flourished 1165–80
French poet.
Little is known of his life. He is the author of the five Arthurian romance s Erec , Cligès , Lancelot , Yvain , and Perceval and possibly also of a non-Arthurian tale. Written in the vernacular, his romances were derived from the writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth and combine separate adventures into well-knit stories. They were imitated almost immediately by other French poets and were translated and adapted frequently as the romance continued to develop as a narrative form. See also Arthurian legend .