Friday, September 16, 2011

Yvain

1. The lacking of a formal prologue reveals that the message of the romance will be much clearer. The court is described as being "abased of love" (Troyes). Unlike Erec and Enide which had a more hidden message, this story will be far more up front about love. The characters will discuss love and the problems surrounding it. Chretian has by now established his theme and message for the arthurian romances.

2. Calogrenants story is a story of adventure. The genesis of his story somewhat resembles the prologue in the sense that he is telling his listeners to truly listen and take to heart what he has to stay. I found interesting Calogrenant's description and wholehearted respect for the maiden he meets while lodging at a house. He continues to tell of his adventures the next day. He tells of how after maddening the stronger knight, he shamefully lost in a fight against him. Even after this embarassing loss, in which the knight took his horse, he still decided to return to his host's house. To his surprise, his host and the maiden greet him with the same respect, despite his shabby appearance and lack of steed. Calogrenant makes a statement against knights such as Kay who are quick to judge and disrespect, instead of commending one for their initial bravery. It seems that Chretian is delving into another problem with King Arthur's Court.

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