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Arthur: God and Hero in Avalon
Contributor(s): Fee, Christopher (Author)
ISBN: 1780239998     ISBN-13: 9781780239996
Publisher: Reaktion Books
OUR PRICE:   $23.75  
Product Type: Hardcover
Published: March 2019
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Literary Criticism | Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
- Social Science | Folklore & Mythology
Dewey: 809.935
Physical Information: 1.1" H x 5.7" W x 8.6" (1.20 lbs) 224 pages
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
For fifteen centuries, legends of King Arthur have enthralled us. Born in the misty past of a Britain under siege, half-remembered events became shrouded in ancient myth and folklore. The resulting tales were told and retold, until over time Arthur, Camelot, Avalon, the Round Table, the Holy Grail, Excalibur, Lancelot, and Guinevere all became instantly recognizable icons. Along the way, Arthur's life and times were recast in the mold of the hero's journey: Arthur's miraculous conception at Tintagel through the magical intercession of his shaman guide, Merlin; the childhood deed of pulling the sword from the stone, through which Arthur was anointed King; the quest for the Holy Grail, the most sacred object in Christendom; the betrayal of Arthur by his wife and champion; and the apocalyptic battle between good and evil ending with Arthur's journey to the Otherworld.

Touching on all of these classic aspects of the Arthur tale, Christopher R. Fee seeks to understand Arthur in terms of comparative mythology as he explores how the Once and Future King remains relevant in our contemporary world. From ancient legend to Monty Python, Arthur: God and Hero in Avalon discusses everything from the very earliest versions of the King Arthur myth to the most recent film and television adaptations, offering insight into why Arthur remains so popular--a hero whose story still speaks so eloquently to universal human needs and anxieties.


Contributor Bio(s): Fee, Christopher: - Christopher Fee is professor and chair of English at Gettysburg College. He is the author of Mythology in the Middle Ages: Heroic Tales of Monsters, Magic & Might. Together they are coauthors of Gods, Heroes, and Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain.