We have changed our privacy policy. In addition, we use cookies on our website for various purposes. By continuing on our website, you consent to our use of cookies. You can learn about our practices by reading our privacy policy.

Tough-O-Meter

We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)

(5) Tree Line

Since you, like us, will probably be reading Béroul's Tristan in translation, you're in for a quick and easy read. That changes if you decide to tackle Tristan in Old French, a language that, like Old or Middle English, looks very different from the modern French people speak today. Possible difficulties to be aware of, even in the English translation, include a lack of explanation for some characters' actions and a plot hole where a character dies only to mysteriously return whole and healthy a few pages later. Tristan doesn't follow the rules of modern-day storytelling. Once you accept that, though, it'll be smooth sailing.