Lesson 1
In the beginning.....(sort of)
In the beginning.....(sort of)
Introducing a beginner to Arthurian studies can be a bit confusing. I need to engage you, the reader, in a way that will captivate your interest and hold it through the "course." I need to do this while providing potential reading material because, for some, a few bullet points will not be immersive enough into the subject matter. The main problem is that the earliest material in the Arthurian saga is neither engaging nor immersive to the average beginner. Most readers would, correctly, want to tackle some stories that have more than a few lines that mention Arthur. Keep in mind that I will provide those very same bullet points for the casual reader but I would also like to include some actual books for you to further explore.
I personally feel that the place to begin with Arthur is not the first time he appears in print but the first time he is shown as the quintessential Arthur. That place is in the "middle", incidentally, if Arthurian studies can be said to have a middle. That book is called Historia Regum Brittanniae History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth. But it is still helpful to have a small bit of background "historical" info before delving right into it.
Was he real?
Arthur has never been satisfactorily proven to exist. Historically speaking, he is equally likely to have been a completely fantastical character as he is to have been a real persona. Now, don't let that get you down because the camps are equally split with some very intelligent researchers on both sides. Most people interested in the Arthurian legend naturally join the "he definitely existed" team.
Though we lack any concrete proof such as a date-able grave with testable DNA, or birth or death records or even verifiable contemporaneous sources, there are a good bit of clues that point to Arthur having existed or as you may see later on "an Arthur-like persona." This is a lengthy discussion for another chapter. There are whole books based on this question, in fact. The reason I wanted to cover this briefly is because it is a good idea to have this in the back of your mind while reading any medieval "history" of Arthur.......which is exactly what we are going to do.
First Reading: History of the Kings of England by Geoffrey of Monmouth
Here are two different editions of the book, The more expensive one is a little more scholarly but will have the best translation and more notes on the subject. Either book will do for your reading, however. I advise a physical book if possible so you can return to it with ease.
It is important to note that when you read your book you will only need to focus on the Arthurian section for our purposes. This begins roughly about the middle of the book. I will have you read or reference other short sections of the book but our primary interests are of the Arthurian material. The section you should begin reading is CAP V. Constantine, being made King of Britain, leaves three sons. Because there are several editions of these classics, I will not be able to give exact page numbers. This section will appear shortly before the 50% mark and should appear before anything regarding "Uther."
We will be covering these subjects on the next post regarding this book:
1. Why this book was important.
2. The political ramifications of this book.
3. How this impacted the future of Arthurian history and literature
Was he real?
Arthur has never been satisfactorily proven to exist. Historically speaking, he is equally likely to have been a completely fantastical character as he is to have been a real persona. Now, don't let that get you down because the camps are equally split with some very intelligent researchers on both sides. Most people interested in the Arthurian legend naturally join the "he definitely existed" team.
Though we lack any concrete proof such as a date-able grave with testable DNA, or birth or death records or even verifiable contemporaneous sources, there are a good bit of clues that point to Arthur having existed or as you may see later on "an Arthur-like persona." This is a lengthy discussion for another chapter. There are whole books based on this question, in fact. The reason I wanted to cover this briefly is because it is a good idea to have this in the back of your mind while reading any medieval "history" of Arthur.......which is exactly what we are going to do.
First Reading: History of the Kings of England by Geoffrey of Monmouth
Here are two different editions of the book, The more expensive one is a little more scholarly but will have the best translation and more notes on the subject. Either book will do for your reading, however. I advise a physical book if possible so you can return to it with ease.
It is important to note that when you read your book you will only need to focus on the Arthurian section for our purposes. This begins roughly about the middle of the book. I will have you read or reference other short sections of the book but our primary interests are of the Arthurian material. The section you should begin reading is CAP V. Constantine, being made King of Britain, leaves three sons. Because there are several editions of these classics, I will not be able to give exact page numbers. This section will appear shortly before the 50% mark and should appear before anything regarding "Uther."
We will be covering these subjects on the next post regarding this book:
1. Why this book was important.
2. The political ramifications of this book.
3. How this impacted the future of Arthurian history and literature
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