Book Reviews and Recommended Reading
King Arthur in the Arts
By Heather Dale
© copyright Amphisbaena Music, 2003
The vastly popular King Arthur legends have long fueled the
imaginations of writers and artists. From their relatively humble 6th century
origins to complex modern treatments, these tales of love, betrayal and chivalry
have evolved through 1500 years of story, song and artwork. But what I find
most fascinating is how the Arthurian legends can be used as a cultural lens
through which we can view the values of a particular society. What can we learn
from the fantastic world of Camelot, you ask? Well, it depends entirely on
where (and when) you look.
We can glimpse the early days of a religious revolution in
Nennius' ca. 9th century Historia Brittonum as Christian customs slowly take
over from the Pagan. We can imagine the shock and wonder of a conquered people
as they try to understand the civilization of their new overlords — just
read Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th century Historia Regum Brittanie written only
a couple of generations after the Norman Conquest of Britain. Like Geoffrey
(living in the war-torn days of Stephen and Matilda), we can sympathize with
the heartbreak of civil war, and commiserate with Sir Thomas Malory... writing
his own epic Le Morte D'Arthur during the violent Wars of the Roses.
We can watch the evolution of our concept of love from Chretien
de Troyes' wild 12th century Arthurian romances to Alfred Lord Tennyson's guilt-laden
Victorian relationships. We can even look at some of the emerging cultural
trends in our modern world through the lens of Arthuriana. How about the feminist
movement? Read Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon for a gynocentric
re-telling. Our modern obsession with scientific proof? Try the archaeology-oriented
writings of Geoffrey Ashe. The broadening of our Western concepts of spirituality?
Delve into Caitlin and John Matthews' work.
Of course, every Arthurian visual artist and songwriter connects
with a different part of the legends as well... Lancelot and Guinevere's illicit
affair, the world-weary weight of Arthur's burden, the brotherhood and hope
represented by the Round Table. The Arthurian legends hold something for everyone,
whether you are a creative artist, historical enthusiast, or open-minded dreamer.
Here's to a thousand more years of Arthur in the arts!
Ready to explore the Arthurian legends on your own?
Here are some good places to start, as recommended by Mythic
Journeys staff and guests:
Guy Gavriel Kay, The Fionavar Tapestry novel trilogy starting
with The Summer Tree (1984). Kay’s trilogy weaves together an amazing
number of mythological elements, from Celtic to Arthurian to even a touch of
Native American. It’s an engaging story, and I find a catch more of the
references every time I read it. Recommended by Heather Dale.
Kevin Crossley-Holland, Arthur: The Seeing Stone and Arthur:
At the Crossing Places. Don’t let the fact that the first two volumes
of this new trilogy are ostensibly written for young adults fool you. These
are spare and poetic, with wonderful characters. Really, one of the best Arthurian
inspired works I've ever read. Recommended by Ari Berk, Ph.D.
Nancy McKenzie, The Child Queen (1994) and The
High Queen novels. Recently released as the single volume Queen of Camelot. McKenzie ably
retells the King Arthur saga from Guinevere’s perspective. I love that
this Guinevere is not a caricature, and she feels real, like and real woman
coping with the responsibilities of family, duty and love. Recommended by Heather
Dale.
Rosemary Sutcliff, Sword at Sunset. Still the best Dark Age
Arthurian novel ever written, full of magic, power and the high sorrow of great
myth. An epic which wipes away the medieval Arthur forever and places the Dark
Age Artos at the centre stage of a mighty epic struggle, of love lost and found,
of life lost and won, of a land that demands all from its champions. Recommended
by John Matthews.
Terry Gilliam’s film The Fisher King, starring Robin
Williams and Jeff Bridges (1991). This is a typically bizarre and enjoyable
Gilliam romp, which looks mainly at the issue of mental illness with overtones
of the Holy Grail Quest from Arthurian legend. Williams’ performance
is both funny and heartbreaking. I wasn’t sure what to make of this movie
when it first came out, but I enjoy finding new mythological references every
time I watch it. Recommended by Heather Dale.
T.H. White, The Once and Future King. This is the
first King Arthur novel I fell in love with as an elementary school student,
and it still
holds up when I read it as an adult. White translates the tales familiar from
Mallory to Norman England (the setting Mallory described, even though he set
the story much earlier) where they become allegorical explorations of pacifism.
At times comic, and at times heartbreaking, the characters have never seemed
more human or vulnerable. It’s hard to argue with the criticisms of the
novel (especially the anachronistic setting and the interpretation of some
of the characters, like Pellinore and Morgan le Fay), The Once and Future
King remains a gem. It’s a lovely, moving read. Recommended by John
Adcox.
Barry Levinson’s film The Natural, starring Robert
Redford, Glenn Close, and Barbary Hershey (1984). On the surface, this is a
fun baseball movie. Scratch the surface, however, and The Natural is teaming
with mythological archetypes. On the simplest level, it works as a retelling
of the Superman myth. The hero comes from nowhere, has a secret identity, super
powers, and a weakness that his enemies discover and exploit. More significantly,
the naïve hero comes to a “waste land” of a team called the
Knights, managed by one Pops Fisher. Get it? With that in mind, look at the
theme of wounded men and their sources of both pain and healing. While the
retelling of the Grail legend is a bit more obvious in the novel that inspired
it, the film is rich in mythological content. It’s a load of fun, too.
Recommended by John Adcox.
Parke Godwin, editor, Invitation to Camelot: An Arthurian
Anthology of Short Stories (1988). Scifi/fantasy publishers have published
many anthologies of Arthurian short stories over the last twenty years. This
collection features some of the biggest names in modern Arthurian literature
(Parke Godwin, Jane Yolan, Morgan Llywelyn, Phyllis Ann Karr) and some great
writing. Particularly noteworthy is John M. Ford’s poem “Winter
Solstice, Camelot Station,” a warm and unique homage to Malory, T.H.
White, and the famous personalities of Camelot. Recommended by Christopher
A. Snyder, Ph. D.
These and other books (including many by Mythic
Journeys guest speakers are available in the Mythic
Imagination online bookstore.
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