Arthuriana

Modern readings of Chrétien de Troyes have been governed by the assumptions of idealist literary criticism. Chrétien is usually thought to have believed: 1) that ideas precede and determine the shape of material, social reality and 2) that the artist's task is to present ideas that will regulate the material practices of his or her society. Two famous episodes in the Chevalier de la charrete suggest that Chrétien is in fact a cultural materialist, one who believes that material realities and practices precede and determine ideas.