Note 30 — CLIGÉS

I have not seen either of these German fragments. Professor Foerster’s tendency to claim as Chrétien’s undoubted property everything that even remotely resembles the work of the French poet makes caution needful. I give the statement entirely upon his authority. With regard to the passage in the Parzival, Book XII. l. 116, et seq., at first sight it seems clearly to refer to Chrétien’s poem; but, as Professor Foerster himself admits, the work clearly consists of two sections, and it seems quite possible that the first part, the story of Alexander and Soredamors, may have been known independently. As the testimony of the Perceval poems proves, there was current a love story connected with a sister of Gawain. The weak point in this Parzival allusion is, that the poet is recalling the torments that Gawain and his kin have suffered through ‘Minne.’ Now the love story of Cligés and Phenice is far more tragic than that of Cligés’ parents; and it is difficult to understand why, if the writer knew the whole poem, he should refer only to the weaker illustration, as both are equally connected with Gawain. I suspect myself that the allusion was in Wolfram’s source, and refers to the source of the Cligés.