King Arthur: Medieval British Literature and Modern Critical Tradition

“An invaluable survey of the origins, development, and changing fashions of scholarly opinions in Arthurian studies. Written with characteristic verve and critical acumen, this book is sure to become an essential guide in its field.” -David Scott-Macnab, University of Bristol “Written in Breeze’s inimitable style, this wide-ranging and sometimes provocative volume offers a lively and knowledgeable account of Arthurian scholarship through time.” -Carole Hough, University of Glasgow “Andrew Breeze wades through a sea of scholarship and offers a stunningly fresh breeze separating the wheat from the chaff on the historical Arthur and his literary reflections.” -Albrecht Classen, University of Arizona “A sweeping review of the Arthur of medieval Welsh and English tradition. An essential contribution to Arthurian studies.” -Bernard Mees, Monash University “Breeze seems to have read nearly everything ever written on the topic. His discussions are always judicious, always authoritative. This book will be a go-to resource for all Arthurians.” -Jeremy J. Smith, University of Glasgow King Arthur: Medieval British Literature and Modern Critical Tradition is a book that revolutionizes our understanding of Britain’s history and early literature. It begins with a compelling demonstration of ‘King’ Arthur as no figure of legend, but a flesh-and-blood warrior of the sixth century. Arguments for this are followed by chapters on Arthur in the literatures of medieval Britain as perceived by scholars of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. They include chapters on the Welsh Mabinogion, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain, Layamon’s Brut, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the alliterative Morte Arthure, and Sir Thomas Malory’s prose Morte Darthure. Solving problems which have baffled scholars for centuries, this book fundamentally alters our view of Britain’s past. ANDREW BREEZE (FSA, FRHistS) is Professor of Philology at the University of Navarre. He was educated at Oxford and Cambridge universities, and he is the author of numerous books, including Medieval Welsh Literature (1997) and British Battles 493–937 (2020).