Arthurian Romances Read Free Page B

Although Chrétien freely modified these events to his own artistic ends, it seems clear that the court of Marie and Henri de Champagne would have been aware of these matters and intrigued and flattered by allusions to them.
    The relationship between Chrétien’s third and fourth romances, which were most likely composed in the late 1170s, is complex. There are several direct references in
The Knight with the Lion
to action that occurs in
The Knight of the Cart
, particularly to Meleagant’s abduction of Guinevere and the subsequent quest by Lancelot. Yet at the same time, the characterization of Sir Kay in the early section of
The Knight of the Cart
seems explicable only in terms of his abusive behaviour in
The Knight with the Lion
. Further, the blissful conjugal scene between Arthur and Guinevere at the beginning of
The Knight with the Lion
seems incomprehensible after events in
The Knight of the Cart
. These contradictory factors have led recent scholars to propose that the two romances were being composed simultaneously, beginning with
The Knight with the Lion
then breaking off to
The Knight of the Cart
, which itself was perhaps completed in three parts. According to this theory, as it has been progressively refined and widely accepted, Chrétien wrote the first part of
The Knight of the Cart
then turned it over to Godefroy de Lagny to complete. Dissatisfied with the contrast between the two sections, Chrétien himself would then have composed the tournament section to harmonize the two parts.
    The Knight of the Cart
tells of the adulterous relationship of Lancelot with Arthur’s queen, Guinevere. Its central theme, the acting out in romance form of a story of
fin’amors
, has generally been attributed to a suggestion by its dedicatee, Marie de Champagne, for it is in stark contrast to Chrétien’s other romances, which extol the virtues of marital fidelity. For this reason, scholars today often find in
The Knight of the Cart
extensive irony and humour, which serve to undercut the courtly love material and bring its theme in line with those of Chrétien’s other romances. Its composition, and
The Knight with the Lion
with it, marks an important stage in the development of Chrétien’s thought, for he turns away in these works from the couple predestined to rule to the individual who must discover his own place in society.
    Many critics consider
The Knight with the Lion
to be Chrétien’s most perfectly conceived and constructed romance. In it he reconsiders thequestion of the conflict between love and valour posed in
Erec
, but from the opposite point of view: Yvain neglects his bride
(amors
) in the pursuit of glory
(armes
). Unlike Erec, who sets off for adventure accompanied by his bride, Yvain sets out alone upon his series of marvellous adventures in order to expiate his fault and rediscover himself. He eventually meets up with a lion which, among other possible symbolic roles, is certainly emblematic of his new self.
    Chrétien’s final work, begun sometime in the 1180s and never completed, was and still is his most puzzling:
The Story of the Grail
. Controversy continues today over whether or not Chrétien intended this romance to be read allegorically. Even those who agree that his intent was indeed allegorical argue over the proper nature and significance of the allegory. His immediate continuers, Robert de Boron and the anonymous author of the
Perlesvaus
, clearly assumed that the allegory was a Christian one. Unfortunately, death apparently overtook Chrétien before he could complete his masterwork and clarify the mysteries of the Grail Castle.
    In the prologues to most of his romances, Chrétien alludes to a source from which he took his story. In
Erec
, he says that his source was a ‘tale of adventure’ that professional
jongleurs
were wont to mangle and corrupt, but that he would relate in ‘a beautifully ordered composition’.