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.

Painstakingly researched and brimming with scholarly insight, the masterly study examines the evolution of fiction surrounding the Arthurian legend — from Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain and the Welsh tales known as The Mabinogion, to Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian stories, as well as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Le Morte d'Arthur.nbsp;

King Arthur is arguably the most recognizable literary hero of the European Middle Ages. His stories survive in many genres and many languages, but while scholars and enthusiasts alike know something of his roots in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin History of the Kings of Britain, most are unaware that there was a Latin Arthurian tradition which extended beyond Geoffrey. This collection of essays will highlight different aspects of that tradition, allowing readers to see the well-known and the obscure as part of a larger, often coherent whole. These Latin-literate scholars were as interested as their vernacular counterparts in the origins and stories of Britain's greatest heroes, and they made their own significant contributions to his myth.

This witty and accessible book traces the history of Arthurian romance from medieval to modern times, explaining its enduring appeal. Traces the history of Arthurian romance from medieval to modern times. Covers art and films as well as the great literary works of Arthurian romance. Draws out the changing political, moral and emotional uses of the story. Explains the enduring appeal of the Arthurian legend. Written by an author with vast knowledge of medieval literature.