Abstract

The thirteenth-century Arthurian romance Le Roman de Fergus continues to be the subject of scholarly debate regarding the national origin of authorship. Through careful review of previous research, knowledge of the development of the Arthurian romance genre and personal examination of the original manuscript in Chantilly, France, my study demonstrates definitively that this tale written in Old French is of Continental and not Scottish origin. By emphasizing the fact that Fergus is a humorous parody of the works of Chrétien de Troyes, the misguided theory of Scottish authorship should finally be put to rest.