Chivalry · Chapter
Precautional explained
The author introduces the volume as a retelling of tales from Messire Nicolas de Caen, a partisan Yorkist and Burgundian chronicler, and discusses the nature of Chivalry as a pragmatic hypothesis and a code of conduct rooted in the idea of
What happens
The author introduces the volume as a retelling of tales from Messire Nicolas de Caen, a partisan Yorkist and Burgundian chronicler, and discusses the nature of Chivalry as a pragmatic hypothesis and a code of conduct rooted in the idea of vicarship and a tangible, familial relationship with God.
Themes in this chapter
Chivalry and Its Code
The chapter extensively discusses Chivalry as a pragmatic hypothesis and a worldwide code, emphasizing the triple homage to God, honor, and lady.
Love and Domnei (Lady-Service)
Lady-service, or domnei, is highlighted as a central aspect of the chivalric code served by the characters in the tales.
Illusion vs. Reality
The author contrasts the medieval view of life as a journey toward a tangible Heaven with modern psychoanalytic interpretations, suggesting a tension between perceived reality and comforting illusion.
Art and the Artist
The chapter reflects on the role of the partisan chronicler and the reteller of stories, acknowledging artistic liberties such as abridgment and reassignment of narrative voice.
Characters to notice
- Nicolas de Caen
The chronicler and priest whose work forms the basis of the volume; acknowledged as a partisan writer with a Yorkist and Burgundian bias.
- Count Manuel
Mentioned as a putative ancestor of characters dealt with in the tales.
- Dame Alianora
Mentioned as a putative ancestor of characters dealt with in the tales.
- Gloucester
Referenced in the context of the retelling of 'The Story of the Satraps,' where a history is put into his mouth.
Key passages
“the cornerstone of Chivalry is the idea of vicarship: for the chivalrous person is, in his own eyes at least, the child of God, and goes about this world as his Father's representative in an alien country.”
The foundation of chivalry is the belief that a knight acts as God's representative on earth.
This defines the chivalrous person's self-perception and mission.
“the point is that to them Heaven is a place as actual and tangible as we consider Alaska or Algiers to be, and that their living is a conscious journeying toward this actual place.”
For medieval people, Heaven was a real, physical destination they actively traveled toward in life.
Contrasts medieval concreteness with modern abstraction.