Arthur of England

English Attitudes to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Medieval, Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book Arthur of England by Christopher Dean, University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Christopher Dean ISBN: 9781442638143
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division Publication: December 15, 1987
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Christopher Dean
ISBN: 9781442638143
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
Publication: December 15, 1987
Imprint:
Language: English

Today, popular imagination peoples the Middle Ages with damsels in distress and knights riding to their rescue. Of such knights, King Arthur and his companions are the most celebrated. It is certainly true that this is the time when the Arthurian story took shape and Arthurian literature flourished, and that most medieval historians included him in their histories of Britain, though some did so with a considerable degree of scepticism. But how widely was this literature known in its own day? How much credence did people generally place in this king who supposedly once ruled England?

To answer these questions, Christopher Dean looks at medieval and Renaissance Arthurian literature in detail, and also examines contemporary chronicles and histories, chivalric theory and practice, popular myths and legends, folk-lore and place-names. The result is to show dramatically that Arthur was not at all as well known as popular belief today fancies. As a historical figure he was early discredited; had it not been for his artificial revival by the Tudor monarchy and the furor caused by the attack upon him by the 'foreigner' Polydore Vergil, which incensed many patriotic Englishmen, his credibility might have disappeared much sooner than it did.

Except for Malory's work, medieval Arthurian literature, which often exists in no more than single manuscripts, did not have large audiences. And after 1500, only Edmund Spenser and Thomas Hughes attempted to write seriously on Arthurian themes. Among the ordinary citizens of England, Arthur was hardly known at all, any popular knowledge of him being almost entirely restricted to Wales, Devon, and Cornwall. Elsewhere in Britain the much more familiar figure was Robin Hood. For all the strength of the Arthurian legend as the ultimate medieval knight, he is essentially a modern hero.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Today, popular imagination peoples the Middle Ages with damsels in distress and knights riding to their rescue. Of such knights, King Arthur and his companions are the most celebrated. It is certainly true that this is the time when the Arthurian story took shape and Arthurian literature flourished, and that most medieval historians included him in their histories of Britain, though some did so with a considerable degree of scepticism. But how widely was this literature known in its own day? How much credence did people generally place in this king who supposedly once ruled England?

To answer these questions, Christopher Dean looks at medieval and Renaissance Arthurian literature in detail, and also examines contemporary chronicles and histories, chivalric theory and practice, popular myths and legends, folk-lore and place-names. The result is to show dramatically that Arthur was not at all as well known as popular belief today fancies. As a historical figure he was early discredited; had it not been for his artificial revival by the Tudor monarchy and the furor caused by the attack upon him by the 'foreigner' Polydore Vergil, which incensed many patriotic Englishmen, his credibility might have disappeared much sooner than it did.

Except for Malory's work, medieval Arthurian literature, which often exists in no more than single manuscripts, did not have large audiences. And after 1500, only Edmund Spenser and Thomas Hughes attempted to write seriously on Arthurian themes. Among the ordinary citizens of England, Arthur was hardly known at all, any popular knowledge of him being almost entirely restricted to Wales, Devon, and Cornwall. Elsewhere in Britain the much more familiar figure was Robin Hood. For all the strength of the Arthurian legend as the ultimate medieval knight, he is essentially a modern hero.

More books from University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division

Cover of the book Epistolary Acts by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book Governing Urban Economies by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book Desiring Canada by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book Trade Unions in Canada 1812-1902 by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book Japan as a 'Normal Country'? by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book Post-Apocalyptic Culture by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book Modern Drama by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book Transnationalism, Activism, Art by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book The Romance of Tristran by Beroul and Beroul II by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book Understanding the Social Economy by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book Reading Canadian Women’s and Gender History by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book Machiavelli and the Politics of Democratic Innovation by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book General Sir Arthur Currie by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book The Canadian Fur Trade in the Industrial Age by Christopher Dean
Cover of the book Manufacturing Phobias by Christopher Dean
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy