The Artist at Work

French author Chretien de Troyes is now firmly estabished as the most important vernacular writer of the 12th-century renaissance. Chretien, a native of Troyes in Champagne, was patronized by two powerful nobles & was thus well placed to compose the courtly lit. that characterized his time. His works include the earliest known Arthurian romance; the earliest & most sustained commentary on the Legend of Tristan & Iseut; the earliest known version of the story of Lancelot & Guinevere; & the earliest known romance about the Grail. Contents of this study: (1) "Erec et Enide": The Norms of the Narrative; The Rejection of the "Marvellous"; & The Problem of Narrative Continuity; (2) "Cliges": The Technique of Alternation; The Technique of Displacement; & The Silence of Soredamors; (3) Lancelot: "Le Chevalier de la Charrette": Internalizing the Narrative; The Manipulation of Obstacles; & The Adaptation of Roles; (3) Yvain: "Le Chevalier au Lion": Externalizing the Narrative; The Delicate Balance; & The Disappearance of the Omniscient Narrator"; (4) Conclusion; & (5) Bibliography.