The Misfortunes of Elphin

By Thomas Love Peacock

Presented by Voices of Today

Narration by Graham Scott

Also featuring the voices of Alan Weyman, Denis Daly, and Rachel May.

Text prepared by Denis Daly and Alan Weyman.

Music for songs composed and arranged by Alan Weyman.

Audio edited by Denis Daly and Alan Weyman.

The Misfortunes of Elphin is the fifth novel by eccentric scholar and man of letters, Thomas Love Peacock.

Unlike most of Peacock's novels, The Misfortunes of Elphin has a distinct plot, built around the adventures of prominent figures of Arthurian legend, like Taliesin, the bard, the princes Elphin and Seithenyn, and King Arthur himself. The drama comes to a satisfactory resolution when Arthur's wife, Gwenyvar, who has been kidnapped by the ambitious King Melvas, is restored to her husband, after some skillful negotiation by Seithenyn and a cunning abbot.

The text contains 14 poems, which are loose translations or imitations of bardic songs. Thirteen of these have been set to music for this production.

As usual in Peacock's stories, much of the action is accompanied by significant consumption of alcohol, and the bibulous philosopher Prince Seithenyn is considered one of the finest pieces of humourous characterization in the Peacock canon.