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The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend

2007; Wiley; Volume: 40; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1540-5931.2007.00421.x

1540-5931

MaryLynn Saul,

Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies

Alan Lupack. New York: Oxford University Press , 2005 . Alan Lupack, as a former President of the International Arthurian Society, an important scholar of Arthurian matter, and the designer and editor of the website The Camelot Project, is well qualified to write this book. Although there are other Arthurian guides, most notably The New Arthurian Encyclopedia (1996) by Norris J. Lacy, this book is a welcome addition to the reference collection of Arthurian studies. First, Lupack's work is arranged thematically as opposed to alphabetically as Lacy's is. This allows readers to follow the development of major themes in the Arthurian tradition such as that of the “The Holy Grail.” The section on “The Holy Grail” begins with Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, continues through Wolfram von Eschenbach, to the French Lancelot-Grail cycle, Malory's treatment of the Grail, Victorian treatments, and modern commentaries and versions including Jessie Weston and T. S. Eliot, and modern novels concerning Grail themes. Finally, this section concludes with a discussion of “The Grail in Popular Culture,” which includes popular novels and film treatments of the theme. For example, Lupack summarizes The Fisher King (1991) directed by Terry Gilliam, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) directed by Steven Spielberg, and of course, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) directed jointly by Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam, among others. Also described are the books The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail by Michael Baigen, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln, and The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, which have gotten so much attention in recent years; however, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail is explained in more detail than The Da Vinci Code, which merits only one sentence. Other themes include “Early Accounts of Arthur” and “Historical Novels,” which include such authors as Rosemary Sutcliff, Parke Godwin, and Jack Whyte. Entries for many of the most important works are lengthy and informative; they also lead into the adaptations of these works, which is another advantage of the thematic arrangement. For example, the entry on Malory's Le Morte Darthur is not only substantial, but continues with variations on Malory, such as Tennyson, “Parodies and Criticisms of Tennyson,” and further with illustrations, drama, music, and film adaptations of either Malory or Tennyson and modern novels inspired by either, and finally feminist retellings. While all these topics may be covered in other guides, the strength of this thematic approach can be seen, for example, in the summary of the movie Excalibur (1981): “… Boorman's Excalibur… claims to be ‘adapted from Malory's Le Morte Darthur,’ though it borrows as much from Tennyson and introduces some original material as it tries to tell the whole story of Arthur …” (187). Reading this summary following a detailed discussion of first Malory and then Tennyson, the reader can appreciate how the film could “borrow” from both works. Lupack also includes description of offbeat films such as Knightriders (1981), in which: “The film's Arthur figure is Billy Davis … leader of a troupe of entertainers who travel throughout twentieth-century Pennsylvania staging medieval tournaments on motorcycles” (186). Still other important themes are “The Romance Tradition” (Lancelot and Guinevere) and “Tristan and Isolt.” Lupack provides a list of bibliographies in the introduction, grouped by topic, and an extensive index. Finally, for people who think alphabetically, there is a list at the end of “Arthurian People, Places and Things.” This book is readable for the student new to Arthurian studies, and would be valuable to a university library and Arthurian scholars.