French author Chretien de Troyes is now firmly estabished as the most important vernacular writer of the 12th-century renaissance. Chretien, a native of Troyes in Champagne, was patronized by two powerful nobles & was thus well placed to compose the courtly lit. that characterized his time. His works include the earliest known Arthurian romance, the earliest & most sustained commentary on the Legend of Tristan & Iseut, the earliest known version of the story of Lancelot & Guinevere, & the earliest known romance about the Grail. Contents of this study: (1) "Erec et Enide" The Norms of the Narrative, The Rejection of the "Marvellous", & The Problem of Narrative Continuity, (2) "Cliges" The Technique of Alternation, The Technique of Displacement, & The Silence of Soredamors, (3) Lancelot: "Le Chevalier de la Charrette" Internalizing the Narrative, The Manipulation of Obstacles, & The Adaptation of Roles, (3) Yvain: "Le Chevalier au Lion" Externalizing the Narrative, The Delicate Balance, & The Disappearance of the Omniscient Narrator", (4) Conclusion, & (5) Bibliography.