ABSTRACT
In the development of Arthurian story Lancelot seems as it were to spring fully-formed from the mind of Chrétien de Troyes in the late twelfth century. Compared with Kay, Gawain and others, he is a newcomer to Arthur’s company. Yet, by the first quarter of the thirteenth century he seems to have achieved that pre-eminence which he has held ever since. This suddenness is not the least of the puzzles and paradoxes which surround the figure of Lancelot, and which contribute to the lasting interest that is attached to him.
