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The Complete Romances of Chrétien de Troyes
"[A]n eminently readable text, done clearly and accurately . . . it gives as good an idea as a translation can of the complexity and subtlety of Chrétien's originals. . . . The text is provided by a translator who understands the spirit as well as the letter of the original and renders it with style. . . . [T]his translation should attract a wide audience of students and Arthurian enthusiasts." —Speculum "[A] significant contribution to the field of medieval studies [and] a pleasure to read." —Library Journal "These are, above all, stories of courtly love and of knights tested in their devotion to chivalric ideals (with passion and duty often at odds); but they are also thrilling wonder stories of giants, wild men, tame lions, razor-sharp bridges and visits to the Other World." —Washington Post Book World "This tastefully produced book will be the standard general translation for many years to come." —Choice This new translation brings to life for a new generation of readers the stories of King Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Gawain, Perceval, Yvain, and the other "knights and ladies" of Chrétien de Troyes' famous romances.
576 pages, Paperback
Published January 22, 1991
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About the author
David Staines
38 books3 followersDavid Staines is a Canadian literary critic, university professor, writer, and editor. Staines studied at the University of Toronto, where he obtained a BA in 1967, and at Harvard University, where he obtained an MA in 1968 and a PhD in 1973.
He currently serves as a Professor of English at the University of Ottawa. He has written or edited more than 15 books on medieval culture and literature, and on Canadian culture and literature. He is now engaged in the arduous task of reading and writing on “The History and Development of Canadian Fiction.” Staines is a member of the Board of Trustees of the RBC Taylor Prize.
In 2011, he was awarded the Order of Ontario for helping to establish the Giller Prize, Canada's highest award for fiction, and the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. In 2011, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada "for his contributions as a champion of Canadian literature and mentor to young writers."
He currently serves as a Professor of English at the University of Ottawa. He has written or edited more than 15 books on medieval culture and literature, and on Canadian culture and literature. He is now engaged in the arduous task of reading and writing on “The History and Development of Canadian Fiction.” Staines is a member of the Board of Trustees of the RBC Taylor Prize.
In 2011, he was awarded the Order of Ontario for helping to establish the Giller Prize, Canada's highest award for fiction, and the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. In 2011, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada "for his contributions as a champion of Canadian literature and mentor to young writers."
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 20, 2025
Preface: I loved Arthurian stories growing up. I must have read some children-oriented tale at some point, then I read Malory and also acquired but never read much of a tiny edition on the historical aspects of Arthur that I got on a Boarders trip (remember those?). Back then, I never really considered that Monmouth's origin history might have literary appeal, and I was simply unaware of much of the other work, such as that pre-dating him and the romances following. Thankfully, I have come to see that the literary universe of Matters of Britain is vast and well worth delving into headfirst.
As for Chrétien: The first thing that struck me with Erec and Enide---the first Arthurian romance ever written---was how modern the prose felt. The dialogue was fairly natural, unlike the long soliloquys or Socratic dialogues one often finds in medieval texts. Battle was described with some of the set-phrases often lifted, but one also finds fairly emotive and detailed descriptions as well (cf. Erec and Yder's first and second bouts). There is also a lot of care for the overarching form: the pleasing pattern Chrétien mentions in his prologue. All the puzzle pieces fit nicely together in a way that shows a lot more care for plot over symbol than a lot of other works of this period---think more typical novel and less lit fic.
The Knight of the Cart was also fun for me. It's the first extant Guinevere-Lancelot love story, one that shows real insight into Courtly Love of the time from which one gleans a number of insights. But perhaps the greatest of these is The Knight of the Lion, the tale of Yvain. Whereas the likes of Erec and Enide are impressive for their structural intricacy, this is really the final leap the poet from Troyes makes toward portending the modern novel. You find decisive chronology in an essentially three-act structure like commonly seen today. The romance itself remains the core focus throughout with little loafing or muddling about. It really is something.
The gist is that this is worthwhile to read for a lot of people. I think having more background in the Greco-Roman classics and/or medieval works helps a lot, but you can absolutely have some fun with these tales without all of this. Despite being nearly a millennium old, the structures still satisfy and the messages still find some resonance. But there is historical interest here for sure: in seeing modern conceptions of the world and of love, in understanding the medieval court, in tracing back the stories of Arthur that kids grow up with today.
While you certainly see the echoes of the classics, especially of Ovid's Metamorphoses,
I never took much time to dive into the original Old French---my ability to read that tongue is scant more than grasping to my knowledge of modern Romance and long-forgotten Latin, anyway---but I have no doubts in the veracity of Staines' translation, which deserves lauding for its balance. His Introduction and Variant Readings are welcome inclusions, although the latter is probably only useful for one using this as a jumping-off point for serious study.
As a warning, this is really Chrétien's work, which is to say The Story of the Grail stops around 9,000 lines where he left it. The introduction discusses a number of important details to orient the reader, and it includes discussions of the situation surrounding this and the continuations that other authors wrote to finish this tale.
As for Chrétien: The first thing that struck me with Erec and Enide---the first Arthurian romance ever written---was how modern the prose felt. The dialogue was fairly natural, unlike the long soliloquys or Socratic dialogues one often finds in medieval texts. Battle was described with some of the set-phrases often lifted, but one also finds fairly emotive and detailed descriptions as well (cf. Erec and Yder's first and second bouts). There is also a lot of care for the overarching form: the pleasing pattern Chrétien mentions in his prologue. All the puzzle pieces fit nicely together in a way that shows a lot more care for plot over symbol than a lot of other works of this period---think more typical novel and less lit fic.
The Knight of the Cart was also fun for me. It's the first extant Guinevere-Lancelot love story, one that shows real insight into Courtly Love of the time from which one gleans a number of insights. But perhaps the greatest of these is The Knight of the Lion, the tale of Yvain. Whereas the likes of Erec and Enide are impressive for their structural intricacy, this is really the final leap the poet from Troyes makes toward portending the modern novel. You find decisive chronology in an essentially three-act structure like commonly seen today. The romance itself remains the core focus throughout with little loafing or muddling about. It really is something.
The gist is that this is worthwhile to read for a lot of people. I think having more background in the Greco-Roman classics and/or medieval works helps a lot, but you can absolutely have some fun with these tales without all of this. Despite being nearly a millennium old, the structures still satisfy and the messages still find some resonance. But there is historical interest here for sure: in seeing modern conceptions of the world and of love, in understanding the medieval court, in tracing back the stories of Arthur that kids grow up with today.
While you certainly see the echoes of the classics, especially of Ovid's Metamorphoses,
I never took much time to dive into the original Old French---my ability to read that tongue is scant more than grasping to my knowledge of modern Romance and long-forgotten Latin, anyway---but I have no doubts in the veracity of Staines' translation, which deserves lauding for its balance. His Introduction and Variant Readings are welcome inclusions, although the latter is probably only useful for one using this as a jumping-off point for serious study.
As a warning, this is really Chrétien's work, which is to say The Story of the Grail stops around 9,000 lines where he left it. The introduction discusses a number of important details to orient the reader, and it includes discussions of the situation surrounding this and the continuations that other authors wrote to finish this tale.
July 31, 2023
Actually, so far I've only read the Grail romance, but as it's nearly 9000 lines long, I'll count it as an individual read. The whole King Arthur story was one I never actually read in school, although it came up more and more the further I went. I was intimidated by what seemed like a never-ending study, with hundreds of authors producing their own versions of tales, writing new ones, introducing new characters, modifying situations, with only a few incidents so rock solid that nobody could change them. Rather like the Marvel Universe nowadays. Chretien was apparently one of the greatest, pretty much inventing the medieval romance, including all of the characteristics that became standard, and introducing Lancelot for the first time. Here the Grail has not yet become the Holy Grail--it's just a magic serving dish, and Perceval only takes up about half of the story, with his adventures interlaced with Gawain's. And even at nearly 9000 lines, it's unfinished. But much of it is quite engaging and exciting, and the translation seems quite accurate. There are even some touches of humor--praise for a resourceful attendant sent on a journey: "a man who can ask directions can travel anywhere in the world."
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews