Chrétien de Troyes: A Study of the Arthurian Romances

Originally published in 1981, this book provides an interpretation of the five Arthurian romances of Chrétien de Troyes. It attempts to show the ways in which this most enigmatic and influential of medieval romance-writers reveals his ideas about man, society and God. The evolution of these ideas is studied in texts ranging from Chrétien's earliest known romance, Erec and Enide, through Cliges, Lancelot and Yvain, to the unfinished Perceval or Le Conte du Graal. Dr Topsfield demonstrates the importance of Chrétien de Troyes for the development of the genre of medieval romance, and the establishment of Arthurian material within the Western literary tradition. In this respect, the book will be of interest to all those involved in European medieval studies.