King Arthur: A Casebook / Edition 1

by Edward Donald Kennedy

Overview

Examining the origins of the Arthurian legend and major trends in the portrayal of Arthur from the Middle Ages to the present, this collection focuses on discussion of literature written in English, French, Latin, and German. Its 16 essays, four published here for the first time, deal with such matters as the search for the historical Arthur; the depiction of Arthur in the romances Erec and Iwein of Hartmann von Aue; the way Arthur is depicted in 19th-century art and the Victorian view of manhood; and conceptions of King Arthur in 20th-century literature. Six of the essays, originally published in French and German, are translated into English especially for this book. Two essays have been substantially revised. An introduction offers a general discussion of the development of the legends in the countries of Europe. Works discussed include medieval and Renaissance chronicles (Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, Wace's Roman de Brut, Polydore Vergil's Anglica Historia, Scottish vernacular and Latin chronicles), medieval romances (the Lancelot en prose, the Mort Artu, the Post-Vulgate Roman du Graal, and works of Chrétien de Troyes, Hartmann von Aue, and Sir Thomas Malory), Spenser's Faerie Queene, Tennyson's Idylls of the King, and T.H. White's Once and Future King. A bibliography lists selected major secondary studies of King Arthur as well as major reference works.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415939126
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/07/2001
Series:	Arthurian Characters and Themes
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Looking for Arthur, Marilyn Jackson Parins * Dux bellorum/rex militum/roi fainéant: The Transformation of Arthur in the Twelfth Century, Barbara N. Sargent-Baur * King Arthur and the Round Table in the Erec and Iwein of Hartmann von Aue, William C. McDonald * King Arthur in the Prose Lancelot, Elspeth Kennedy * The Evolution of the Theme of the Fall of Arthur's Kingdom, Fanni Bogdanow * Appearances and Reality in La Mort le Roi Artu, Donald C. MacRae * King Arthur and Fortuna, Karl Josef Höltgen * Marlory's King Mark and King Arthur, Edward Donald Kennedy * King Arthur in Scottish Chronicles, Karl Heinz Göller * Polydore Vergil and John Leland on King Arthur: The Battle of the Books, James P. Carley * The Arthurs of the Faerie Queene, Merritt Y. Hughes * The Female King: Tennyson's Arthurian Apocalypse, Elliot L. Gilbert * To Take the Excalibur: King Arthur and the Construction of Victorian Manhood, Debra N. Mancoff * T.H. White and the Legend of King Arthur: From Animal Fantasy to Political Morality, François Gallix * Conceptions of King Arthur in the Twentieth Century, Raymond H. Thompson

Editorial Reviews

Discusses the Matter of Arthur as it has appeared in English, French, Latin, and German from the Middle Ages to the present. Examines the works of Harmann von Aue, Malory, Polydore Virgil, John Leland, Tennyson, T. H. White, and others; as well as works such as anonymous romances, Scottish Chronicles. Twelve of the 16 essays are reprinted from academic journals. Includes a selected overall bibliography but no index. Begins a series of volumes each focusing on a character from the Arthurian legend. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"Welcome addition to the rapidly expanding shelves of Arthurian criticism." — Speculum

From the Publisher