Books on Arthurian Legends?

Question

What are the best works that are about or have information on the Arthurian legends. Because I plan on writing a book about them myself and I'll need a good bibliography to persuade a publisher.

Answer 1

There are quite a few collections of Arthurian legends out there, but perhaps the best author is Chretien de Troyes, who has a collection of some of the most well known Arthurian legends (The Knight of the Cart, Cliges, Gawain and the Green Knight, The Story of the Grail, Erec and Enide, etc). I would also look at The Lais of Marie de France, Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory, Beroul's The Romance of Tristan (though it might be difficult to find a good translation of the story), The Mabinogion, and The Lancelot-Grail Reader. There are also many anthologies of Arthurian legends published which you can easily find in a bookstore or online.

For information about Arthurian legends, I would check out this site: http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/cphome.stm which has a good deal of useful information.

I would also look at The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend or Medieval Arthurian Literature: A Guide to Recent Research.

Answer 2

I am taking a whole class on Arthurian legends right now for my masters... I would definitely check out Chretien de Troyes (try the book called The Complete Romances of Chretien de Troyes.. that's the one we used in class), Le Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, and Idylls of the King by Alfred Lord Tennyson

(also I have not read it personally, but one of the best stories from Arthurian legends is supposed to be Sir Gawain and the Green Knight)

Answer 3

Wow, Kattalnu, be prepared for lots of reading! I'm working on a fictional Arthurian novel, but if it's non-fiction you're after, oh, boy! So, here's a recommended reading list:

PC Bartrum's Classical Welsh Dictionary & Genealogical Tracts
R. Bromwich's "Trioedd Ynys Prydein"
The Grail Legend, by Emma Jung & Marie-Louise vonFranz;
Alchemy and Psychology, by Carl Jung
The Druids, by Miranda Green
The Celts, by Simon James
The White Goddess, by Robert Graves (fun, but a little inaccurate)
Celtic Myth & Arthurian Romance, by Roger Sherman Loomis (good, but it has some stuff which isn't reliable)
Bonedd Y Saant
The Mabinogion
Pa Gur
Historia Regum Brittaniae, by Geoffrey of Monmouth
Lives of the Saints
Historia Brittonum, by Nennius
De Excidio, by Gildas
Tain Bo Cuailgne (you must compare Irish myth with Arthurian)
The Feast of Bricriu (Irish link with Arthur)
Of Gods & Fighting Men, by Lady Gregory (Irish link with Arthur)
Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur
Mort Artur
The Alliterative Morte Arthure, by R. Thornton
Le Morte Arthure (Harleian MS 2252)
Perlesvaus
Queste del Saint Graal
The Vulgate Cycle
Merlin, by Robert de Boron
Vita Merlini, by Geoffrey of Monmouth
The Continuations of the Old French Percival
The Non-Vulgate Lancelot du Lac
The works of Chretien de Troyes
Annales Cambriae
Brut Tysilio
Wolfram vonEschenbach's Parsifal
Sir Gawaine & the Green Knight
The Carl of Carlisle

There are lots more... Just make sure it isn't Neo-Pagan fluffery! (Don't rely on Goodrich & Malcor).
Happy reading!

Answer 4

I've noticed no one has mentioned Marie de France, who could arguably be the first author of the Arthurian romances. No scholars really know much about her but it is assumed she may have been the illegitamate half sister of King Henry and was benefited by the courtly life of Queen Eleanor (arguably the most beautiful woman in European aristocracy at the time and the mother of Richard the Lionhearted and Prince John Softsword (yes, these are indeed the characters from Robin Hood)).

Answer 5

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Daughter of Camelot by Glynis Cooney

Answer 6

I have the following books:
Penguin Classics
'The Death of King Arthur' - Translated by James Cable, 1971
'The History of the Kings of Britain' - Geoffrey of Monmouth
Translated by Lewis Thorpe, 1966
'The Quest for Arthur's Britain' - Edited by Geoffrey Ashe, 1968, Paladian
If you really want to impress the publisher, you'll have to read them too.

Answer 7

The Once and Future King

Answer 8

Try these sites:

http://academics.vmi.edu/english/arthur.html
http://www.timelessmyths.com/arthurian/lib-arthur.html
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A0804878.html
http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/acpbibs/genbib.htm

Good luck