The King Arthur Myth in Modern American Literature

The King Arthur Myth in Modern American Literature PDF Author: Andrew E. Mathis
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 9780786411719
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
In American fiction, two forms of the Arthurian myth are commonly found: the use of the myth for political reasons, and the use of the myth for the continuation of an aesthetic tradition that can be traced back to the earliest use of the Arthurian cycle by writers in the British Isles. This work traces the use of the legend from Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court to Donald Barthelme's novel The King. It discusses how Twain used the myth to take a stand against England, how it served cultural and aesthetic purposes in John Steinbeck's writing, how Raymond Chandler used it in complex texts with less obvious Arthurian allusions that carried strong cultural and even political associations, how John Gardner used aspects of the myth to embellish already existing narrative structures and to underscore philosophic debates, and how Donald Barthelme suggests the continuing interest of American writers in the Arthurian legend today in his novels. Also discussed is the effect of World War II on American literature and the Arthurian myth and the Camelot image surrounding the Kennedys.

The King Arthur Myth in Modern American Literature

The King Arthur Myth in Modern American Literature PDF Author: Andrew E. Mathis
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 9780786411719
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
In American fiction, two forms of the Arthurian myth are commonly found: the use of the myth for political reasons, and the use of the myth for the continuation of an aesthetic tradition that can be traced back to the earliest use of the Arthurian cycle by writers in the British Isles. This work traces the use of the legend from Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court to Donald Barthelme's novel The King. It discusses how Twain used the myth to take a stand against England, how it served cultural and aesthetic purposes in John Steinbeck's writing, how Raymond Chandler used it in complex texts with less obvious Arthurian allusions that carried strong cultural and even political associations, how John Gardner used aspects of the myth to embellish already existing narrative structures and to underscore philosophic debates, and how Donald Barthelme suggests the continuing interest of American writers in the Arthurian legend today in his novels. Also discussed is the effect of World War II on American literature and the Arthurian myth and the Camelot image surrounding the Kennedys.

The Legend of Arthur in British and American Literature

The Legend of Arthur in British and American Literature PDF Author: Jennifer Robin Goodman
Publisher: Macmillan Reference USA
ISBN:
Category : American literature
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
Examines the history of the Arthurian legends and their role in English and American literature up to the present. One chapter is devoted to Malory's Morte Darthur.

King Arthur in America

King Arthur in America PDF Author: Alan Lupack
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
ISBN: 9780859916301
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 408

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Book Description
King Arthur in America analyzes the tremendous appeal of the Arthurian legends in America by examining the ways that Americans have found to democratize the Matter of Britain and to incorporate aspects of it not only into America's own mythologies but also into literature, film, social history, and popular culture.

King Arthur Today

King Arthur Today PDF Author: Nathan Comfort Starr
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : American literature
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description


King Arthur's Modern Return

King Arthur's Modern Return PDF Author: Debra N. Mancoff
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317714148
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
The Arthurian legend closes with a promise: On a distant day, when his country calls, the king will return. His lost realm will be regained, and his shattered dream of an ideal world will, at last, be realized. This collection of original essays explores the issue of return in the modern Arthurian legend. With an Introduction by noted scholar Raymond H. Thompson and 13 essays by authors from the fields of literature, art history, film history, and folklore, this collection reveals the flexibility of the legend. Just as the modern legend takes the form current to its generation, the myth of return generates a new legend with each telling. As these authors show, return can come in the form of a noble king or a Caribbean immigrant, with the mystery of an art theft or a dying boy's dream.

King Arthur in Popular Culture

King Arthur in Popular Culture PDF Author: Elizabeth S. Sklar
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476605270
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
The legend of King Arthur is embedded in British and American culture. Contemporary America, in particular, is a rich breeding ground for the Arthurian mythos, not only in films, novels, short stories, and fantasy and science fiction, but in other areas of popular and mass culture as well. This work is a collection of 18 previously unpublished essays that demonstrate the impressive extent to which the Arthurian legend continues to permeate contemporary culture beyond film and literature. The essays cover the Arthurian legend in economics, ethics, education, entertainment, music, fun and games, the Internet, and esoterica. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

The Return of King Arthur

The Return of King Arthur PDF Author: Beverly Taylor
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd
ISBN: 0859911365
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 394

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Book Description
The revival of interest in Arthurian legend in the 19th century was a remarkable phenomenon, apparently at odds with the spirit of the age. Tennyson was widely criticised for his choice of a medieval topic; yet The Idylls of the Kingwere accepted as the national epic, and a flood of lesser works was inspired by them, on both sides of the Atlantic. Elisabeth Brewer and Beverly Taylor survey the course of Arthurian literature from 1800 to the present day, and give an account of all the major English and American contributions. Some of the works are well-known, but there are also a host of names which will be new to most readers, and some surprises, such as J. Comyns Carr's King Arthur, rightly ignored as a text, but a piece oftheatrical history, for Sir Henry Irving played King Arthur, Ellen Terry was Guinevere, Arthur Sullivan wrote the music, and Burne-Jones designed the sets. The Arthurian works of the Pre-Raphaelites are discussed at length, as are the poemsof Edward Arlington Robinson, John Masefield and Charles Williams. Other writers have used the legends as part of a wider cultural consciousness: The Waste Land, David Jones's In Parenthesis and The Anathemata, and the echoes ofTristan and Iseult in Finnigan's Wake are discussed in this context. Novels on Arthurian themes are given their due place, from the satirical scenes of Thomas Love Peacock's The Misfortunes of Elphin and Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court to T.H. White's serio-comic The Once and Future King and the many recent novelists who have turned away from the chivalric Arthur to depict him as a Dark Age ruler. The Return of King Arthurincludes a bibliography of British and American creative writing relating to the Arthurian legends from 1800 to the present day.

The Arthurian Legend

The Arthurian Legend PDF Author: Margaret J. C. Reid
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317656679
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
First published in 1938, this study explores the reception of the mythology of King Arthur by modern poets and playwrights. More specifically, the author explores the lineage of the legendary material since the first edition of Malory in 1485, exploring a vast range of artists who have made use of it: Spenser, Milton and Dryden, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Hardy, Matthew Arnold, and even Wagner. The conclusion is that although the myths have never occupied as central a place as the Classical or Biblical heritage, nonetheless the tales of King Arthur will continue to encapsulate romantic ideals and aspirations.

In Search of the Holy Grail

In Search of the Holy Grail PDF Author: Veronica Ortenberg
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 9781852853839
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 374

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Book Description
This book surveys the influence of the middle ages, and of medieval attitudes and values, on later periods and on the modern world. Many artistic, political and literary movements have drawn inspiration and sought their roots in the thousand years between 500 and 1500 AD. Medieval Christianity, and its rich legacy, has been the essential background to European culture as a whole.Gothic architecture and chivalry were two keys to Romanticism, while nationalists, including the Nazis, looked back to the middle ages to find emerging signs of national character. In literature few myths have been as durable or popular as those of King Arthur, stretching from the Dark Ages to Hollywood. In Search of the Holy Grail is a vivid account of how later ages learnt about and interpreted the middle ages.

The Arthurian World

The Arthurian World PDF Author: Victoria Coldham-Fussell
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000522105
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 744

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Book Description
This collection provides an innovative and wide-ranging introduction to the world of Arthur by looking beyond the canonical texts and themes, taking instead a transversal perspective on the Arthurian narrative. Together, its thirty-four chapters explore the continuities that make the material recognizable from one century to another, as well as transformations specific to particular times and places, revealing the astonishing variety of adaptations that have made the Arthurian story popular in large parts of the world. Divided into four parts—The World of Arthur in the British Isles, The European World of Arthur, The Material World of Arthur, and The Transversal World of Arthur — the volume tracks the legend’s movement across temporal, geographical, and material boundaries. Broadly chronological, each part views the unfolding Arthurian story through its own lens, while temporal and geographical overlaps between the sections underscore the proximity of these developments in the legend’s history. Ranging from early Latin chronicles and Welsh poetry to twenty-first century anime and political conspiracies, this comprehensive and illuminating book will be of interest to anyone researching Arthurian literature or tracing the evolution of medievalism through literature, the visual arts, and popular culture.