The Grail, the Quest, and the World of Arthur

by Norris J. Lacy (Editor), Antonio L. Furtado (Contribution by), Caroline Eckhardt (Contribution by), David F. Johnson (Contribution by), James P Carley (Contribution by)

Overview

The idea of the quest, crucial to Arthurian literature, investigated in texts, manuscripts, and film.

The theme of the quest in Arthurian literature - mainly but not exclusively the Grail quest - is explored in the essays presented here, covering French, Dutch, Norse, German, and English texts. A number of the essays trace the relationship, often negative, between Arthurian chivalry and the Grail ethos. Whereas most of the contributors reflect on the popularity of the Grail quest, several examine the comparative rarity of the Grail in certain literatures and define the elaboration of quest motifs severed from the Grail material. An appendix to the volume offers a filmography that includes all the cinematic treatments of the Grail, either as central theme or minor motif.

This book will appeal to students, scholars, and general readers fascinated by the Arthurian and Grail legends.

CONTRIBUTORS: NORRIS J. LACY, ANTONIO FURTADO, WILL HASTY, RICHARD TRACHSLER, MARIANNE E. KALINKE, MARTINE MEUWESE, DAVID F. JOHNSON, PHILLIP BOARDMAN, CAROLINE D. ECKHARDT, P.J.C. FIELD, JAMES P. CARLEY, RICHARD BARBER, KEVIN J. HARTY

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781843841708
Publisher:	BOYDELL & BREWER INC
Publication date:	11/20/2008
Series:	ISSN , #72
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

DAVID F. JOHNSON is Professor of English at Florida State University, Tallahassee.

RICHARD BARBER has had a huge influence on the study of medieval history and literature, as both a writer and a publisher. His first book on the Arthurian legend appeared in 1961, and his major works include The Knight and Chivalry (winner of the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971), Edward Prince of Wales and Aquitaine, The Penguin Guide to Medieval Europe and The Holy Grail: the History of a Legend which was widely praised and was translated into six languages.

Table of Contents

Foreword - Norris J. Lacy
Introduction: Arthur and/or the Grail - Norris J. Lacy
The Shape of the Grail in Medieval Art - Martine Meuwese
The Crusaders' Grail - Antonio L. Furtado
Bounds of Imagination: Grail Questing and Chivalric Colonizing in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival - Will Hasty
The Land Without the Grail: A Note on Occitania, Rigaut de Barbezieux and Literary History - Richard Trachsler
Female Desire and the Quest in the Icelandic Legend of Tristram and Ísodd - Marianne Kalinke
Questing in the Middle Dutch Lancelot Compilation - David F. Johnson
Keeping Company: Manuscript Contexts for Reading Arthurian Quest Narratives - Caroline Eckhardt
Grail and Quest in the Medieval English World of Arthur - Phillip C Boardman
Malory and the Grail: The Importance of Detail - Peter J.C. Field
Glastonbury, the Grail-Bearer and the Sixteenth-Century Antiquaries - James Carley
The Grail Quest: Where Next? - Richard Barber
Appendix: The Grail on Film - Kevin J Harty

Editorial Reviews

Readers will find in this collection a good number of compelling, original perspectives on a broad range of topic areas.

THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW

While The Grail, the Quest, and the World of Arthur will have unquestioned value for scholars working in Arthurian studies, it has much to say to the non-specialist, particularly as it traces some of the contemporary contours of a busy and broadly fascinating field.

STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE TEACHING

12 exciting and well-written essays. [...] Written by highly respected Arthurian scholars, all the essays offer new contributions to the representations of the Grail, the Grail quest, and questing in general. Highly recommended.

CHOICE

This is an elegant, gracious and necessary compendium of contemporary Grail scholarship.

ARTHURIANA

This collection has much to commend it [and is] beautifully and extensively illustrated. [It] is a welcome contribution to Arthurian studies.

ENGLISH

This volume is essential for Arthurian scholars, but will also be of interest to anyone who teaches Arthurian material on any level.

CAHIERS DE RECHERCHES MEDIEVALES

This collection has much to commend it [and is] beautifully and extensively illustrated. [It] is a welcome contribution to Arthurian studies. ENGLISH
This is an elegant, gracious and necessary compendium of contemporary Grail scholarship. ARTHURIANA
This volume is essential for Arthurian scholars, but will also be of interest to anyone who teaches Arthurian material on any level. CAHIERS DE RECHERCHES MEDIEVALES
Readers will find in this collection a good number of compelling, original perspectives on a broad range of topic areas. THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW
12 exciting and well-written essays. [...] Written by highly respected Arthurian scholars, all the essays offer new contributions to the representations of the Grail, the Grail quest, and questing in general. Highly recommended. CHOICE

While The Grail, the Quest, and the World of Arthur will have unquestioned value for scholars working in Arthurian studies, it has much to say to the non-specialist, particularly as it traces some of the contemporary contours of a busy and broadly fascinating field. STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE TEACHING

From the Publisher