Chretien's Cliges and the Ovidian Spirit
D. W. Robertson
THE indebtedness of Chretien to the poetry has long been evident. We know that he translated Ars anwtoria and story Philomela from Metamorphoses, what says at beginning Cliges may imply also Remedia amoris Tantalus Pelops. F. E. Guyer demonstrated there are numerous reflections Ovid's in Cliges, Lancelot, Yvain, conception love these romances owes much Ovid.1 have recently reminded an essay by Jessie Crossland imitation played a large part development time Charlemagne sixteenth century,2 so Chretien's is only we should expect poet who wrote during period which called Age Ovid. There were other influences work poetry, some them more important than influence, but definite meant be least help interpretation his work. In present paper I wish suggest problems involved formulating this kind. If contemporaries guilty basing conclusions on Ovid misunderstood, as alleged, try discover just how was The Ovidian spirit, term shall use designate wider implications attitudes literary techniques, not any means uniformly conceived modern times. That is, still no very clear distinction between understood misunderstood. As one scholar dissatisfied with certain
Comparative Literature