The Once and Future Story

Estelle Wallis

doi:10.31273/reinvention.v15is1.872

Abstract

This article analyses three key texts in Arthurian literature to illustrate the changes the myth has undergone from its popularisation in the twelfth century to its rediscovery in the nineteenth century. It compares Geoffrey of Monmouth’s unfounded insistence on historical accuracy with Chrétien de Troyes’ focus on interiority and male–female dynamics before making a leap in time to explore Lord Alfred Tennyson’s Idylls of the King and its anxieties concerning gendered power dynamics and material culture. The paper draws on these comparisons to demonstrate the malleable nature of the Arthurian myth, as well as its status as both a reflection of Western values and a focus point for the authors’ priorities within their own environments and cultures. This is achieved through a focus on social commentary and the creation of a plethora of characters and symbols that will become rooted in the European psyche.

Highlights

This article analyses three key texts in Arthurian literature to illustrate the changes the myth has undergone from its popularisation in the twelfth century to its rediscovery in the nineteenth century
From the Sword in the Stone to the Holy Grail or the figure of Merlin, the Arthurian legend has played an important role in the collective Western imagination
Through an analysis of the way their different styles and themes interact with their culture’s preoccupations, it becomes clear that the Arthurian legend functions less as a unique, defined story and more as a focus through which the authors reflect the evolution in cultural and moral priorities in European society

Summary

Introduction

This article analyses three key texts in Arthurian literature to illustrate the changes the myth has undergone from its popularisation in the twelfth century to its rediscovery in the nineteenth century. Three examples of this phenomenon reside in medieval scholar Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae, French poet Chrétien de Troyes’ Arthurian romances, and Victorian poet Lord Tennyson’s Idylls of the King.

Results

Conclusion