Arthurian Literature VIII

Continuing its policy of publishing extended explorations of Arthurian subjects, this eighth volume of Arthurian Literature contains four articles. Elizabeth Archibald addresses the reasons for the insertion of the story of Mordred’s incestuous birth into many versions of the Arthurian legend (including Malory’s) from the early 13th century on, and follows its development from the Vulgate Cycle to later Arthurian narratives. The use of irony to point up aspects of the Lancelot-Guinevere relationship in the prologue to Le Chavalier de la Charrete is explored by Jan Janssens. The early 13th-century Romance of Fergus is introduced and translated by D.D.R. Owen, who finds it of special interest not just because of its uniquely Scottish setting, but also because its use of parody foreshadows later medieval comedy; Scottish concerns also figure in Edward Donald Kennedy’s discussion of the 15th-century chronicler John Hardyng’s use of the story of Galahad’s grail quest, and the changes he made.