Arthurian romance, also known as the Matter of Britain, tells of British kings, knights, and ladies. Particularly distinctive subjects are King Arthur, Camelot, and the quest for the Holy Grail. In 1138, Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote in Latin a pseudo-historical account of British kings from the foundation of a New Troy in Britain up to Anglo-Saxon control of Britain in the seventh century. Following Geoffrey’s influential work were many Arthurian romances written in later twelfth and thirteenth century. Chrétien de Troyes late in the twelfth-century wrote French verse Arthurian romances, particularly Lancelot, that were interpreted to promoting men’s servitude to women in love (chivalric love / courtly love).
In Chrétien de Troyes’s Erec et Enide, Erec’s arduous shit-test for Enide promoted the traditional understanding of chivalry over inhumane courtly love. … Read the post Erec testing Enide: the ultimate reverse shit-test
Although Chrétien de Troyes wrote Cligès in the vernacular, he built upon Latin literature of saints’ lives, Islamic medicine, Solomon and Marcolf, etc. … Read the post saintly Fenice in Cligès shows scope of medieval Latin literature
Chrétien de Troyes’s 12th-century French romance Cligès shows that conservative medieval women resisted progress to gender equality in amorous solicitation. … Read the post conservative medieval women impeded progress toward gender equality
Chrétien de Troyes invoked translatio studii et imperii in the prologue to Cligès for Ovidian mockery of intellectual and political pretensions. … Read the post translatio studii et imperii: Chrétien de Troyes’ Ovidian Cligès
In Chrétien de Troyes’s Cligès, the Greek warrior Alexander was struck with love for Sordamour, the young, beautiful niece of King Arthur. … Read the post wisps of hair and imaginary arrow whip great warrior Alexander
In Erec et Enide, Erec claimed “Joie de la Cort” and fought the captive knight Mabonagrain in a mockery of courtly love. … Read the post Mabonagrain enthralled: Joie de la Cort shows folly of courtly love
Erec’s comedic words to his wife Enide in Chrétien’s medieval romance led to modern husbands’ self-abasing crediting of their achievements to their wives. … Read the post “all my success I owe to my wife”: don’t clap, but laugh
Chrétien de Troyes’ medieval romance Perceval, The Story of the Grail, points to the Holy Grail for breaking the spell of gynocentrism today. … Read the post with castrated father, Perceval taught to be woman-pleaser
Men are remarkably willing to make themselves women’s prisoners and to be completely subordinate to women, even to a man’s death. … Read the post “she wants you to be her prisoner”
In Chrétien de Troyes, Yvain: The Knight with the Lion, a girl with complex, ambiguous motives non-consensually massaged the sleeping, naked Yvain and healed him. … Read the post girl revived naked, sleeping Yvain with non-consensual full body massage