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Excalibur: The Search for Arthur
An exploration of the Arthurian legends - of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, the Sword in the Stone, the Quest for the Grail, and Merlin - from pre-Celtic times to the present. The legends have an extraordinary power and persistence which can be seen from the many different genres in which they appear - poetry, music, literature, art, film.
This work includes the following themes: the origins of legends in the pre-Celtic age; the emergence of the historical Arthur as leader of the Britons against the Saxons after the collapse of the Roman Empire; the stories of Arthur and Merlin found in Welsh chronicle histories, poetry and romances; the spread of legends through Europe, particularly France and Germany during the time of the Crusades, when they assumed a holy purpose; the invention of the Grail story; the dwindling influence of the legends in Europe in the later Middle Ages, followed by a politicization of legends in Britain in the 16th century, and an upsurge of a British national mythology in the Elizabethan Age; the revival in the 19th and 20th Centuries - in romantic evocation of the Golden Age - in various guises: from Tennyson and the Pre-Raphaelites to 20th-century fiction and films.
This work includes the following themes: the origins of legends in the pre-Celtic age; the emergence of the historical Arthur as leader of the Britons against the Saxons after the collapse of the Roman Empire; the stories of Arthur and Merlin found in Welsh chronicle histories, poetry and romances; the spread of legends through Europe, particularly France and Germany during the time of the Crusades, when they assumed a holy purpose; the invention of the Grail story; the dwindling influence of the legends in Europe in the later Middle Ages, followed by a politicization of legends in Britain in the 16th century, and an upsurge of a British national mythology in the Elizabethan Age; the revival in the 19th and 20th Centuries - in romantic evocation of the Golden Age - in various guises: from Tennyson and the Pre-Raphaelites to 20th-century fiction and films.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 18, 1995
About the author
Gwyn Alfred Williams
27 books4 followersGwyn Alfred "Alf" Williams was a Welsh historian particularly known for his work on Antonio Gramsci and Francisco Goya as well as on Welsh history.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 30, 2018
Gwyn A. Williams provides an excellent primer for exploration into all Arthurian matter. Start here to ground yourself, then move on to Morris, Alcock, and Ashe for the historical basis of the legend. Then hit the Mabinogion, Geoffrey, Chretien, and Mallory for the development of the story as we know it today.
January 28, 2009
Interesting account of Arthurian tradition, from a markedly Welsh point-of-view, with convincing emphasis on role of welsh culture in transmitting stories, and historical basis probably in leader based in Powys, when its capital was Wroxeter, and of the Arthurian tales in transmitting elements of older, pagan myths. Extensive plot summaries of medieval romances! Nce pix from medieval MSS (mainly)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews