King Arthur | English Research Sources

[by William Leonard]

There have been may works dedicated to an era of European history known as the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages. It was in this time period that there arose a legend of a knight who pulled an enchanted sword from a stone, and quested across the land of Britain to restore law, order, and peace, and sought the Holy Grail, the cup which was used at the Last Supper and caught the blood of Christ at the Crucifixion. This legend has grown over time to include the journeys of many knights who joined the first, who was hailed as king by Divine Providence. The common world would know these as the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

While the tales are fantastical, they ring with truth-but how much truth? This is the line of thought for the scholarly journal, Arthuriana. It strives to peel back the shrouds of mystery and unveil the actual facts behind the myths of King Arthur and his knights. What are all the geographical locations of the settings and places mentioned in the tales? What was Arthur’s genuine nationality of birth-English which would have been the Picts and Woads of the northern regions, or Roman at the time of the collapse of the Empire, the construction of Hadrian’s Wall, and the subsequent withdrawal of that Empire, or was he some other nationality? Was Arthur even real, or was he a fictional character created by the needs of the people over the years-or was he truly a collection of works, prescribed to a single man whether fictional or genuine?

Without going into too much detail, one example of this would be the character of Merlin, the wizard with an owl named Archimedes (an obvious reference to the Greek who ran through the streets stark naked shouting Eureka to many a startled passerby when he discovered irrefutable scientific proof of the concept of pressure in the bathtub), and the effect of Merlin as an advisor.

In particular, refer to the article titled “Ruled by merlin: Mirrors for Princes, Counseling Patterns, and Malory’s ‘Tale of King Arthur.’” This article, written by Louis J. Boyle, focuses on Malory’s emphasis on Merlin as an infallible advisor, and that his actions show the contradictory nature of counseling patterns for monarchs and nobles advocated the advice texts of the speculum pricipis tradition. In layman terms, words, it shows that the way Merlin gives advice, while infallible for the sake of story, is in fact a paradox when compared to how a king should have gotten advice—from a council of advisors, which is how the Romans did things and subsequently wrote them down in some dusty tome in Latin consulted by rulers.

In specific detail, on page 53 of the article, it states that fifteenth-century readers were sometimes reading Malory’s text almost literally alongside advice texts (such as the speculum principis); it later states that by logical progression that contemporary audiences of Malory may have been assessing Arthur’s actions regarding counseling patterns in light of what the advice books actually said about how a king should handle counseling situations. Thus, these audiences and those who subsequently read these works, can deduce the contradictions between the infallible Merlin, and the actual practicality of the laws of council as the Romans conceived.

In conclusion, there are many articles, and they all have focus in such field—specific, detailed manners of scholastic examination of the Arthur Legend. It is advised to read these if in fact one should wish to understand the legend better.

From the Round Table to tales of conquest and discovery, stories of King Arthur and his knights have captivated audiences for generations. Sir Percival had his hunt for the Holy Grail in Chrétien de Troyes’ Perceval, ou le Conte del Graal, and Sir Gawain had his journey to escape certain death in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, among many other legends and folklore. Stories of battle and glory, of uniting communities under the banner of Arthur, and of cutting down the enemies of the Britons with the fabled sword Excalibur have thoroughly permeated Western culture.

But where did it all come from? How did King Arthur come to be? From where did he amass his fabled knights? More importantly, though: how has this story changed as it’s been told from person to person? There is not any particularly central tale regarding King Arthur and his knights. Rather, authors add on to the tale with their own unique works, introducing new characters to the mythos and altering old characters in varying degrees. As to what effect these authors have on the canon of Arthurian Folklore, there are plenty of opinions on the matter.

The following annotated bibliography contains a broad variety of sources attained from various journal articles and reviews regarding and focusing on the topic of Arthurian lore, ordered alphabetically. More specifically, some of these sources note thematic changes that have occurred throughout the timeline of stories related to King Arthur and his knights. For the purposes of study, this annotated bibliography would be useful to those students studying Arthurian folklore in general, but it’s especially useful to those studying the origins of the tales of King Arthur and the specific details of how new content has flavored his legend’s canon over the years.

Bruce, J. Douglas. “The Development of Arthurian Romance in Mediæval France.” The Sewanee Review 13.3 (1905): 319-35. JSTOR. The John Hopkins University Press. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

In depth with his explanations of past conventions and etiquettes, Bruce details potential origins of the Arthurian legend and changes made between Arthur as both a king and a leader of the Briton forces during war with the Saxons. He also explains how conceptions of chivalry traveled to Northern France to redefine Arthur and future characters as the traditionally gallant nobles and knights, among several other observations.

Campbell, T. M. “The Arthurian Dramas of Eduard Stucken.” Sewanee Review 21.2 (1913): 210-22. JSTOR. Web. 3 Oct. 2013.

This article, found in the Sewanee Review, describes the works of Eduard Stucken and how he thematically altered some Arthurian works for the purposes of relating to a changed audience. Though the article is largely a lauding of Stucken and his works, the mentions of his work give him some credit as an author of Arthurian drama and detail some of the aspects of his work.

Gilbert, Elliot L. “The Female King: Tennyson’s Arthurian Apocalypse.” PMLA 98.5 (1983): 863-78. JSTOR. Modern Language Association. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.

This source describes the work of one Alfred Lord Tennyson, a man who published much poetry depicting the lives of King Arthur, Guinevere, and Sir Lancelot, and hardly in a flattering fashion. It also takes the story of Guinevere’s unfaithfulness and thematically links that to other subjects, such as the connection between traditional sexual roles and the health of one’s nation, as well as the dangers of sexual role reversal.

Greenhalgh, M. J. “Arthurian Legend?” The Musical Times 112.1546 (1971): 1168-170. JSTOR. Musical Times Publications, Ltd. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

This review covers King Arthur, a form of Arthurian tale told in semi-opera form originally written by Dryden and Purcell and adapted by Colin Graham and Philip Ledger. Though the majority of the review is a scathing criticism of the changes made to the original work, it makes several references to the original work, as is appropriate for one properly critiquing any particular work. These references disclose their fair portion about another Arthurian work that’s worth looking into as an additional source.

Lacy, Norris J. “From Medieval to Post-Modern: The Arthurian Quest in France.” South Atlantic Review 65.2 (2000): 114-33. JSTOR. South Atlantic Modern Language Association. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

Though not specific in its Arthurian content, this South Atlantic Review article explains some key themes of several adventure tales, including the importance of ordeal, as explained through the character of Sir Galahad. It is also a fairly modern article, as well as the only one recent enough to reference and justify Monty Python and the Holy Grail as a part of the Arthurian mythos.

Loomis, Roger Sherman. “Arthurian Tradition and Folklore.” Folklore 69.1 (1958): 1-25.JSTOR. Taylor & Francis, Ltd. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

This 25-page article sorts out the question of whether King Arthur was based upon a real person or was perhaps the result of a conglomeration of general folklore of the regions in which his legend grew. He references several key themes of Arthurian tales (such as the Beheading Game and hags who turn into beautiful maidens with a kiss) and relates them back to much older tales already in existence as his evidence. Overall, it’s an enlightening article.

Loomis, Roger Sherman. “Geoffrey of Monmouth and Arthurian Origins.” Speculum 3.1 (1928): 16-33. JSTOR. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

Found on the database JSTOR, this article by the same author behind “Arthurian Tradition and Folklore” offers and challenges the opinions of one referred to as “Mr. Gerould” as he draws parallels between the mythical King Arthur and the conqueror Charlemagne. He also covers and disputes the claim that Geoffrey of Monmouth was responsible as the originator of Arthurian Folklore.

Loomis, Roger Sherman. “Some Names in Arthurian Romance.” PMLA 45.2 (1930): 416-43.JSTOR. Modern Language Association. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

Another article by the prolific Roger Loomis, this source takes names both common and uncommon from the Arthurian canon and identifies both their roots and their variants in various, international tales potentially based off of the old legends. Though lengthy and boasting a high vocabulary, it holds valuable information for those looking to examine the history of some Arthurian stories, as well as stories branching out from the source.

Maynadier, G. H. “The Evolution of Arthurian Romance by James Douglas Bruce.” Modern Language Notes 39.8 (1924): 482-87. JSTOR. The John Hopkins University Press. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

A meta-critique of sorts, Maynadier’s 6-page review of The Evolution of Arthurian Romance pays respects to the late author while covering the important aspects of his work. He lays out the time period that was covered by the author, mentions specific, well-known works both included and excluded from the work, and details what would be a good additional source for material on Arthurian folklore.

Millican, Charles Bowie. “Spenser and the Arthurian Legend.” The Review of English Studies 6.22 (1930): 167-74. JSTOR. Oxford University Press. Web. 03 Oct.

A source derived from JSTOR, this article mainly involves details of the author Spenser and his work “The Faerie Queene” and how the work itself ties in with Arthurian legend. However, it also speaks at length about translations of other works, including many French translations and works. The reading can be confusing at times, as the author uses several lengthy quotes that take up anywhere from five lines to a third of a page, but much of it is necessary for understanding the author’s point.