New Directions in Arthurian Studies edited by Alan Lupack (review)

Abstract

REVIEWS109 Syon. Likewise blood relationships in femalecommunitieswerecommon, as Marilyn Olivas work has shown. It seems doubtful that relationships between spiritual directors and nuns increased in number or intensity in the fifteenth century; this most traditional of relations is traceable from at least the early Middle Ages. The conflict Krug sees between 'Bridgettine appeals to a broader public' and the contemplative life does not take into account the Bridgettines' extremely apostolic spirituality. And the picture of literate practice at Syon is fuller than Krug says: Veronica O'Mara has identified a female Syon scribe, and it seems likely that the devotional cycle in MS Holkham Misc. 41 is by a Syon nun. (It is odd that St. Birgitta's revelations are cited from Cumming's 1929 edition instead ofRoger Ellis's 1987 one.) Nonetheless in this chapter, as elsewhere, the refusal to accept the conventional view produces unusual insights: for instance, the suggestion that Bridgettine reading was influenced by lay female reading choices, by friends and family, rather than the more usual vice-versa. The conclusion suggests very glancingly a further refinement on the topic that has provided the book's center. It sees female reading and writing as part ofwhat Krug calls 'practices that served familial (personal and spiritual) needs.' (She points out that this emphasis on usefulness can be found in the writing of the two bestknown female authors ofthe fifteenth century, Margaret andJulian.) The notion of women's reading as part of what might be labeled an ethic of use deserves wide currency; it will insure the circulation ofthis stimulating book MARY C ERLER Fordham University alan lupack, ed., New Directions in Arthurian Studies. Arthurian Studies Vol. LI. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 2002. Pp. ix, 168. isbn: 0-85991-642-1. $70. In October 2000 the University ofRochester sponsored Cameht2000:A Millennial Conference on the Arthurian Legends hosted by Alan Lupack. This volume memorializes that occasion and, while it cannot reproduce the joy ofthose festivities or the lavish graciousness ofAlan and Barbara Lupack, it does provide a valuable testimony to the scholarly contributions to the conference and a fitting witness to the state ofArthurian studies at the turn ofthe millennium. While space does not permit a detailed commentary on each ofthe essays, a relatively briefsurvey ofthe contents should provide sufficient evidence ofthe value ofthe volume. The title of Norris Lacy's revised plenary essay, 'Arthurian Research in a New Century: Prospects and Projects,' is an accurate guide to its content. In addition to reviewing the state ofArthurian scholarship, Lacy risks appearingacademically retro in making a powerful case for a return to the traditional discipline ofediting in a spirit that accounts for 'the richness oftextual traditions and transformations' (16). In 'Malory and His Audience,' P.J.C. Field turns his attention to the text that he knows probably better than anyone else in the world. Here he analyzes how the 'narrating voice' in direct address constructs the audience for the text in his own 'painful and sometimes erratic attempts to discover the truth' (31). Derek Brewer 110ARTHURIANA also directs his attention to this text in 'The Paradoxes ofHonour in Malory.' Brewer speaks with authority ofthe code ofhonour and attempts to balance without irony paradoxes, such as 'You must never tell a lie; You must tell a lie' (33). While this is a generally sunny essay, the dark side ofthe paradoxes cast a more ominous shadow over the argument than Brewer seems to intend, almost persuading us by the end that the 'bloody imperialist, sexist, colonialist' Arthur he attributes to the work of Felicity Riddy is a not inaccurate portrait. In '"Hie est Artur":Reading Latin and Reading Arthur,' Siân Eichard presents a masterful survey ofArthur in Latin texts and makes a powerful argument for the importance ofthese frequently overlooked texts and the importance ofpreserving Latin as a discipline. As the language of 'authority' and 'truth,' the Latin texts also raise significant issues ofthe status ofArthurian truth in the contested space between Latin and the vernacular. A more familiar text is addressed in the two part essay, 'Judging Camelot: Changing Critical Perspectives in SirGawain andthe GreenKnight' by Robert J. Blanch andJulian N. Wasserman. This essay presents in Part I...