The enantiomerically pure crystalline alpha,beta-unsaturated gamma-lactams 4 and 5 have been synthesized by utilizing 2,3-O-isopropylidene-D-glyceraldehyde (3) as chiral source and novel N-tert-butoxycarbonyl-2-(tert-butyldimethylsiloxy)pyrrole (TBSOP) as four carbon homologative reagent. Unsaturated lactam 4 has been selectively elaborated into hydroxylated pyrrolidiones 7,8, and 11 by stereocontrolled procedures involving conjugate addition of organocuprates, cis-dihydroxylation, and alpha-alkylation via hydrogenation and enolate formation. The absolute stereochemistries of 4 and 5 have been secured by single crystal X-ray analyses.