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CHAPTER IV LE CHEVALIER DE LA CHARRETTE Summary of poem 40-42 Structure of poem confused and unsatisfactory—Probable reasons for this 42-46 Versions of Guinevere's imprisonment—Comparison with Siegfried-Brynhild story—Legend primitive and in earliest form unlocalised—Localisation points to an insular redaction 46-49 Relation between Chrétien's poem and other versions—Malory's version cannot be proved to be drawn from prose Lancelot—Iwein certainly independent of Charrette—Parzival doubtful—Two latter possibly represent earlier version, imperfectly known by Chrétien 49-53 CHAPTER V THE POSITION OF CHRÉTIEN DE TROYES IN THE ARTHURIAN CYCLE Source of Chrétien's poems an important problem 54 Professor Foerster's views summarised—The Arthurian legend partly historic, partly romantic—Latter of exclusively continental origin 55-56 Reply to Professor Foerster—Arthurian tradition of greater extent and of wider diffusion than supposed—Evidence for early diffusion of romantic tradition 56 Necessity of distinguishing between mythic and romantic tradition—Former of strongly marked Celtic-Irish character, and mainly preserved in insular tradition 56-61 Condition of Arthurian tradition when Chrétien wrote—No longer purely oral—Necessity for understanding what is involved in oral transmission—Mr. Hartland's evidence on this point—The Breton lais folk-lore in character—Gradual process of Arthurisation—Evidence of Yvain—The process well advanced at the time Chrétien wrote 61-68 Necessity for determining original character of story before criticising, i.e. tales of folk-lore origin demand a different method of criticism from that applicable to tales of purely literary invention—Professor Foerster's theory of origin of Yvain examined and rejected as not consonant with archaic character of tale 68-77 Proposed origin of Perceval also unsatisfactory, not in harmony with statements made elsewhere by Chrétien—Strong probability that the tale, in its completed form, is older than has hitherto been supposed 78-80 Folk-lore character of Erec, Yvain, and Perceval probably an important element in their popularity 81 The varying geography of Chrétien's poems evidence of varying source 82-83 Probable relation between Chrétien's poems and the Welsh versions—Resemblance does not necessarily postulate dependence 85 General summary of principles resulting from present investigation, and their bearing upon position ultimately to be assigned to Chrétien 86-88 CHAPTER VI THE PROSE LANCELOT—THE 'ENFANCES' OF THE HERO Necessity of examining all the existing MSS. before a critical study of the legend can be attempted—Present studies concerned only with leading points of story, and certain variants in printed texts 89-90 Arthurian cycle in present form redacted under influence of completed Lancelot story 91-93 Enfances of hero in prose Lancelot a modified form of story related by Ulrich von Zatzikhoven—Points of contact between prose Lancelot and Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach 93-96 MS. evidence of contact with Perceval story 96-97 Parallel with Bel Inconnu poems—The Lancelot later than either Perceval or Bel Inconnu—Connection with Lady of the Lake alone of the essence of the story—Necessity for studying character of fairy protectress before deciding original form of Enfances 97-99 CHAPTER VII THE PROSE LANCELOT—THE LOVES OF LANCELOT AND GUINEVERE Short notice of incidents of frequent repetition in the romance—Impossibility of deciding, with