Knightly novels of the Middle Ages appeared in the XII century: it was then that writers began to move from a heroic epic to a more understandable and interesting genre for most readers. This section of literature was primarily attributed to works written in one of the Romance languages, and not in Latin (hence the name "novel" comes from). The heroic epic, popular until this time, was associated with legends and myths of peoples, but the new genre became more like a fairy tale, combining two components: fantasy and love.
All chivalric novels are united by one thing - the main character in them is necessarily a noble knight. He is fully consistent with the ideal by the standards of courtesy, travels alone, with his faithful squire or with a small group of soldiers. A knight performs various feats, fights against monsters, robbers or "infidels" - it all depends on the plot and imagination of the author. In most cases, writers endow heroes with personal motives, which distinguishes this genre from a heroic epic. A warrior fights in the name of the lady of the heart, personal gain and glory, but not in the name of religion, country or people.
A knightly medieval novel in the 12th century was written in verse (8-part with a pair of rhymes), but there were exceptions. So, the “Roman about Alexander” was written in a 12-complex verse with a pair of rhymes. Thanks to this work, a new form of versification appeared - the Alexandrian verse. In this form, a huge number of French comedies and tragedies were written in the XVII – XVIII centuries. Also, the Alexandrian verse was used by neoclassicists, romantics and neo-romantics of France, Russia and other countries.
Prose chivalric novels appeared only in the XIII century, at the same time this literary genre is not going through the best of times. Most of the works clearly trace the parody of courtesy values and norms, but, despite this, this
literary genre has long remained a favorite reading of the inhabitants of France.
The genres of a chivalrous novel differ from each other depending on the region, the appearance of the work, and what formed its basis. In those days, a huge number of small narrative forms and folklore foundations appeared. Celtic oral literature should be singled out in a separate genre. The Christian world became the source of the novels - such literature gained popularity during the time of the Crusades, because the knights could feel moral unity, understand the importance of their mission.
Knightly novels differ from the heroic epic in that in them the main character is an understandable person familiar to the reader, and not a fictional character with supernatural abilities. In such works you can often find Alexander of Macedon, King Arthur and the
Knights of the Round Table. Also included in the novel are the names of other real personalities: bishops, popes, cardinals, etc. Despite the fact that so many centuries have passed since this literary genre appeared, chivalric novels still find their readers, because sometimes you really want to feel the era of brave knights and beautiful ladies, a romantic world where every story has a good ending.