Theme: Love

1
Theme Love Adventure2 Developments

• Anglo-Norman interest in matière de Bretagne
  HRB Wace EleanorHenry (family tree), also
  Marie de France (Lais based on Breton songs,
  Lanval)
• Courtliness courtly love

2
Courtliness and Love

• Historical developments (agricultural
  improvements, feudal piramid) gtgt courtly culture
  (castles (ppt), prosperity leisure time rules
  of conduct (Bumke, Elias)
• Trobadors (langue doc) fin amors for the
  gentleman-poet and his circle
• Aquitaine gtgt Eleanor steeped in courtly love,
  moves North (langue doïl)
• Courtly culture spreads in courts under her
  influence, troubadour lyrics and new genre of
  Arthurian romance!

3
Champagne

• Marie, Eleanors daughter, holds court in Troyes
• Andreas Capellanus, De Amore libri tres (ca.
  1185) gtgt description of amourous matters,
  discussions in Cour damour gtgt handout
• Loves sweet sorrows dilemmas
• New form of conduct, role models for men and
  women (cf. HRB)

4
Chrétien de Troyes

• Court cleric in Maries service, perhaps also of
  the English king
• No biographical information, except his own
  prologues, giving name, patron and sources
• Also matière, san, conjointure gtgt poetical
  method

5
Chrétiens works

• Cligés prologue
• Erec Enide Love and knighthood, social
  functions of the married man
• Cligés love triangle (anti Tristan)
• Yvain Knighthood and Love
• Lancelot
• Conte du Graal ou Perceval gtgt next week

6
(No Transcript)
7

• Parijs BN 122

8
Lancelot

• Prologue (san, matière come from Marie Chrétien
  adds craftsmanship, conjointure)
• Story Méléagant, Keu, don, rescue by Gauvain and
  anonymous knight, cart, sword bridge, fight I,
  harsh queen, misunderstandings, reconciliation,
  rendez-vous in barred room, blood on the sheets,
  judicial duel (fight II), return to court,
  Lancelots captivity, tournament, deliverance and
  happy end (Godefroi de Leigni)
• Adultery condoned? Other world

9
(No Transcript)
10
Lanzelet

• Mystification name oral tales about the queens
  lover
• Example Ulrich von Zatzikhovens Lanzelet gtgt
  strange youth, mermaids, ladies man (text
  connected to Richard Lionheart, hostages)
• Introduction greatest lover leads to new texts

11
Prose Lancelot

• Around 1200 verse-prose debate
• True Story about Arthur, Lancelot and the Grail
  Vulgate Cycle, based upon non-cyclic Lancelot
  and prose version Chrétiens text
• Trilogy and fivefold cycle (diagram)
• Text read in tr. Lacy

12
Questions

• E. Do Lancelot and the queen understand each
  other?
• F. Why did Lancelot perform his brave deeds?
  Dante text What is the function of
  Galehaut/Galeotto?
• Is it a tragedy?
• Whose fault is it anyway?