Recent attempts to delineate Chrétien's character, social status, and life have emphasized how little we know, rather than attempting to draw from his works some documentary evidence lacking in other sources. On the other hand, this great ignorance of his biography has opened the door to some speculation – the less we know, the more we can make of isolated material like names (Chrétien, Troyes) or allusions (Godefroy de Lagny). There have been no widely accepted advances in the chronology of Chrétien's romances, the two contrasting views represented by Rb12 and Rb17 still being most representative.

Problems of Chronology in Medieval French Literature, with Special Reference to Chrétien de Troyes

4 Heinermann, Th., ‘Zur Zeitbestimmung der Werke Gautiers von Arras und zu seiner Stellung zu Chrétien von Troyes,’ ZfSL, 59 (1935), 237–45.

5 Wilmotte, M., ‘Problèmes de chronologie littéraire,’ MA, 40 (1940), 99–114. (III.104)

6 Lejeune, Rita, ‘La date du roman de Jaufré: à propos d'une édition récente,’ MA, 54 (1948), 257–95. (II.158)

See pp. 278–95.

7 Delbouille, Maurice, ‘A propos de la patrie et de la date de Floire et Blanchefleur (version aristocratique),’ in Mélanges de linguistique et de littérature romanes offerts à Mario Roques par ses amis, ses collègues et ses anciens élèves de France et de l'étranger, 4 vols (Paris: Didier, 1952), vol. 4, pp. 53–98. (V.124)

See pp. 71 (Philomena) and 89–98 (Erec).