[1][2] They are thought by scholars to derive features from the language and culture of the "low-born" parts of society and the emerging middle-class[1][1][permanent dead link].
[2] However, such stories should not be seen as purely the domain of the English peasant and yeoman, as most of these tales survive in Anglo-Norman literary forms.
[2] The Matter of England lacks a consistent narrative[2] unlike the Matters of France, Britain and Rome that generally retain a continuity of setting and characters;[1] the only characters to appear in more than one English tale are the historical kings Richard and Athelstan (who feature in their own tales; the aforementioned Athelston and Richard coeur du lion).
Tales set in England did not have an introductory linking motif that connects them to other texts until the ballads of Robin Hood.
Likewise the setting isn't as recognisable as Arthurian Britain or Charlemagne's France.