The Forest in the Romances of Chrétien de Troyes

This dissertation focuses on three aspects of the representation of the forest in Chrétien's works: simplicity of presentation, function in the plot, and symbolism. Presented schematically, the forests in Chrétien's works represent the Forest, the woodland of myth, not historical fact. Most of the forests in Chrétien's works are individualized only through being the location of particular adventures, not through any qualities of their own. Consequently, these forests are virtually interchangeable. One important exception is the Forest of Brocelïande in Yvain, with its magical storm-producing fountain.

Each of Chrétien's romances formulates differently the question of what it means to be an exemplary knight by placing the hero in a predicament which sets certain chivalric values against others. A key element in this formulation is the role played by the forest in the search for a resolution to the conflict. In Erec and the Charrette, the conflict centers around the hero's reputation, while Yvain and Perceval are associated with the forest through being considered “wild” and through the romance's exploration of wildness.

A comprehensive study of the forest provides a useful vantage point for studying Chrétien's individual romances as well as his body of work. Chrétien's use of the forest, in concert with the other elements in his romances, serves to explore the relationship between civilization and nature, and between the heroic individual and society.

The forest in Chrétien's works symbolizes first and foremost nature as an aggregate of physical entities and impersonal forces which exert an inescapable influence upon human beings. In Chrétien's narratives, the hero's engagement with nature takes the form of a quest through the forest. By means of this journey, the hero symbolically places himself in an arena where knighthood is tested beyond the bounds of society, and where civilized values are tested in a natural setting. Beyond representing nature, the forest introduces a mythic element into Chrétien's works. The knight's quest through the forest enacts the individual's search for the meaning of his or her life.