Softcover

ISBN 10: 0470672374 ISBN 13: 9780470672372

Verlag: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012

This Companion offers a chronological sweep of the canon of Arthurian literature - from its earliest beginnings to the contemporary manifestations of Arthur found in film and electronic media. Part of the popular series, Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture, this expansive volume enables a fundamental understanding of Arthurian literature and explores why it is still integral to contemporary culture.

• Offers a comprehensive survey from the earliest to the most recent works
• Features an impressive range of well-known international contributors
• Examines contemporary additions to the Arthurian canon, including film and computer games
• Underscores an understanding of Arthurian literature as fundamental to western literary tradition

From the Back Cover:

This companion is a complete guide to the canon of Arthurian literature, from its earliest beginnings to contemporary manifestations of Arthur in film and media. Leading scholars review Arthurian legends and their transformations across time, from language to language, text to film, medieval to modern.

Beginning with the debate about the “historical” Arthur and his Celtic origins, this volume chronicles the transmission and reception of the legend throughout Britain and Europe. Arthurian legends from medieval to Victorian literature are surveyed and the iconography of Arthurian themes in art is explored. The symbolic role of Arthur in modernist literature ushers in the twentieth century, while feminist and fantasy fiction bring Arthur into post-imperial contexts. Finally, the companion highlights the rebirth and legacy of the Arthurian legend in contemporary film and digital media.

Part of Wiley-Blackwell’s popular Companions to Literature and Culture series, this expansive volume enables a rich understanding of the many forms of Arthurian literature and why the legend lives on.

About the Author:

Helen Fulton is Professor of Medieval Literature in the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of York. She has published extensively on medieval Welsh and English literatures and has related interests in language and critical theory, particularly narrative and discourse. Other books which she has edited include Medieval Celtic Literature and Society (2005) and Urban Culture in Medieval Wales (2011).