A Dictionary of King Arthur's Knights by Pamela Ryan (review)

Abstract

HOARTHURIANA have difficulty locating the many fine things Radulescu has to say in her analysis of Malory's characters. With these qualifications in mind, The Gentry ContextforMalory's Morte Darthur is an important study of various political, social and cultural contexts of Malory's Morte, including gentry politics and reading habits, as well as book ownefship in the fifteenth century. K. S. WHETTER Acadia University pamela Ryan, A Dictionary ofKingArthur's Knights. Charleston, SC: Nautical and Aviation Publishing Company ofAmerica, 2001. Pp. 95, illus. isbn: 1-877853-61-5. $26.95. Any reader ofArthurian wotks can testify to the plethora ofnames and the need for dictionaries and handbooks. There are several such works, some more specialised than others, and Pamela Ryan's text covets a specific group: the knights and kings ofKing Arthuf's court. The dictionary appears ro involve some independentwotk, but also draws heavily on a number of othef texts: accotding to the bibliographic chapter primarily on NorrisJ. Lacy and Geoffrey Ashe, TheArthurian Handbook and Norris J. Lacy, The New Arthurian Encyclopedia, but also on works by Ronan Coughlin, Ruth Minary and Charles Moorman, Christopher Bruce, Beverly Kennedy, andJamesJ. Wilhelm. Among the writers listed we also find Geoffrey ofMonmouth, whose History ofthe Kings ofBritain is defined as 'not to be considered completely reliable' (85). The title of this book is slightly misleading; while it does list many Arthurian knights and kings, it is by no means exhaustive. Pamela Ryan has chosen to limit the names listed to those appearing in the Caxton edition of Malory (xiii): the text could, perhaps, be more appropriately defined as a dictionary ofMalory's knights. It is possibly a useful wotk for the student readingMalory and confused by the numbef ofknights, ot for quick reference: it is not, however, overly useful to a scholar. A Dictionary ofKingArthur's Knights is not, nor does it claim to be, a scholarly work. While rhe entries include a lot of information, they contain no references to where in Malory's works, or in the other works mentioned, this information was found. The reader is thus entirely dependent on Ryan's intefpretation of what are the salient points, unless the reader is willing to read through Malory's work to check every appearance of the character—which would appear rather to defeat the pufpose ofa dictionary. The main problem with this text is the lack of consistency and clarity. The information on the knights draws on other sources than Maloty, sometimes with and sometimes without any clear indication that this is the case, or by referring to the sources as 'in some accounts.' The suggestions for further reading present some select texts father than all, or even major, instances ofthe character's appearing in the texts: for example, the suggested readings for the entry 'Galahad' includes Tennyson's Idylls ofthe King, while the suggested reading for 'Percivale ofWales' does not. It is REVIEWS111 difficult to establish any pattern eirher for when episodes not in Malory's text are included and when they are not, of for the suggested readings. Also, some works listed are unfamiliar to me— and, I would suspect, to mostArthurian scholars— such as Chrétien de Troyes's Laudine (23). The entries are also confusing: Gorlois, for example, is listed under T as Duke of Tintagel, and then promptly named and defined as Duke of Cornwall. All in all, this is a brave effort to create a dictionary ofthe knights in Malory. It would, nevertheless, have benefited from better proofreading and greatef clarity of reference. KRISTINA HILDEBRAND Halmstad University Raymond ?. Thompson and keith busby, eds., Gawain: A Casebook. Arthurian Characters and Themes, Vol. 8. New York and London: Routledge, 2006. Pp. viii, 362. isbn: 0-415-97122-5. $60. This long-awaited volume completes the original Arthurian Characters and Themes series begun in 1995 under the auspices ofGarland Publishing and general editorship ofNorris J. Lacy. It is a worthy conclusion (although a possibility remains that the series may be extended by a future volume or two). As have the other contriburors to this authoritative series, Raymond Thompson and Keith Busby assemble a collection of nineteen of the most significant essays covering an enormous variety...