The Cambridge Companion to the Arthurian Legend (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

it met my expectations.

Anyone who is interested in having an over-view of Arthurian legends, to be able to better enjoy current Arthurian fiction, needs to read this very academic survey.

I bought this for a college course, but it has become a useful tool in my further research of Arthurian literature.

Rating: 4 StarsSource: Free copy from Cambridge University Press for the purpose of review.Was King Arthur a real person? Maybe he was based loosely on a historical figure from the past?In The Cambridge Companion To The Arthurian Legend, the editors do not seek to find the real Arthur, because they feel he is an enigma. Many historians and researchers have thought they'd found clues as to who he was and what exact time period he lived in; nevertheless, nothing concrete has been found.The editors of Archibald and Putter state the goal of this book:"Our aim is to strike a balance between the descriptive and the analytic, so this companion is divided into two parts. The chronological section shows how the legend evolved from the shadowy Welsh tradition through medieval chronicle and romance and post-medieval skepticism to modern novels, cartoons and films. Here we have concentrated on the Anglophone versions for the post-medieval period. In the thematic section we have chosen themes which seem to us to the key to understanding Arthurian literature; all essays in this section deal with both medieval and post-medieval material, though the main focus is medieval." Page 3.The Cambridge Companion To The Arthurian Legend, is an academic study of King Arthur, both in medieval history and through to the twenty-first century. Arthur legends appeared in France, Germany, Wales, Greece, and Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.The focus of this book will be on "English traditions."Pros:1. I'm a beginner in the study of King Arthur and I learned so much in this book. For example, I did not know Arthurian legends were in other countries. I've heard of Tristan and Iseult and Lancelot (which I presumed was French.) I've not read Mark Twain's satire on King Arthur.2. I enjoyed reading about the psychology and or dynamics of Lancelot and Guinevere's affair.3. How religion affected King Arthur stories.4. Was introduced to early authors of King Arthur and their contributions, for example:Geoffrey of Monmouth and Sir Thomas Malory,5. The re-establishment of King Arthur during Victorian era through Alfred, Lord Tennyson.6. The quest of the Holy Grail.7. How King Arthur transformed through the centuries.8. "Ethics" and morality of King Arthur and his knights.Cons:1. I loved this book, but I'm interested in this subject and felt drawn to it from the beginning. I believe a person of keen interest in the subject would be most interested.2. A few times during the later half of book it became dry; but I persevered.

Very well written take on the history of Arthurian legend.

I submit this review to recommend this Companion as another in the excellent Cambridge series, and in defense of its editor, whose work has been unfairly denigrated by another reviewer (whose critique is shallow, based on mere personal opinion, and in MY opinion is both inexpert and incorrect). I have examined the essays in this volume, and they represent current and competent Arthurian scholarship as of the date of publication--and should be very useful to anyone (including university students) trying to enrich their understanding of the Arthurian literature, its development over time, and many of its central thematic elements. In this context, I will give special attention to the two essays written, or cowritten, by editor Elizabeth Archibald: the general introduction (admirably delivering an overview of the Arthurian literature in compact form) and an essay entitled "Questioning Arthurian Ethics," which discusses the range of treatments of Arthur's character from the 12th century to the present day. Note that this discussion isn't limited to works of the 12th-15th centuries, but traces creative fiction of many kinds authored since that time. Ms Archibald's writing is clear, well-organized, and should be easily digested by any intelligent lay reader or university student. Why anyone would devalue either the editors' or contributors' essays is difficult to understand. I highly recommend this Companion to anyone studying the Arthurian Legends.

Not a good choice for university students as a companion to the orginal texts. A much better choice is The Arthurian Handbook (Second Edition) Oct 3, 1997by Norris J. Lacy and Geoffrey Ashe. Everything written by Elizabeth Archibald is pompous and annoying and a big waste for university students.