Non-Cyclical French Arthurian Prose Romances

By 1230, with the Lancelot-Graal Cycle, the contours of the Arthurian universe and the chronology of events leading from the invention of the Grail to the disappearance of the emblematic king were given their first definitive form. However, in French, other medieval works continue to use the same characters and events to recount what happens after, before or elsewhere. With the Prose Tristan , the Cycle of Guiron le Courtois and Prophéties de Merlin , Arthurian prose romance enters a new phase, characterised by complex rewriting and a multiplication of versions and particular redactions. This chapter offers an assessment of the three works, taking into account the most recent critical debate.