Offers modern translations of the medieval French poems about the Knights of the Round Table, including "Erec and Enide," "Lancelot," and "Perceval," and briefly discusses Chretien's life and writing style.
Chrétien de Troyes or Chrestien de Troyes , fl. 1170, French poet, author of the first great literary treatments of the Arthurian legend . His narrative romances, composed c.1170-c.1185 in octosyllabic rhymed couplets, include Érec et Énide; Cligès; Lancelot, le chevalier de la charette; Yvain, le chevalier au lion; and Perceval, le conte del Graal, unfinished (see Parsifal ). Chrétien drew on popular legend and history, and imbued his romances with the ideals of chivalry current at the 12th-cen...