Romance of the Grail: The Magic and Mystery of Arthurian Myth

By Joseph Campbell

Book Overview

The first collection of Joseph Campbell's writings and lectures on the Arthurian romances of the Middle Ages, a central focus of his celebrated scholarship, now in paperback

Throughout his life, Joseph Campbell was deeply engaged in the study of the Grail Quests and Arthurian legends of the European Middle Ages. In this new volume of the Collected Works of Joseph Campbell, editor Evans Lansing Smith collects Campbell's writings and lectures on Arthurian legends, including his never-before-published master's thesis on Arthurian myth, "A Study of the Dolorous Stroke." Campbell's writing captures the incredible stories of such figures as Merlin, Gawain, and Guinevere as well as the larger patterns and meanings revealed in these myths. Merlin's death and Arthur receiving Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake, for example, are not just vibrant stories but also central to the mythologist's thinking.

The Arthurian myths opened the world of comparative mythology to Campbell, turning his attention to the Near and Far Eastern roots of myth. Calling the Arthurian romances the world's first "secular mythology," Campbell found metaphors in them for human stages of growth, development, and psychology. The myths exemplify the kind of love Campbell called amor, in which individuals become more fully themselves through connection. Campbell's infectious delight in his discoveries makes this volume essential for anyone intrigued by the stories we tell -- and the stories behind them.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1608688283
• ISBN13: 9781608688289
• Release Date: August 2022
• Publisher: New World Library
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

We read to know we are not alone. ~ C.S. Lewis

Joseph Campbell lives again in his collected works. jcf.org keeps Joseph Campbell alive in our thoughts with new material that supports a great worldview through understanding myths. Editor Evans Lansing Smith, Ph.D., helps make that a reality. I was overjoyed to find this book. And I'm not finished yet. But I can tell you that there is a lot more to the book than the title implies. After reading the book cover to cover, go back to Appendix B; it alone can lead you to a lifetime of reading. What I like about Campbell is that he is so pragmatic and makes following your bliss fun. You could call it applied mythology. I hope this is not the last book.