King Arthur: Hero and Legend

Front Cover
Boydell Press, 1986 - Biography & Autobiography - 209 pages
The whole subject is brought up to date - Arthurian buffs will want this book. DAILY TELEGRAPH
Who was the real Arthur? Why were his knights so famous? Was he buried at Glastonbury? Richard Barber takes the story from the anonymous 8th century chronicler who first listed his battles to the novelists of the 20th century. A clear and readable account of the development of the stories about Arthur and his court from the earliest times to the present day.

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Contents

The Elusive Hero
1
Arthur the Emperor
17
Arthur and his Court
47
Tristan and Parzival
85
The English Poems
103
The Flower of Chivalry
114
Arthur and Popular Tradition
126
King Arthur in the Nineteenth Century
146
Visions and Revisions
179
Sources of Illustrations
201
Index
202
Copyright

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About the author (1986)

RICHARD BARBER has had a huge influence on the study of medieval history and literature, as both a writer and a publisher. His first book on the Arthurian legend appeared in 1961, and his major works include The Knight and Chivalry (winner of the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971), Edward Prince of Wales and Aquitaine, The Penguin Guide to Medieval Europe and The Holy Grail: the History of a Legend which was widely praised and was translated into six languages.

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