Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart

[Le chevalier de la charrette]

CHRETIEN DE TROYES

Type:

Fiction

Public:

Adults

Tags:

Literature

Moral assessment:

Type: Literature

Nothing inappropriate.

Some morally inappropriate content.

Contains significant sections contrary to faith or morals.

Contains some lurid passages, or presents a general ideological framework that could confuse those without much Christian formation.

Contains several lurid passages, or presents an ideological framework that is contrary or foreign to Christian values.

Explicitly contradicts Catholic faith or morals, or is directed against the Church and its institutions.

Literary quality:

Recommendable:

Transmits values:

Sexual content:

Violent content:

Vulgar or obscene language:

Ideas that contradict Church teaching:

The rating of the different categories comes from the opinion of Delibris' collaborators

Taking the legends surrounding King Arthur and weaving in new psychological elements of personal desire and courtly manner, Chretien de Troyes fashioned a new form of medieval Romance. The Knight of the Cart is the first telling of the relationship between Lancelot and Arthur's Queen Guinevere, and in The Knight with the Lion Yvain neglects his bride in his quest for greater glory. Erec and Enide explores a knight's conflict between love and honor, Cliges exalts the possibility of pure love outside marriage, while the haunting The Story of the Grail chronicles the legendary quest. Rich in symbolism, these evocative tales combine closely observed detail with fantastic adventure to create a compelling world that profoundly influenced Malory, and are the basis of the Arthurian legends we know today.