Wolfram's Parzival is one of the most important epic texts of the German High Middle Ages. Compared to the Romance sources and earlier German works, the depiction of chivalric society is profoundly altered. Also new is the level of the narrator, who confidently and with superior humor holds the reins, intervening with commentary and judgment, establishing connections, incorporating the present and contemporary literature, and involving the audience in the narrative process. Based on Karl Lachmann's edition of Parzival, but with new, more convincing readings, this edition offers the best available text. The commentary introduces the realities of life in the Middle Ages, Wolfram's literary tradition, sources and templates, the web of relationships within the novel, Wolfram's linguistic world with its neologisms, and the diversity present in the text.