The Mabinogi: A Book of Essays

by C.W. Sullivan III (Editor)

For the first time, a single volume gathers a representative selection of critical articles on the medieval Welsh prose works known as the Four Branches of the Mabinogi. "Critical materials dealing with the Mabinogi are difficult to find, for they are offered chiefly in the journals Celtic Studies, Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, Etudes Celtiques, Studia Celtica, Cambridge Medieval Celtic Studies, and the like-as well as occasionally in the wider range of journals dealing with medieval studies or in a number of regional, antiquarian publications.

This collection brings together 16 critical articles for the scholars and students who have had to make do with interlibrary loans or photocopies of dubious clarity and limited durability. The articles deal with the origins of the Four Branches, comparative analysis (what can be learned by comparing the Welsh materials to the broader range of medieval tales), structural analysis, and thematic analysis. The latter two sections contain essays that approach the Mabinogi as a work of art created by a master craftsman in control of his material.

412 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1996

About the author

Charles W. Sullivan III is Emeritus Professor of English at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. In 2008, he was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at Debrecen University, Hungary.

Reviews

[Guto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dim ond un erthygl wan, sef yr olaf gan y golygydd.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been dipping into this book for a few years, but I finally decided to sit down and read it cover-to-cover, and take some notes. I'm about halfway through and I am really enjoying it.

This book contains a number of 'famous' essays on the Four Branches, as well as some I hadn't heard of. If you are doing research on a particular branch, you will find several high-quality articles on it in this book to get you thinking. However, reading it from start to finish has filled in a lot of gaps for me about the history of Mabinogi studies and changing thought patterns about the Four Branches in academia. That, in turn, is helping me to clarify my own thoughts and where I stand on various questions. Not to mention bringing some really interesting theories to light.