French Arthurian Romance

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

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Chrétien de Troyes

Chrétien de Troyes wrote the first romances about King Arthur during the second half of the 12th century, probably in the following order: Erec et Enide, Cligés (or Cligès), Le Chevalier de la charrette (Lancelot), Le Chevalier auLion (Yvain), and Le Conte du Graal (Perceval). They would have been intended for readers/listeners in France and England, where Anglo-Norman was the language of the aristocracy for about 300 years after the Conquest. Erec et Enide and Cligés, in particular, are associated with England through geographical and political allusions, and the former is often dated ca. 1170 because details concerning Erec’s coronation may be based on the Anglo-Norman King Henry II’s Christmas celebration at Nantes in 1469 (Schmolke-Hasselmann 232-44).

6611 words

Citation: Kennedy, Edward Donald. "French Arthurian Romance". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 September 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19348, accessed 28 March 2024.]

19348 French Arthurian Romance 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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