Perceval, the Story of the Grail is an unfinished romance tale written by Chrétien de Troyes. The story was written sometime in the late 12th century and was written in Old French. The book is one of the earliest accounts of the Arthurian Quest for the Holy Grail
The poem focuses on the adventures of Perceval, a sheltered boy raised by his single mother in the woods. He is eager to become a Knight, after associating it with being God-like, and as such, leaves his mother to enter King Arthur’s court. Here he becomes a brave warrior, and impresses Arthur. However, he is shown to be pretty ignorant and naïve, most prominently seen when he misses many signs that lead him on the discovery of the Holy Grail.
Chrétien’s work may have been influenced by the politics at the time, as there was a clear unrest between the French monarchy and the aristocracy, a theme seen in this story. Moreover, many poets have tried to complete the poem throughout the years since its publication with the The Fourth Continuation, or Gerbert's Continuation, having added 17,000 additional lines of the text, though it was not well received.
