ABSTRACT
Le Roman de Perceval le Conte du graal is unique among Chretien’s romances in that its conspicuously unfinished state has made the question of unity a matter of concern among scholars. Chretien’s previous Arthurian romances all open within the setting of a court, whether it be that of an emperor, as in Cliges, or of King Arthur himself, as in Erec, Yvain, and the Charrete. Some unspecified social catastrophe subverted virtue and justice while evil prevailed on every side. The story of Perceval, first given widespread prominence by Chretien de Troyes, has been rewritten and analyzed over the centuries in myriad ways, often independently of the adventures of Gauvain. All of this amidst a new and seemingly auspicious Arthurian “opening,” for in the Hideous Damsel’s public declamation is multiple calls to adventure. The two series of episodes pertaining to the Custom of Logres place Perceval and Gauvain on a comparable footing.
