The Development of Arthurian Romance

by Roger Sherman Loomis

Stimulating and masterly study examines the evolution of the great mass of fiction surrounding the Arthurian legend in Western literature — from Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain and the collection of Welsh tales known as The Mabinogion, to Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian stories, the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach, and such English masterpieces as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Le Morte d'Arthur. Painstakingly researched and brimming with scholarly insight, this highly readable and entertaining work will be a favorite with general audiences as well as scholars and students of the Arthurian legend.

Genres: Arthurian, Nonfiction, History, Medieval

200 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1970

Reviews

[Alex Rankine · Rating 4 out of 5]

have to admit it was hard work when it came to the texts/stories i wasnt familiar with but loomis has a very fun clever writing style that made it easier to push through. great section on gawain

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books prove that you really are a geek. And this one shows exactly what kind of geek I am.

I have been looking for a book like this at least since I first watched "Excalibur" and became fascinated with the Arthurian legend. It is perhaps (and I say perhaps because I know of no other, but realize that one might exist) the best introduction to the literature about the (possibly legendary) British King and his court.

The very well educated Roger Sherman Loomis starts by considering "One of the greatest riddles of literary history: whence, why and how did the great mass of fiction centered around Arthur arise and become the favourite reading of lords and ladies, young and old, not only in England and France, but also in Italy, Spain, and Germany?"

He gives us the earliest references to Arthur, then leads us, in rough chronological order to the various versions of the great king's life, times and travails. He even speculates on how Joseph of Arimathea came to be associated with the grail legend. Loomis's book culminates with Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur, a book some consider the first bestseller and one which has served as the template for all (well, most) subsequent retellings of the tale.

Loomis writes well, with humor, passion and conviction. He is unafraid to celebrate his favorites (such works as Wolfram's Parzival and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) and disparage others. This book is a good read and a great resource as it puts at our fingertips information about all the major medieval works on Arthur, creating for us Arthur geeks an easily accessible "wish list" of narratives to read about the once and future king. And his knights.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loomis is super snarky and I love it. Made the book both educational and entertaining to read.

I’m going to make a valiant attempt to read many of the primary sources he mentioned and then re-read his critiques to get the full picture.

[Gille Liath · Rating 4 out of 5]

To me it is a little bit strange to defer to the knowledge of an American, or any foreigner, about the Matter of Britain. But that is by the by, and Loomis evidently knows his stuff. This is a survey of Arthurian literature up to and including Malory; if you are interested in learning more about how the cycle assumed the form is has now, and finding out which of the earlier books is worth the trouble without having to read all of them for yourself, then it is for you.

Loomis' taste is good, as far as my knowledge of the subject goes, and his prose very readable. But this is a field where speculation has long run riot, and Loomis is no exception; he is sometimes close to coming unstuck in trying to identify the yet older traditions behind the books as we have them. Perhaps the Grail story is made up of strands of old Celtic myth, but the ones he identifies are relatively incidental things - like the upbringing of Percival. He can find no convincing antecedent for the Grail itself, or the quest, and it seems odd to overlook the obvious explanation that these are simply what they seem to be: a sort of popular Christian myth, parallel to the official teachings of the church and adapted to the culture of chivalry. Where did they come from? Well, do they have to have come from anywhere - anywhere, that is, but where we find them, in medieval romance?

And similarly in discussing Gawain and the Green Knight, though he rightly rates its literary qualities highly, Loomis seems unable to see the Christian wood for the pagan mythological trees. Again - and as Tolkien said - it is surely just what it appears to be, a story exemplifying Christian virtues, not heroic ones despite the general chivalric context.

I believe that the 'something' the Arthurian stories have, which causes them to haunt the popular imagination so much more persistently than any other other similar cycle in Western culture, is not to be be found behind the extant books - in history or mythology - but in those books themselves.

[Samuel Valentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was something I should have read years ago - I especially liked how he summed up the development of the Arthurian 'saga,' as opposed to individual tales. Fortunately, as an Arthurian fan, I've read most of the sources he cites, so the book gave an added dimension to the stories I'm already familiar with. It also cemented what I had been thinking about the epic as a whole - the individual tales are a LOT more fun than the whole. Mainly because that whole, as it was finally interpreted, is basically a story of adultery and failure. This must appeal to people, or the tales wouldn't have developed the way they did, but give me a Parzival or a Tristan instead of the Battle of Camlann any day. And Yvain - I agree with the author wholeheartedly that, of all the stories, Yvain combines Celtic mythic imagination with French chansons in a wholly integrated way.

A good book, both for people who know the legends, and for people who want to get into reading them.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the seminal works, along with Richard Barber's "Arthur of Albion", that attempts to give an overview of the development of the Arthurian Romance. Somewhat outdated on origins, but still lucid and magisterial. Loomis is still a force to be reckoned with in the field of Arthurian Studies.

[Tyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best read when you're an Arthurian enthusiast that have read and/or have knowledge of the works discussed in this book.