Four Arthurian Romances

Chrétien de Troyes wrote at the court of Champagne in the late twelfth century, and these four tales, Erec, Cligès, Yvain and Lancelot, did much to invent the Arthurian romance as later writers understood it. Knights ride out from Arthur’s court to prove themselves in combat, wrestle with the pull between love and honor, and rescue ladies from captivity, all under a code of chivalry that Chrétien examined as closely as he celebrated. Lancelot introduces the adulterous love of the queen; Yvain follows a knight who loses his wife through neglect and must earn her back. Rendered here in readable English prose from the Old French verse, the collection stands as a cornerstone of medieval literature. Free PDF and EPUB edition.