Ranging from Chretien de Troyes to Shakespeare, this study proposes that the chivalric romance is characterized by a centerless structure, a self-conscious fictionality and a sense of irony. The genre's form is tied to historical reality, yet represents the archetype of imaginative literature, creating multifold fantasy worlds which audiences inhabit in denial of their real-life social contexts. Through irony, the romance precludes conclusive interpretations, enjoining readers to confront the suspension of truth in their own lives.