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

Romance of the Grail The Magic and Mystery of Arthurian Myth

Joseph Campbell, 1904-1987

Book - 2015

"Joseph Campbell made the power of story undeniable through the power of his own storytelling. Editor Evans Lansing Smith here collects Campbell writings on Arthurian legends that make events like Merlin's death and the Lady of the Lake retrieving Excalibur not just vibrant but also central to the mythologist's thinking. Three cornerstones of Campbell's celebrated scholarship are found here. 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 myths the world's first "secular mythology," Campbell found metaphors in them for human stages of growth, development, and psychology. Finally, the myths exem...plify a kind of love Campbell called Amor in which individuals become more fully themselves through connection. Campbell's infectious delight in his discoveries makes them essential for anyone intrigued by the stories we tell - and the stories behind them"--

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Subjects
Grail > Legends > History and criticism.
Arthurian romances > History and criticism.
Love > Mythology.
Myth.
Mythology > Psychological aspects.
Published
Novato, CA : New World Library 2015.
Language
English
Main Author
Joseph Campbell, 1904-1987 (author)
Physical Description
xxii, 282 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN
9781608683246
  • About The Collected Works Of Joseph Campbell
  • Editor's Foreword
  • Acknowledgments
  • Part 1. Foundations and Backgrounds of The Grail Romances
  • Chapter 1. Neolithic, Celtic, Roman, and German Backgrounds
  • Chapter 2. Irish Christianity: Saints Brendan and Patrick
  • Chapter 3. Theology, Love, Troubadours, and Minnesingers
  • Part 2. Knights in Quest
  • Chapter 4. Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival
  • Gahmuret
  • Parzivai
  • Gawain
  • Feirefiz
  • Oriental Reflections on Wolfram's Parzival
  • Chapter 5. Tristan and Iseult
  • Origins and Transmission of the Tristan Story
  • Horses, Pigs, and Dragons: King Mark and Tristan
  • Japanese and South African Reflections in the Tristan Story
  • Chapter 6. The Knights of the Round Table
  • Arthur
  • Galahad, Bors, and Perceval
  • Lancelot '
  • Yvain
  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
  • Part 3. Themes and Motifs
  • Chapter 7. The Waste Land
  • Enchantment and Disenchantment
  • The Anointed King
  • The Wound
  • The Fisher King
  • The Grail
  • Avalon
  • Appendix A. "A Study of the Dolorous Stroke"
  • Appendix B. Joseph Campbell's Library: Works on the Arthurian Romances of the Middle Ages
  • Notes
  • Illustration Sources
  • A Joseph Campbell Bibliography
  • Index
  • About the Author
  • About The Joseph Campbell Foundation
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Campbell (1904-1987) is well known for his belief that all the myths of humankind derived from basic prehistoric experiences. Whatever one thinks of Campbell's pseudo-anthropology, this collection on Arthurian myth-cobbled together from lectures and other archival materials from the Joseph Campbell Foundation-is rife with misreadings, historical inaccuracies, and non sequiturs. Perhaps out of respect for Campbell, editor Smith failed to check many of the historical facts in his notes. There are simple slips, such as identifying Marie de Champagne as the granddaughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine, rather than her daughter. But other, more significant errors undermine Campbell's work. For instance, a discussion of the Roman Empire rests on the outdated belief that Christianity caused its downfall. A consideration of Gawain and the Green Knight rests on a misreading of the Middle English word "gyrdel" as "garter" rather than "belt." Attempting to tie the medieval story of Parzifal into Eastern history, Campbell insists that historical characters interacted in ahistorical ways. Most of the book is made up of Campbell's retelling of the Arthurian legends, giving them his own spin. Perhaps if Campbell had edited the essays himself he would have corrected the errors, but this inaccurate collection will do nothing to help his reputation. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review by Library Journal Review

Drawing from both published and personal audio recordings, transcribed lectures, notes, letters, published works, and more, Smith (chair, mythological studies, Pacifica Graduate Inst.; Sacred Mysteries) has assembled a significant body of Campbell's (1904-87) work on Arthurian legends, including his previously unpublished master's thesis, "A Study of the Dolorous Stroke." Topics include parallels between Arthurian and Eastern mythologies, the role of marriage vs. love, grail symbolism and the Grail King, influences of Christianity and pagan beliefs, a discussion of Wolfram von -Eschenbach's Parzival, Tristan and Iseult, Arthur's Knights of the Round Table, and more. As Smith suggests, this collection provides readers with insight into the effect of Arthurian literature on Campbell's work in comparative mythology, the idea that these stories are the original "secular mythology" or legends as metaphors for growth and of "Amor," a love that encourages individual identity. -VERDICT Smith provides well-rounded and concise essential readings on Arthurian mythology by one of America's leading mythologists and incredible storytellers. Highly recommended for readers interested in Campbell, mythology, or Arthurian studies.-Jennifer Harris, Southern New Hampshire Univ. Lib., Manchester © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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