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Update: Chretien de Troyes

Update

Hello all.  After re-reading some of my earlier writing on Chretien de Troyes' works I feel that I am not handling the material well.  As the works get longer, it no longer makes sense to write everything that happens in the works episode by episode.  Chretien's works are 80 pages on average which causes me to do two pages of pure summary before I even discuss the work.  Some of the upcoming works such as the Perceval continuations and the Vulgate Lancelot make these works, and even modern epics, pale in comparison.  Reading multiple pages of non-stop summary makes for pretty dry reading.  It was so terrible that I decided to re-write my article on The Knight of the Cart before even posting it.  In retrospect I should have had more insightful discussions rather than summary.  I need to reach back to my college days and reconsider how to approach the material.  I also am not having much fun doing it this way.

Moving forward I am going to try a new format when addressing a lengthy story.  My earlier articles focused more on the interesting history of the author, the material, and how it applies to the development of the legend.  As we reach a period in history and development where the works are becoming more literary in nature and still little to nothing is known about the author, I am forced to address more literary cues.  For my next article on The Knight of the Cart you may see a more generalized summary of the events with points that may address specific plot points for discussion.

Hopefully I will have that soon!
Thanks, Joe

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