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The Grail Legend in Modern Literature (Arthurian Studies, 59)
The Grail legends have in modern times been appropriated by a number of different scholarly schools of thought; their approaches are analysed here.
This study shows how modern (including postmodern) adaptations of the Grail legend correspond to trends in the scholarly community and how the legend has been appropriated by competing world-views. There are three parallel trendsin Grail scholarship and modern adaptations of the controversy over Christian or pagan origins, secularization by way of humanism, and esoteric mysticism. These three trends reflect movements in popular culture. Relativismand multiculturalism influence Christian--pagan cultural conflict in the adaptations. Mythographers maintain the legend's appeal in a humanist culture by considering the Grail metaphor rather than material actuality; modern adaptations then transform the Grail from a particularly Christian symbol to one with universal application in an increasingly secular society. Modern esoteric spiritualities allow the Grail actuality with flexible meaning. This study,then, demonstrates how the Grail legend is transformed and adapted from medieval to modern cultures and continues to evolve today.
JOHN B. MARINO is adjunct instructor, Maryville University and Saint Louis University.
This study shows how modern (including postmodern) adaptations of the Grail legend correspond to trends in the scholarly community and how the legend has been appropriated by competing world-views. There are three parallel trendsin Grail scholarship and modern adaptations of the controversy over Christian or pagan origins, secularization by way of humanism, and esoteric mysticism. These three trends reflect movements in popular culture. Relativismand multiculturalism influence Christian--pagan cultural conflict in the adaptations. Mythographers maintain the legend's appeal in a humanist culture by considering the Grail metaphor rather than material actuality; modern adaptations then transform the Grail from a particularly Christian symbol to one with universal application in an increasingly secular society. Modern esoteric spiritualities allow the Grail actuality with flexible meaning. This study,then, demonstrates how the Grail legend is transformed and adapted from medieval to modern cultures and continues to evolve today.
JOHN B. MARINO is adjunct instructor, Maryville University and Saint Louis University.
- GenresNonfiction
188 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
October 13, 2016
I did not read all of this books, just the sections that related to the topic I was researching at the time (which happen to be the beginning part of the book).
Chapter 1 is a brief introduction to medieval Grail texts. There's nothing new in terms of interpretation here, so if you're already familiar with the texts, skip this. And if you aren't and want to know more, I'd recommend a longer and more in depth coverage.
Chapter 2 discusses various scholarly debates over the origin of the Grail. Marino links 19th-century philologists' ideas to the evolutionary theories introduced by Darwin, in that they posit there to be a single "ancestral" text from which all the legends descend. Two schools of thought emerge, one arguing that the Grail story comes from the cup that Christ drank from at the Last Supper and/or was used by Joseph of Arimathea to catch his blood at the Crucifixion. Another camp holds that the cup came from pagan fertility rituals.
Marino ends this chapter by examining the influence of these academic debates on Arthurian fiction, including Charles Williams, Frederick Lee, and Marion Zimmer Bradley.
I didn't read the rest, although I did note a few books to check out later (but didn't actually get to them ever):
The Vision of Sir Launfal
The Pendragon
The Great Return
Chapter 1 is a brief introduction to medieval Grail texts. There's nothing new in terms of interpretation here, so if you're already familiar with the texts, skip this. And if you aren't and want to know more, I'd recommend a longer and more in depth coverage.
Chapter 2 discusses various scholarly debates over the origin of the Grail. Marino links 19th-century philologists' ideas to the evolutionary theories introduced by Darwin, in that they posit there to be a single "ancestral" text from which all the legends descend. Two schools of thought emerge, one arguing that the Grail story comes from the cup that Christ drank from at the Last Supper and/or was used by Joseph of Arimathea to catch his blood at the Crucifixion. Another camp holds that the cup came from pagan fertility rituals.
Marino ends this chapter by examining the influence of these academic debates on Arthurian fiction, including Charles Williams, Frederick Lee, and Marion Zimmer Bradley.
I didn't read the rest, although I did note a few books to check out later (but didn't actually get to them ever):
The Vision of Sir Launfal
The Pendragon
The Great Return
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review