Alan Lupack

An account in words and pictures of how the world of Camelot and King Arthur's knights was reflected in, and shaped by, book illustration. Arthurian book illustration, which came into its own in the Arthurian Revival of the nineteenth century and began to flourish as an important art form, has done more than any other visual art to shape notions of King Arthur and his court and to introduce the legends to the widest possible audience. Yet to date there has been no comprehensive study of Arthurian illustration. Illustrating Camelot fills this critical gap, by examining the special collaboration between illustrators and authors and exploring the ways that the best Arthurian illustrators move beyond mere reproduction to become interpretive readers of the texts they embellish. In versions that range from illustrated editions of Tennyson's Idylls of the King to the numerous editions and popular children's retellings of Malory's Morte d'Arthur and in forms that range from Julia Margaret Cameron's landmark photographic portraitsto Russell Flint's lush watercolours, from Gustave Doré's Gothic-styled engravings to Howard Pyle's American-inspired drawings, these illustrators - as this pioneering volume demonstrates - not only reinterpret the timeless talesbut also reflect the values of their age. Richly illustrated with both colour and black and white plates, the book will appeal to anyone interested in the stories of King Arthur and the world of Camelot. BARBARA TEPA LUPACK is former Academic Dean at SUNY and Fulbright Professor of American Literature in Poland and France.

The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend is both a critical history of the Arthurian tradition and a reference guide to Arthurian works, names, and symbols. It offers a comprehensive survey of the legends in all of their manifestations, from their origins in medieval literature to their adaptation in modern literature, arts, film, and popular culture. Not only does it analyse familiar Arthurian characters and themes, it also demonstrates the tremendous continuity of the legends by examining the ways that they have been reinterpreted over the years. For instance, the motif of the abduction of Guinevere can be traced from Chrétien de Troyes's Lancelot or the Knight of the Cart and the vulgate cycle of French romances in the 13th century, to Malory's retelling of the story in the Morte d'Arthur, through various modern adaptations like those in T. H. White's The Once and Future King and the contemporary film First Knight. This indispensable reference guide contains seven essays that trace the development of the Arthurian legend, encyclopedic entries, bibliographies, and a comprehensive index. The essays explore the chronicle and romance traditions, the influence of Malory, the Grail legend, the figures of Gawain and Merlin, and the story of Tristan and Isolt. The entries, which highlight key Arthurian characters, symbols, and places, offer quick and easy references. The extensive chapter-by-chapter bibliographies, which are subdivided by topic, augment the general bibliography of Arthurian resources. Comprehensive in its analysis and hypertextual in its approach, The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend is an essential reference book for Arthurian scholars, medievalists, and for those interested in cultural studies of myth and legend.

The first full-length study to focus exclusively on American reinterpretations of the Arthurian legends. The Arthurian legends have had an immense and enduring appeal in America, influencing both America's own mythologies and its literature, film, social history, and popular culture. This is the first full-length study to focus exclusively on American re-interpretations of Arthuriana, and it offers detailed treatments of major authors traditionally associated with the legends, including Mark Twain, Edwin Arlington Robinson, T.S. Eliot, and John Steinbeck; italso explores the important use of Arthurian material by authors not usually considered in an Arthurian context, and by lesser-known writers. Among the topics addressed in the chronological survey are the beginnings of American Arthurian literature and the different reactions to Tennyson; satire and parody; the moralising of knighthood and the development of a body of didactic literature for children; and the reinterpretations of Arthurian tradition in theworks of contemporary writers such as Walker Percy and John Updike. A concluding chapter analyses Arthurian themes in American popular fiction and film and demonstrates the extent to which the Arthurian tradition has influenced American popular culture. The volume is completed with a comprehensive bibliography. ALAN LUPACK is Curator of the Rossell Hope Robbins Library at the University of Rochester; BARBARA TEPA LUPACKis former AcademicDean at SUNY and Fulbright Professor of American Literature in Poland and France.