Parzival [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION 1. Wolfram's Poem The scope of Parzival is greater than that of any medieval literary work except Dante's Divine Comedy, and in his way Wolfram encompasses as much of human experience as does the Italian poet. His two spheres, the Arthurian circle and the Grail circle, include most of the important aspects of human existence, worldly and spiritual. So broad is the canvas Wolfram paints and so many and diverse are the highly individualized characters he portrays, that there is room for almost every possible human situation. We find the world of childhood in the young Parzival and in the charming Obilot and her playmate Clauditte; the man's world of battles and tournaments, strife against the enemy and unswerving loyalty to friends and kinsmen; the woman's world of joy and sorrow in the love for husband and children; a sense for cruelty and suffering in human life in such scenes as Sigune and the dead Schianatulander or in Herzeloyde's grief at the loss of Gahmuret; the quest for something beyond human existence in Parzival's long search for the Grail; and the whole concept of a dedicated society, serving the Grail and representing a sphere spiritually exalted above the normal realm of life. Interestingly enough, Wolfram seems less medieval and more modern than Dante. He has his roots firmly in the medieval world, to be sure. In Parzival we truly see knight-