Segmentation

K. Busby (2002, 284-288) has demonstrated that the traditional division in four branches emanates from modern philology rather than reflecting the presentation of the text in the extant MSS. This rough cut is nevertheless useful since it disengages the Fuerre de Gadres, with its two versions, from the rest of the text. We have further divided this Second Branch into two segments. The first, detailing the events up to Alexander's entry in Escalon, appears in two different versions: alpha (§§alpha 1-109) and beta (§§beta 1-162). The second segment has just one common version (§§110-149). The divisions in Branches I and III are based on compositional considerations.

In addition to the four main branches, segments include a substantial group of stanzas which are characteristic of one copy or a limited set of MSS. We treat these very specific laisses as 'interstitial segments'. Interpolated narratives are marked as separate, additional texts. This allows us to indicate the precise location of these interpolations in the matrix narrative, resulting in a better overview of the textual relations between manuscript copies.

1: Branch I. From Alexander's birth to the siege of Tyre (Armstrong §§I,1-157). One common redaction.
2. Branch I. Siege of Tyre (Armstrong §§I,1-157). One common redaction.
3: Branch II. Fuerre de Gadres (§§II, alpha 1-II, alpha 109; §§II,beta 1-II, beta 162). Two versions, alpha and beta (the latter is also known as the ‘Gadifer version', because of the increased attention paid to the Egyptian Gadifer de Larris). In MSS with a mixed version of these events, stanzas from both versions are interwoven.
4: Branch II. From Alexander’s entry in Escalon to the end of Branch II (§§II, alpha 110-149). One common version.
5: Branch III. Alexander in the Orient (§§III, 1-III, 450). One common version.
6: Branch III. Second plot against Alexander (§§III, 451-III, 458). One common version.
7: Branch IV. Alexander’s death and burial (§§IV, 1-IV, 75). One common version.

For an overview of interpolated texts and continuations, see Textual Tradition.