Chapter 2

THE MATTERS OF FRANCE, ROME, AND BRITAIN 9

The _Chanson de Geste_--The proportions of history and fiction in them--The part played by language, prosody, and manners--Some drawbacks--But a fair balance of actual story merit--Some instances of this--The classical borrowings: Troy and Alexander--_Troilus_--_Alexander_--The Arthurian Legend--Chrestien de Troyes and the theories about him--His unquestioned work--Comparison of the _Chevalier a la Charette_ and the prose _Lancelot_--The constitution of the Arthuriad--Its approximation to the novel proper--Especially in the characters and relations of Lancelot and Guinevere--Lancelot--Guinevere--Some minor points--Illustrative extracts translated from the "Vulgate": the youth of Lancelot--The first meeting of Lancelot and Guinevere--The scene of the kiss--Some further remarks on the novel-character of the story--And the personages--Books.