Chretien de Troyes - Arthurian Romances [King Arthur] (5 books)

CHRÉTIEN DE TROYES was a late 12th century French poet and trouvère known for helping to shape the Arthurian legend, and for originating the character Lancelot. One of the most influential poets in Western literature, his works were widely imitated, translated, and adapted across Europe. The poems are characterized by inventive storytelling, perceptive characterizations and vividly evoked emotions, and represent some of the best-regarded of medieval literature.

Of Chrétien's five surviving romantic Arthurian poems, the longest is PERCEVAL, written between 1181 and 1190 (and here presented in three translations). It is an unfinished work that introduces the story of the Grail -- a legend quickly adopted by other medieval writers and taken up by a continuing succession of authors. In Chrétien's romance, Perceval progresses from a naive boyhood in rural seclusion to a position of high respect as a knight at Arthur's court. With the help of two teachers -- his mother and Gornemant of Goort -- Perceval is ultimately able to reject the worldly adventures chosen by other knights and seek important moral and spiritual answers.

The poem LANCELOT (here presented in two translations) was the first to introduce the character as an important figure in the Arthurian legend, and tells of the adulterous relationship between the knight and his mistress, Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur.

EREC AND ENIDE is a love story between one of Arthur's knights, Erec, who while out with Guinevere encounters a mean-spirited knight Yder; Erec's pursuit of Yder leads to his meeting Enide, and the two have a stormy relationship (by medieval romantic standards) but ultimately are able to reconcile their love and relationship with public duty.

The story of CLIGÉS is one of tricky and forbidden relationships: Cligés, a native of Greece, falls in love with Fenice, his uncle's wife (Cligés' uncle happens to be the emperor). Their love is discovered, but with the aid of King Arthur, their relationship continues in Cligés' home country of Greece.


The following books are in PDF format unless otherwise noted:

* ARTHURIAN ROMANCES (Penguin Classics, 2004). Translated with Introduction and Notes by William W. Kibler ("Erec and Enide" translated by Carleton W. Carroll). -- ePUB / MOBI

* CHRÉTIEN DE TROYES IN PROSE: The Burgundian "Erec" and "Cligés" (D.S. Brewer, 2011). Translated by John Tasker Grimbert and Carol J. Chase.

* LANCELOT: THE KNIGHT OF THE CART (Yale UP, 1997). Translated by Burton Raffel, with an Afterword by Joseph J. Duggan.

* PERCEVAL: THE STORY OF THE GRAIL (D.S. Brewer, 2006). Translated by Nigel Bryant.

* PERCEVAL: THE STORY OF THE GRAIL (Yale UP, 1999). Translated by Burton Raffel, with an Afterword by Joseph J. Duggan.

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For more on the Arthurian legends, please see:

* LE MORTE d'ARTHUR by Thomas Malory (2 editions)
http://kickasstorrents.ee/thomas-malory-le-morte-d-arthur-king-arthur-2-editions-t9138296.html

* THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING by T.H. White
http://kickasstorrents.ee/t-h-white-the-once-and-future-king-king-arthur-t9138351.html