Melion, Cor and Mantel; Renaut de Beaujeu's Le Bel Inconnu; La Mule sans frein and Le Chevalier à l'épée. As the index is intended first and foremost for the use of Arthurian scholars, the non-Arthurian parts of the Brut and the Laisof Marie de France have not been included, although reference is made to them in the notes. E.H. RUCK studied at the universities of Exeter, Lancaster, and Reading, where she worked for her PhD.

The principal article in this issue examines in detail a group of heraldic manuscripts: an armorial of the Knights of the Round Table, with a number of their arms reproduced in full colour, the treatise on Arthurian tournaments by Jacques d'Armagnac, and the treatise on blazon by Clément Prinsault. A scholarly edition of the two treatises is provided, and the texts are discussed in an introductory section emphasising the importance of Arthurian heraldry. The arms of 150 knights are painted in the manuscripts and blazoned, and 59 of them are reproduced in 10 pages of full-colour plates. Other articles address the underlying theme of the Conte de Graal, in which Alexander is seen as representing the negative aspects of charity; Robert de Boron's endeavours to produce a coherent Arthuriad; and correspondences between the Arthurian tellings of two Old French authors, Manessier and Gerbert de Montreuil. Contributors: BARBARA SARGENT-BAUR, FANNI BOGDANOW, LOUISE D. STEVENS, LISA JEFFERSON.

Epitomises what is best in Arthurian scholarship today.ZEITSCHRIFT FUR ROMANISCHE PHILOLOGIE Arthurian Literatureis now established as a leading publication for research articles of monograph length on subjects of perennial interest to Arthurians. The Indexto the first ten volumes, representing the years 1980-1990, will be warmly welcomed by Arthurians and other scholars with an interest in medieval and later literature. Additionally an extended biographical essay by JANET GRAYSON draws together material relating to the life and work of Jessie Weston, who, largely working outside the mainstream of scholarly tradition, exercised a powerful influence on Arthurian studies. The regular "Update" feature catalogues Arthurian legend in the fine and applied art of the 19th and early 20th centuries, contributed by ROGER SIMPSON.

Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Feminist Origins of the Arthurian Legend provides the first feminist analysis of both the Arthurian section of The History of the Kings of Britain and The Life of Merlin .

The Misfortunes of Arthur, written by Thomas Hughes is one of the earliest printed plays from the English Renaissance and, as such, deserves its place of interest in dramaturgical studies for its historical significance. It offers a detailed literary evocation of Elizabethan anti-imperial thinking and a genuine desire to debate controversial questions. The play takes a sceptical view of Arthur and provides evidence of a political point of view that must have had a significant number of supporters in 1588 when it was performed for Elizabeth I on the eve of the Spanish Armada. It is also not difficult to find themes in The Misfortunes of Arthur which would find expression again in the later Renaissance drama. The fact that the play shares affinities with such diverse plays as Gorboduc and The Spanish Tragedy indicates that it holds a pivotal position in a time of theatrical flux. It provides a single, concise encapsulation of the Arthurian chronicle in a literary form, a drama, that students will find more engaging than chronicles or lengthy romances. This reissue of the 1992 Garland edition is of value to scholars because of the original spelling and source study contained within the work. It also contains helpful historical context in the introduction and a useful diagram of the Elizabethan stage which both students and scholars will find useful.