History Creator / ChretienDeTroyes

Chrétien de Troyes (flourished 1165-80) was a French poet in the late 12th century, most well known for his {{Myth/Arthurian|Legend}} {{epic poem}}s which became seminal works of the ChivalricRomance genre, [[FollowTheLeader emulated countless times]] by later poets.

Chrétien is best known writing the earliest stories to contain the [[Myth/KingArthurAndTheHolyGrail Holy Grail]] and the Guinevere/Lancelot affair (although that was his patron's idea, not his). Ironically, these elements come from two stories that he didn't even fishing writing. The three other stories he ''did'' complete have less legacy.

* ''[[Literature/PercevalTheStoryOfTheGrail Perceval, the Story of the Grail]]'' (between 1181 and 1190): The earliest account of Myth/KingArthurAndTheHolyGrail, blending the religious theme of the Holy Grail with a fantastic adventure. Chrétien left this unfinished.

%%* PublicDomainArtifact: In ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'', the work which invented the Holy Grail, it is described as a dish to serve fish (it's the original medieval meaning of the word). The protagonist, Perceval, finds himself in the court of a maimed king, where he witnesses an enigmatic procession featuring a grail (note the absence of capital letter) and a spear whose tip is bleeding. It is later strongly implied in-universe that the scene was very important, but its supposed original meaning is lost to the ages because the book is unfinished. The actual myth of the Holy Grail was born from continuators of the original story (and the bleeding spear was interpreted as the Spear of Destiny.)

Chrétien de Troyes (flourished 1165-80) was a French poet in the late 12th century, most well known for his [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Arthurian romances]], most crucially those pertaining to the [[Myth/KingArthurAndTheHolyGrail Holy Grail]]. A non-Arthurian poem, ''Guillaume d'Angleterre'', is also attributed to Chrétien, but the authorship is uncertain.

Little is known of the life of Chrétien, but he may have frequented the court of Marie, Countess of Champagne, and visited England. His work also followed Wace's ''Roman de Brut'' (1155), a translation of Geoffrey of Monmoth's ''Literature/HistoriaRegumBritanniae'', introducing the Arthurian legend to continental Europe. His {{epic poem}}s about Knights of the Table Round were seminal works of the ChivalricRomance genre, and [[FollowTheLeader emulated countless times]] by later poets.

-->--'''Chrétien de Troyes''', ''Cligès'' 3847-57 (translation by Ruth Harwood Cline)

Little is known of the life of Chrétien, but he may have frequented the court of Marie, comtesse de Champagne and visited England. His work also followed the appearance Wace's ''Roman de Brut'' (1155), a translation of Geoffrey of Monmoth's ''Historia Regnum Britannia'', introducing the Arthurian legend to continental Europe. His {{epic poem}}s about Knights of the Table Round were seminal works of the ChivalricRomance genre, and [[FollowTheLeader emulated countless times]] by later poets.

!! The Arthurian romances of Chrétien de Troyes are:

** Chrétien's stories are full of nameless {{bit character}}s, often referred to as "damsel" and "knight" (or other occupational title). Many of them are unimportant minor characters where NominalImportance names sense. But not always. For example, Meleagant's sister from ''Literature/LancelotTheKnightOfTheCart'' who '''rescues the protagonist''' really warrants a name, but doesn't get one. On the flipside, Chrétien has no problem naming lots of bit characters ''at court''. In ''Literature/ErecAndEnide'' he randomly lists off the names of Arthur's ten top knights, ranks, and then over two dozen more unranked. It seems like those are pre-named characters from the mythos, and Chrétien was resistant to naming {{original character}}s.

%%* PublicDomainArtifact: In ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'', the work which invented the Holy Grail, it is described as a dish to serve fish (it's the original medieval meaning of the world). The protagonist, Perceval, finds himself in the court of a maimed king, where he witnesses an enigmatic procession featuring a grail (note the absence of capital letter) and a spear whose tip is bleeding. It is later strongly implied in-universe that the scene was very important, but its supposed original meaning is lost to the ages because the book is unfinished. The actual myth of the Holy Grail was born from continuators of the original story (and the bleeding spear was interpreted as the Spear of Destiny.)

* NoNameGiven: Chrétien's stories are full of nameless {{Bit Character}}s, often referred to as "damsel" and "knight" (or other occupational title). Many of them are unimportant minor characters where NominalImportance names sense. But not always. For example, Meleagant's sister from ''Literature/LancelotTheKnightOfTheCart'' who '''rescues the protagonist''' really warrants a name, but doesn't get one. Chrétien also has a habit of withholding the names of characters who ''do'' have names for a really long time before reveling them -- such as Yder and Enide in ''Literature/ErecAndEnide'', and Lancelot in ''Literature/LancelotTheKnightOfTheCart''.

%%* DepravedDwarf: ''Literature/ErecAndEnide'' and ''Literature/LancelotTheKnightOfTheCart''

Chrétien de Troyes (flourished 1165-80) was a French poet in the late 12th century, most well known for his [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Arthurian romances]], most crucially those pertaining to the [[Myth/KingArthurAndTheHolyGrail Holy Grail]]: ''Literature/ErecAndEnide'', ''[[Literature/{{Cliges}} Cligès]]'', ''Literature/LancelotTheKnightOfTheCart'', ''Literature/YvainTheKnightOfTheLion'', and ''[[Literature/PercevalTheStoryOfTheGrail Perceval, the Story of the Grail]]''. A non-Arthurian poem, ''Guillaume d'Angleterre'', is also attributed to Chrétien, but the authorship is uncertain.

* ''[[Literature/PercevalTheStoryOfTheGrail Perceval, the Story of the Grail]]'' (between 1181 and 1190): The earliest account of the Holy Grail, blending the religious theme of the Holy Grail with a fantastic adventure. Chrétien left this unfinished.

-->''"Without fear Love is incomplete,\\

* ''Literature/YvainTheKnightOfTheLion'' (between 1177 and 1181): Introduced the love affair of Lancelot and Guinevere.
* ''Literature/LancelotTheKnightOfTheCart'' (between 1177 and 1181): A widowed woman hastily marries her husband's killer; her new husband falls from grace and has his honour restored later.

Chrétien de Troyes (flourished 1165-80) was a French poet in the late 12th century, most well known for his [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Arthurian romances]]: ''Literature/ErecAndEnide'', ''[[Literature/{{Cliges}} Cligès]]'', ''Literature/LancelotTheKnightOfTheCart'', ''Literature/YvainTheKnightOfTheLion'', and ''[[Literature/PercevalTheStoryOfTheGrail Perceval, the Story of the Grail]]''. A non-Arthurian poem, ''Guillaume d'Angleterre'', is also attributed to Chrétien, but the authorship is uncertain.

* ''[[Literature/PercevalTheStoryOfTheGrail Perceval, the Story of the Grail]]'' (between 1181 and 1190): The earliest account of Myth/KingArthurAndTheHolyGrail, blending the religious theme of the Holy Grail with a fantastic adventure. Chrétien left this unfinished.

----

Chrétien de Troyes was a French poet in the late 12th century, most well known for his [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Arthurian romances]]. He introduced the [[LoveTriangle affair between Queen Guinevere and Lancelot]] and the FisherKing into Arthurian legend, and greatly influenced later writers. His {{epic poem}}s about Knights of the Table Round were seminal works of the ChivalricRomance genre, and [[FollowTheLeader emulated countless times]] by later poets.

His final work, ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'', was never finished as he DiedDuringProduction, although several other poets attempted to finish it. It is the first telling of Myth/KingArthurAndTheHolyGrail.

* ''Literature/ErecAndEnide'' (circa 1170)
* ''[[Literature/{{Cliges}} Cligès]]'' (circa 1176)
* ''Literature/YvainTheKnightOfTheLion'' (between 1177 and 1181)
* ''Literature/LancelotTheKnightOfTheCart'' (between 1177 and 1181)
* ''[[Literature/PercevalTheStoryOfTheGrail Perceval, the Story of the Grail]]'' (between 1181 and 1190)