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).
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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 24 November 2024.]
