The twelfth century experienced dramatic changes throughout Europe which resulted in the so-called “Renaissance (or Reformation) of the Twelfth Century” that affected almost every aspect of medieval society. During this century we also witness the emergence of courtly literature. Between 1160 and 1191 Chrétien de Troyes introduced, under the patronage of Countess Marie de Champagne, the genre of the Arthurian romance, publishing his
Erec et Enide,
Cligès,
Yvain ou Le Chevalier au lion,
Lancelot ou Le Chevalier de la charretteand
Perceval(also known as
Le Conte du Graal), for which he drew much inspiration from British-Celtic sources such as Geoffrey of Monmouth’s chronicle
Historia Regum Britanniae(between 1136 and 1139) and Robert Wace’s
Roman du Brut(1155). Chrétien in…
2760 words
Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "German Courtly Romance". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 May 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1279, accessed 23 November 2024.]
