Arthurian Writers: A Biographical Encyclopedia

by Laura Cooner Lambdin (Editor), Robert Thomas Lambdin (Editor)

King Arthur is perhaps the central figure of the medieval world, and the lore of Camelot has captivated literary imaginations from the Middle Ages to the present. Included in this volume are extended entries on more than 30 writers who incorporate Arthurian legend in their works. Arranged chronologically, the entries trace the pervasive influence of Arthurian lore on world literature across time. Entries are written by expert contributors and discuss such writers as Geoffrey of Monmouth, Boccaccio, Chaucer, Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, and Margaret Atwood. Each entry provides biographical information, a discussion of the author's use of Arthurian legend and contribution to the Arthurian literary tradition, and a bibliography of primary and secondary material. The volume begins with an introductory overview and concludes with suggestions for further reading.



The central figure of the medieval world, King Arthur has captivated literary imaginations from the Middle Ages to the present. This book includes extended entries on more than 30 writers in the Arthurian tradition. Arranged chronologically and written by expert contributors, the entries trace the pervasive influence of Arthurian legend from the Middle Ages to the present.



Each entry provides biographical information, a discussion of the writer's use of Arthurian legend and contribution to the Arthurian literary tradition, and a bibliography of primary and secondary material. The volume begins with an introductory overview and closes with a discussion of Arthurian lore in art, along with suggestions for further reading. Students will gain a better understanding of the Middle Ages and the lasting significance of the medieval world on contemporary culture.

Genres: Arthurian

424 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Octavia Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book, but it is deeply, deeply unfocused. The basic idea is that it's a collection of potted biographies of writers who engage with Arthurian literature in a significant way. These biographies are only part of each chapter, however, as they are used to provide context and commentary on each writer's particular interpretation of the mythos. Each chapter is relatively short - I think the average is ten to twelve pages - so the chapter authors have to be careful with their balance in such a limited space, and some of them achieve this a lot better than others. Some chapters, like the excellent study on Mark Twain, seamlessly move between biography and criticism, and give a valuable commentary on the text in question (in Twain's case, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court). About half the chapters, however, wander enormously. Half-way through the chapter on C.S. Lewis, for example, the author comments that such-and-such is the last of Lewis' Arthurian writing, and meanders on for pages more describing Narnia, which had little of relevance to do with anything. I like Lewis' works, and love Narnia, but I picked up this book to get context for Arthurian narratives, and that's not always what I got.