From Ritual to Romance

By Jessie Laidlay Weston

Book Overview

Jessie L. Weston's "From Ritual to Romance" explores the fascinating origins of Arthurian romances, tracing their roots back to ancient rituals and mythology. This influential work delves into the historical and comparative religious contexts that shaped these enduring tales, particularly the quest for the Holy Grail.

Weston meticulously examines the links between Arthurian legends and earlier pagan rituals, unveiling potential sources for the key symbols and narratives found within these stories. The book offers a compelling examination of how these ancient traditions influenced the development of Western literature and culture.

A cornerstone of literary criticism and historical analysis, "From Ritual to Romance" remains a significant contribution to our understanding of the Arthurian cycle and its profound connection to the past. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of romances, comparative religion, and the enduring power of myth.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1022924044
• ISBN13: 9781022924048
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Anson Street Press
• Length: 174 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

An influential work on four 20th century seminal works

Jessie L. Weston's book written in 1920 is a seminal work on ancient religion, roots of early Christianity, and examines the story of the Holy Grail by exploring the legend's Gnostic roots. This book had a crucial influence on four important works of the twentieth century: T. S. Elliott's poem the Waste Land, Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces, Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code, and Francis Ford Coppolla's movie Apocalypse Now, screenplay by John Milius. Weston wrote fourteen books on Arthurian legends throughout her life. This is her last book, which sums up her Grail theory, which fusses ideas from J. G. Frazier's book The Golden Bough and Gnostic texts that serve as a link to early Christianity's influence from ancient nature cults. Her chapter titles say much about where her work goes and why it is so influential on iconic twentieth century works. The Task of the Hero explains the original nature of the task imposed upon the hero, it undoubtedly influenced both Campbell's and Coppola's works. Medieval and Modern Forms of Nature Ritual looks to establish a chain of descent connecting early Aryan and Babylonian ritual with classic, Medieval and modern forms of nature worship. The Symbols searches Grail symbology throughout history. The Medicine Man explains the role of the Medicine Man or doctor in fertility ritual. The Fisher King analyzes how this title is prevalent in so many of humankind's legends, and was a definite influence on Coppola's Colonel Kurtz character. Mysteries of the Secret of the Holy Grail and its regard as an object of awe certainly influenced The Da Vinci Code. Weston's book is interesting and fun to read. I especially became interested in it from the movie Apocalypse Now. There is a scene in the movie that shows Colonel Kurtz's nightstand in his cave. Weston's book is one of three on the nightstand. The other two are Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, which the film is based on. The other book is J. G. Frazier's book The Golden Bough. Anyone wanting to understand the movie Apocalypse Now, especially the character of Colonel Kurtz, and what Milius and Copolla are trying to tell their audience need to read these three books! As a graduate student reading in philosophy and history I recommend this book for anyone interested in literature, myth, history, philosophy, religion and fans of Apocalypse Now.

An interdisciplinary revelation

This book, published in 1920, was a seminal influence on both T.S. Eliot in "The Wasteland" and Ernest Hemingway in "The Sun Also Rises". Eighty years later, it's still easy to see why. Although the book is short-just over 200 pages-it is almost unbelievably wide-ranging. As she deconstructs the elements of the various versions of the tales of the Holy Grail, Ms. Weston takes the reader globetrotting and time-traveling, from Vedic India to turn of the century Africa and Japan, with stops in between in Europe and the Middle East from antiquity to her own time. She relates the Grail stories to archaic sacred kingship, fertility rituals and dances, the rites and myths of Adonis, Attis and Mithra, as well as Gnostic Christianity. If you're interested in the Grail, the history of western culture, the history of religious ideas, or the transmission of myth and ritual into literary forms, "From Ritual To Romance" is truly a revelation.

Going to the Source

Because Eliot's "Waste Land" is taught in virtually every British and American lit survey course, the name "Jessie Weston" and the title "From Ritual to Romance" have become familiar to perhaps millions of readers throughout the world. However, if readers hope to get beyond the "trivial pursuit" question of the source to which Eliot was indebted and to a genuine understanding of the "Fisher King" myth, they will need to read that source for themselves. Though not a quick and accessible read, the book repays the reader's patience. Not only does it help bring Eliot's poem to life but it illuminates the poetic tradition from Chaucer to Eliot and makes more meaningful the numerous adaptations of the myth in modern culture--from David Lodge's "Small World" to Robin Williams' "The Fisher King." Not for a sophomore survey course, but definitely for any upperlevel course on Eliot or Arthurian legend.

Acedemic but vital.

Entire forests have given their all so that acedemics can enlighten undergraduates with the ripe fruit of their intellect. Unfortunately, most of these tomes are read, plagiarized, and forgotten. "From Ritual to Romance" is an exception. Written more than 60 years ago this book was extremely influential. Superceded by current scholarship, its ideas are notable for the way they shaped some of great works of English literature; T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" is but one example. The origins of modern Arthurian fantasy can be traced back to these seminal works and thus to Weston. Her Fisher King is the definative one for the 20th century

This slim volume inspired many twentieth century writers

to produce some of their finest and most distinctive works. Weston's scholarly work first appeared almost 90years ago and is still inspiring readers. T.S. Eliot wrote footnotes referring readers of "The Waste Land" to this rare gem which puts "The Holy Grail" init's place, that of an important ritual that far preceded Christianity in the British Isles. John Steinbeck used it overtly in his only piece of historical fiction, "Cup of Gold," and others lined up in good company behind them. The story and its variants are fascinating and will inspire readers to revisit Frasier's Golden Bough. Sir Galahad, Sir Lancelot, King Arthur, Guinevere, the Fisher King and many others made their appearances as layer upon layer were added and peeled away from this legend spawned by people long gone (or absorbed?) from the British Islands and regions of France where the grail is said to have been secreted. Though Weston's style is British, academic, and the length of her immaculately grammatical sentences would put Faulkner to shame, the information is riveting (and makes one wonder how modern filmmakers of the Arthurian genre managed to research their stories and miss so much good stuff...).