written around 1169-1170 (see note 1), is the first of the five romances of Chrétien de Troyes. Whether it had a precursor is still a matter of controversy, as some scholars (notably Prof. P. Eley and Prof. P. Simons) showed through an accurate literary analysis that the first version of the
Partenopeu de Bloisprobably predates the Champenois poet’s first work. Although this question has not been fully resolved,
Erec et Enideundoubtedly marks the birth of the Arthurian romance as a literary genre.
Chrétien wrote in Champagne during the third quarter of the twelfth century and was, presumably, from Troyes, where he lived between 1160 and 1172, probably as herald-at-arms (according to Gaston Paris, based on The Knight of the Cart, vv.5591-94) at the court of his
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Citation: Scarpini, Paola. "Erec et Enide". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 December 2015 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5324, accessed 26 November 2024.]
