A Companion to Chrétien de Troyes

by Norris J. Lacy (Contributor), Joan Tasker Grimbert (Editor), Annie Combes (Contributor)

Chretien de Troyes is arguably the creator of Arthurian romance, and it is on his work that later writers have based their interpretations. This book offers both crucial information on, and a comprehensive coverage of, all aspects of the work of Chretien de Troyes - the literary and historical background, patronage, his influence on other writers, manuscripts and editions of his work and, at the heart of the volume, major essays on the themes, techniques and artistic achievements in each of his compositions; the contributions, all from leading experts in Chretien and related studies, have been commissioned especially for this volume and are designed to remain accessible to students while also addressing specialists in Arthurian studies and Chretien de Troyes. They reflect the most current critical and scholarly views on one of the greatest of medieval authors.

CONTRIBUTORS: JOHN W. BALDWIN, JUNE HALL MCCASH, LAURENCE HARF-LANCNER, NORRIS J. LACY, DOUGLAS KELLY, KEITH BUSBY, PETER F. DEMBOWSKI, ROBERTA L. KRUEGER, DONALD MADDOX, SARA STURM-MADDOX, JOAN TASKER GRIMBERT, MATILDA TOMARYN BRUCKNER, TONY HUNT, RUPERT T. PICKENS, ANNIE COMBES, MICHELLE SZKILNIK, EMMANUELE BAUMGARTNER

Genres: Literary Fiction, Criticism

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Norris J. Lacy (born 1940) is an American scholar focusing on French medieval literature. He is the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor Emeritus of French and Medieval Studies at the Pennsylvania State University. He is a leading expert on the Arthurian legend and has written and edited numerous books, papers, and articles on the topic. In 2014 the International Arthurian Society, North American Branch, presented him an award for Lifetime Service to Arthurian Studies.

He received his Ph.D. from Indiana University and has held teaching positions at the University of Kansas, the University of California, Los Angeles, and Washington University in St. Louis. He has served as president of the International Arthurian Society. With Geoffrey Ashe he wrote The Arthurian Handbook, and he edited The Arthurian Encyclopedia and its successor, The New Arthurian Encyclopedia, a standard reference book for Arthurian works. He also oversaw the first complete English translation of the French Vulgate and Post-Vulgate Cycles, released as the five-volume Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation.

Reviews

[Lukerik · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there’s anything you want to know about Chrétien that is not in this book then there is something seriously wrong with you. Personally, I could have done with a bigger bibliography. The target audience seems to be English speaking students studying Chrétien in Old French. That’s not me, but all French quotations are followed by English translations so it really is accessible to humans.

The opening section is background. Lots of interesting stuff. I could have done with reading this before the romances as I think it would have helped.

Then there are essays on each work. Each has a plot summary for those students who DIDN’T read the book. Some interesting analysis, and picking out those correspondences between episodes that you might miss on a first reading, or in translation. The essay of Perceval is particularly well done.

Finally a section on Chrétien’s influence. I think this’ll have to be my blueprint for my next couple of year’s reading.

Overall, a well done book and well worth looking into if you like this author.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of essays about Chretien!! Due to time constraints, I had to skip a few chapters, but this gives you everything you need from historical background to analysis.