Taliessin through Logres, The Region of the Summer Stars, and Arthurian Torso

by Charles Williams, C.S. Lewis

First published more than thirty years ago, the Arthurian poems included in these two collections have enjoyed critical acclaim-but not wide popularity. "Like the Blake of the Prophetic Books,"W. H. Auden wrote, "Charles Williams has his own mythology which a reader must master."

To the thoughtful and discerning reader, however, the effort required is eminently worthwhile. C. S. Lewis has suggested that Williams might be the greatest poet of his time, and Auden added that "the more I read Taliessin Through Logres and The Region of the Summer Stars, the more rewarding I find them."

Here, in this one unusual volume, the lyric cycle represented by Taliessin and Summer Stars is brought together with two other works, both indispensable to an understanding of the poems. In The Figure of Arthur, his prose study of the Arthurian legend, Williams provides valuable background information on the ancient legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. Lewis's commentary Williams and the Arthuriad, suggests an order for reading the poems that establishes a narrative continuity, and draws on notes from Williams himself to help clarify the meaning of the cycle.

The Arthurian poems of Charles Williams-complex, sometimes obscure, always challenging-are now available to the wider audience they have so long deserved.

Genres: Poetry, Arthurian, Fantasy, Mythology, Medieval, Literature, Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: Charles Williams


Charles Walter Stansby Williams is probably best known, to those who have heard of him, as a leading member (albeit for a short time) of the Oxford literary group, the "Inklings", whose chief figures were C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. He was, however, a figure of enormous interest in his own right: a prolific author of plays, fantasy novels (strikingly different in kind from those of his friends), poetry, theology, biography and criticism. — the Charles Williams Society website

Reviews

[Sørina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have written "An Introduction to Taliesin through Logres" over on my Charles Williams blog. It is designed to help you find your way through this dense, beautiful, complex poetry. Please check it out! https://theoddestinkling.wordpress.co....

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Taliessin through Logres" and "The Region of the Summer Stars" are two collections of poems written by Charles Williams and based on the Arthurian legend. They are written from the perspective of Taliessin, the court poet of Camelot, and chronicle the history of the fabled kingdom. Being written from his perspective, they do not focus on the battles, jousts, and quests of the round table, but on the inner spiritual life of Camelot and those who live in and through it.

The poems that make up these two cycles are some of the most beautiful and definitely the most complex I have ever read. Williams' mastery of the subject matter is unquestioned. It is clear that he lived and breathed Arthurian legend; not just Malory, but Chretien, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Eschenbach and more. But Williams does not merely reproduce the story for the umpteen-hundredth time. He turns the magnifying lens of his poetic genius on the individuals who populate the legends, exploring their characters in minute detail, and giving loving attention to specific moments in their lives. The moments are not the famous ones we have all heard of and seen in movies. Instead, they are moments which capture the essence of the characters, in which we see all that was best and worst in them almost simultaneously. In doing so, he is able to follow the arc of the story of Logres and Camelot, even though the poems do not create a linear storyline or include famous, well remembered scenes.

Now for the bad news. Earlier, I stated that these poems are the most complex I have ever read. That is no overstatement. Williams seems to assume that the reader of these poems shares his encyclopedic knowledge of the subject matter. His focus on obscure characters and moments in their lives and the lack of a linear storyline add to the complexity of the poetry. Further, most of his symbolism is nearly opaque. Thank God for C. S. Lewis. Without his extensive commentary that accompanies the poem, trying to fathom Williams' meaning would be like trying to watch a play through alabaster lenses. They are beautiful and translucent, but it is impossible to truly see what is on the other side. At times even Lewis himself must claim that Williams' meaning is beyond him. If it was not clear to him, what hope do we have! Yet Lewis is able to lead the reader through the complexity of most, if not all the poems, and make sense of what would otherwise have remained incomprehensible. Even with his help, it took me several attempts to get through all of them.

All in all, reading "Taliessin through Logres", "The Region of the Summer Stars", and "Arthurian Torso" was a rewarding experience. It increased my understanding of the Arthurian legend and what it means to the life of Britain. I am sure I will return to it someday. Perhaps after I have read a bit more Chretien myself. ;-)

Now for a more personal note: It's kind of strange, but there is so much that is noble and good about Arthur, Logres, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the other knights and ladies that when I read any of the tellings of their stories I cannot help but hope that it will end differently, that the promise that was Logres will finally be realized, that Arthur will win the final victory over Modred and his traitorous army, and that he and Guinevere will bring forth an heir to continue the glory that was theirs at their best. This hope is so strong that it is sometimes hard to read the story yet again, knowing that they will fail. I love them, and it hurts me when they are hurt and when they die. Yet I keep coming back. It is better that they tried and failed, and will forever do so, than to live life without exploring with them the heights they reached before the fall. It is, of course, an imperfect reflection of the original promise in Eden, and the subsequent fall of our first parents, that is seen in the legends of Arthur and his round table. It is good to remember what we lost in that fall. It sharpens the hope that Arthur will one day return, which is really the hope that Christ will return and set all things to rights. And that is one hope that is certain to find its consummation.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, for me at least, is difficult poetry. Without the accompanying explication penned by C. S. Lewis I would have been pretty lost. Having said that, I think these volumes of poetry are amazing, and may be the greatest poetic version of the Matter of Britain from the 20th century (I'd argue that Clemence Housman's _The Life of Sir Aglovale de Galis_ is the greatest prose version of that century). Williams, ironically best known as the least famous of the "big three" of the Inklings (the other two being J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis), is more well-known for his 'theological thrillers' and life as a somewhat strange Christian guru, but I think his most important literary work was done in these poems. Following the rise and fall of Arthur's kingdom, as penned by the bard Taliessin, we see Williams commenting not only on the mythical king's realm, but on issues as wide ranging as politics, economics, morality and, of course, theology.

I am nowwhere near expert enough to go into any great detail here, especially since it's been several years since I last read these poems, but I would strongly urge anyone with an interest in either the Arthurian myths or the body of work of the Inklings to give this volume a try. It has the potential to be a real eye-opener.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

For what the book is, it is 5 stars. It’s just that is is really scholarly and niche, so the appeal for a general reader is minimal—especially if you are a Lewis fan looking to expand your library. It's not what you might think of when you think of Lewis (though maybe you should). For full review and reasoning behind the rating, click below!

https://thatladywhoreadsalot.wordpres...

[Micah Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book purely with a desire to get further inside Lewis' mind and imaginative world, especially regarding the Arthur myth. This book offered this and much more. Williams' work in its own right was artful, evocative, and much more thoroughly Christian than expected. The Inklings were really masters of writing Christian Literature (both intentionally capitalized).
That Hideous Strength borrows so many elements from Arthur, but I believe even more, particularly from Williams' version of Arthur.
Well worth the read!

[Chris Zull · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles Williams' collection of narrative Arthurian poetry. The poems range in quality very widely, and even the best ones can be difficult to interpret. This edition also included Williams' fascinating essay Arthurian Torso, on the history and evolution of the mythos itself. Rating this was hard for me; I threw up my hands and settled on three stars.

[Leftyodoul32 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Williams is always an interesting writer. He was a friend of, and great influence on, Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I remember much enjoying his The Greater Trumps; though that was long ago and my tastes may have changed.

This book, "Taliessin..." etc, i recently acquired. i was always curious about it through it's reputation among his peers. Taliessin through Logres and region of the Summer Stars ar part of a long fictional narrative poem centered around Wiliams, "created" world of King Arthur. I find it a bit impenetrable but the flow of words is beautiful. of more interest to me is his essay, The Arthurian Torso, which is his take on the "history" of Arthur and the related Arthurian stories and their intertwinement of myth, religion and actual history.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poetry is very dense and I don't think I understand it very well -- I've only been through once, and that rather quickly -- but I like fragments of it a great deal.

Williams' introduction to Arthurian legend, for someone like me who only knows fragments, was helpful both due to the review and because of the introduction to his own ideas about the material; C.S. Lewis's commentary clears up a lot of passages that were opaque to me on first read-through, and his conclusion gives me a great deal to look forward to on rereads.

[Maria Tatham · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry to say that I couldn't finish this. Because of my admiration for the poetry of blogger Jonathan Lovelace, who recommended this book, and my liking for Williams's novels, I set out to read it. Except for Williams's history of Arthurian things, this book was too much for my poor brain.
:0)

Jonathan Lovelace's blog, where you'll find Arthurian poetry of his own, his poetry on Christian themes, and more:
http://shinecycle.wordpress.com/

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is not story like the others I have listed. Williams is complicated for me and has a lot of depth. His thinking feels to me fresh and original as well as insightful.

[Patrick\ · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the writer who gave us in vivid color the unconscious mind.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the hardest poetry I have ever read. I cannot pretend to have mastered it yet, but there is so much goodness an beauty here I know it will be well worth the trouble.

[Phillip · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think very highly of this book. The only interesting thing about it is why C.S. Lewis thought as highly of it as he did.

[Jeremy]

Introduction here.