Arthurian Romances (Penguin
Classics) Paperback
by Chrétien
de Troyes (Author), William
W. Kibler (Translator), & Carleton W. Carroll (521 pages)
Fantastic adventures abound
in these courtly romances: Erec and Enide, Cligés, The
Knight of the Cart, The Knight with the Lion, and The
Story of the Grail. – Amazon
Little is known of [Chretien’s]
life, but he seems to have been from Troyes or
at least intimately connected with it. Between 1160 and 1172 he served (perhaps
as herald-at-arms, as Gaston
Paris speculated) at the court of his patroness Marie
of France, Countess of Champagne, daughter of King Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine,
who married Count Henry I of Champagne in
1164. Later, he served the court of Philippe d'Alsace, Count of Flanders. As
proposed by Urban T. Holmes III,
Chrétien's name, meaning literally "Christian from Troyes", might be
a pen
name moniker
of a Jewish convert from Judaism to Christianity, also known as Crestien
li Gois. - Wikipedia
Taking the legends
surrounding King Arthur and weaving in new psychological elements of personal
desire and courtly manner, Chrétien de Troyes fashioned a new form of medieval
Romance. The Knight of the Cart is the first telling of the adulterous
relationship between Lancelot and Arthur's Queen Guinevere, and in The
Knight with the Lion Yvain neglects his bride in his quest for greater
glory. Erec and Enide explores a knight's conflict between love and
honour, Cligés exalts the possibility of pure love outside marriage,
while the haunting The Story of the Grail chronicles the legendary
quest. Rich in symbolism, these evocative tales combine closely observed detail
with fantastic adventure to create a compelling world that profoundly
influenced Malory and are the basis of the Arthurian legends we know today. – Penguin
Today the last of my May
order of books was delivered, about a week earlier than I had been led to
believe it would. I am pleased that I got them all so quickly, but I also like
when they’re staggered a bit more so I can savor the anticipation.
Chretien de Troyes. I can
never read that name without hearing Joss Auckland (as C. S. Lewis) saying it to his English class in the first film adaptation of Shadowlands. De
Troyes has been on my radar for quite a while as a profound influence on the
Arthurian legends and my recent look at my own history with the Matter of
Britain has awakened my interest again in one of the ‘primary sources.’ I was intrigued to find out his connections to
King Henry II and Elanor of Aquitaine (see The Lion in Winter 1968).
A reading will have to wait
for a while. I am already doing a daily rotation with Eary Christian
Writings, Eusebius’ The History of the Church, and The Life of
Sir John Falstaff. For amusement and relief, I am throwing in the
occasional Borges short story. For now, Arthurian Romances waits safely
in the Archive for its chance to come around.
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