The Arthurian Handbook - Softcover

3.82

60 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0824075978 ISBN 13: 9780824075972

Everything you ever wanted to know about King Arthur and his knights is covered in this fascinating volume: the origins of the Grail legend, the Tristan and Isolde love story in opera and literature, Spielberg's use of Arthurian motifs in Star Wars , the depiction of Arthur in paintings, the presentation of Camelot on the Broadway stage, the twitting of the legend in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and much more.
This critical survey of Arthurian history and legend, archaeology, literature, and the arts from the fifth century to the present provides an introduction for the general reader and a useful summary for the specialist. It offers both historical facts and key discussions on Arthurian subjects, from post-Roman Britain to the most recent novels and films. There is a lengthy glossary of Arthurian characters, motifs, and places, a chronology of major historical and literary items, a guide to pronunciation, and a full bibliography.
What's new in the Second Edition:All the material has been revised and updated to 1996 since the original 1988 edition; The chapter on modern literature has been thoroughly revised, with new material on writings from France, Germany, England, and America; The coverage of King Arthur in the arts has entirely rewritten by one of the premier authorities in Arthurian studies. Brand-new geneological charts of the ancestry of Arthur and his family and the Grail kings and knights.; A fully up-to-date chronology; Many new illustrations.

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Review:

"Attractive to anyone interested in the entire scope of the Arthurian tradition. In revising the original edition, the authors have wisely chosen to enhance rather than change. The result is that it is even more useful, specially for students, than the first edition."
-Arthuriana
"A very attractive book. [It] will be a welcome addition to both library and classroom. As a companion to the more ambitious New Arthurian Encyclopedia, the handbook will prove useful to both beginning Arthurian scholars, in search of a novel research path, and to literature and history teachers trying to construct interdisciplinary Arthurian courses. It has, as they say, a little something for everyone."
-The Medieval Review
"The Arthurian Handbook is the reference resource book for students of the Arthurian mythos....fascinating volume....fully updated chronology and many fine new illustrations."
-Wisconsin Bookwatch
"Praise for the previous edition: The ultimate reference on the subject."
-AB Bookman's Weekly
"Carefully edited and produced...belongs in every Arthurian library."
-Quondam et Futurus

About the Author:

Norris J. Lacy is the Edwin Erie Sparks Professor of French at Penn State University and Honorary President of the International Arthurian Society. Geoffrey Ashe is an author and independent scholar in Glastonbury, England.

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