![]() ![]() These Arthurian romances came, in the Middle Ages and in endless variations down to the present day, to be the tales most closely associated with the world of knightly heroism, and Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Camelot, and the Holy Grail have become forever linked with the chivalric quest. Although romances were written concerning early French heroes such as Charlemagne and Roland, and heroes of Antiquity such as Alexander the Great, the most popular and lasting form proved to be those associated with the “Matter of Britain,” or the world of King Arthur and the Round Table. ![]() ![]() It is somewhat ironic that many of the characters and settings most associated with French chivalric literature were British in origin. The tales and songs that were told about brave cavaliers and their deeds became popular first in France, and these tales in time made their way to England. The word chivalry entered Middle English in the fourteenth century as a borrowing of the Old French word chevalerie, which referred to knighthood or cavalry, and literally meant soldiers who rode on the back of a horse (Fr. The Chivalric Quest: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The chivalric quest is arguably the literary genre best associated with medieval literature, containing elements of feudal society, knightly combat, courtly love, noble sacrifice and religious introspection.
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