The History of the UK: KING ARTHUR - VOLUME I: Between Myth and Memory: Origins, Battles, and the Birth of a Hero
THE HISTORY OF THE UK: KING ARTHUR - VOLUME I
Between Myth and Memory: Origins, Battles, and the Birth of a Hero
This is not a retelling of King Arthur's legend.
Nor is it a companion guide to the myths.
This is a historical and cultural investigation into how the figure of Arthur was imagined, reshaped, and used across centuries-and how his evolving story became inseparable from the identity, memory, and political imagination of Britain itself.
From the fall of Roman Britain to the mists of Avalon, this book explores the historical conditions, literary developments, and symbolic frameworks that shaped the Arthurian tradition.
It is organized in four parts:
- Part I - Britannia After Rome:
The vacuum left by Rome, Saxon invasions, native resistance, and the early echoes of Arthur in sources like Gildas and Nennius.
- Part II - The Birth of the Legend:
Geoffrey of Monmouth, Merlin's rise, and the fusion of Celtic, Breton, and Norman elements that formed a foundational myth of kingship.
- Part III - The Myth Expands:
Chr tien de Troyes, the French cycle, Excalibur, Avalon, the Grail, and the rise of courtly and spiritual narratives.
- Part IV - Symbols, Places, and Kingship:
Camelot as moral order, the Round Table as ideal, and the final crisis of betrayal, collapse, and transfiguration.
Rather than search for a historical Arthur, this volume presents the legend as a mirror of Britain's evolving consciousness-from post-Roman identity to medieval kingship and modern longing.
Key features:
✓ Combines historical, literary, and cultural analysis
✓ Engages with primary sources (Gildas, Geoffrey, Chr tien, Malory)
✓ Explores myth as moral and political meaning
✓ Includes:
- Glossary of Arthurian Names
- Chronological Table of Sources
- Map of Legendary Britain
Perfect for readers of history, medieval studies, mythology, and those seeking to understand how a figure who may never have lived came to define the destiny of a kingdom that did.
Related Subjects
HistoryCustomer Reviews
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
