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Dream~Giver
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Post Does anyone have any suggestions for the Arthurian Legend?
on: May 29, 2009 08:29
Hey everyone, I was always a huge fan of King Arthur and his Knights. My interest in it though for the past few years have faded, but now it's starting to come back. I'm actually going to be taking a class on it next semester.

Does anyone have any suggestions for books on King Arthur? A lot of people have suggested The Mists of Avalon which I do plan on reading ASAP. Anything else?

As a bit of a sidenote, anything about Morgan le Fay or Merlin would be great too, considering I find both figures fascinating

[Edited on 29/5/2009 by Dream~Giver]
LOTR_obsessed_loony
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Post RE: Does anyone have any suggestions for the Arthurian Legend?
on: May 29, 2009 11:16
I would highly recommend The Once and Future King by T.H. White. I'm not sure if it's entirely "accurate", but it's an excellent portrayal of the legend, and tends to concentrate on the character's emotions, which I think makes it even better. Also, there's an Arthur trilogy written by Kevin Crossley-Holland - not really on the legend per se, but good reading. (Also, The Once and Future King contains a fair bit on Morgan le Fay, though, unfortunately, not so much on Merlyn.)
Hope you find this helpful.
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Passepartout
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Post RE: Does anyone have any suggestions for the Arthurian Legend?
on: May 30, 2009 12:07
There is the "Pendragon Cycle" by Stephen R. Lawhead. It isn't always historically accurate but it is a different view of King Arthur. Its has more fantasy in it than the normal Arthurian tale. The books are: Taleisin (Not sure if I spelled that right), Merlin, and Arthur.

I thought that they were pretty good...

[Edited on 30/5/2009 by Passepartout]
Dream~Giver
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Post RE: Does anyone have any suggestions for the Arthurian Legend?
on: June 01, 2009 05:10
Thanks for the replies. I'll be sure to check them out.

Just so everyone knows, I am kind of striving for historical accuracy, so any suggestions with this in mind would be great as well.
Passepartout
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Post RE: Does anyone have any suggestions for the Arthurian Legend?
on: June 01, 2009 12:29
Never mind my recommendation then. It isn't really accurate at all. It is interesting to read but if you are looking for historical accuracy I wouldn't recommend them.
Celebrian
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Post RE: Does anyone have any suggestions for the Arthurian Legend?
on: June 13, 2009 03:12
I don't think you're likely to find much about Author that could be called "Historically Accurate." One series you might want to consider, though is the Mary Stewart version, told in first person by the character, Merlyn. I seem to remember reading that she did a lot of research and took pains to make it as realistic as possible within what is known about the cultures and times of the tales. The first book was called The Crystal Cave, followed by The Hollow Hills and The Last Enchantment. They are pretty old books, though and may be hard to find.
pitya
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Post RE: Does anyone have any suggestions for the Arthurian Legend?
on: July 15, 2009 08:00
Another genre you may want to take a look at is nonfiction. There are several books that deal with the 'Real King Arthur' and where the Arthurian myths may have originated. A couple are:

The Holy Kingdom by Gilbert, Wilson, and Blackett
The Real King Arthur by PFJ Turner

The Holy Kingdom also deals with Grail legend, which is a lot of fun to explore.

Tolkien himself actually translated "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" if that's something that interests you, too. There are many different stories of Gawain, particularly in French literature, and you don't have to dig too deep to find more medieval lays about Arthur and the rest of his knights.

For Morgan la Fey and Merlin, I would suggest looking into Celtic mythology; you'll find they're more prominent figures there than in Christian Arthurian legend.

Malory's Morte d'Arthur was the original 'modern King Arthur,' if I remember right, so that might be worth checking into as well.

Hope that was helpful
eyowen_the_queen
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Post RE: Does anyone have any suggestions for the Arthurian Legend?
on: July 23, 2009 05:06
I myself am reading Malory's le Morte d'Arthur, (great minds think alike!) and it seems to have some solid reasoning.
I would suggest Alfred Lord Tennyson Idylls of the king, but it might be hard to find. I suggest Ebay or where ever you like to find slightly used books.
If your looking for a free, accurate article with references that would be helpful, I suggest wikipedia.org - they have over a hundred sources listed that might be useful, along with several links. Hope this helps!
Adeneth
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Post RE: Does anyone have any suggestions for the Arthurian Legend?
on: July 27, 2009 06:21
As Celebrian suggested, definitely pick up Mary Stewart's books. There are actually four of them, the last being the Wicked Day. They are not hard to find as I bought them within the last two years.
You shouldn't have any problems finding Arthurian legend at a decent bookstore. If you look you might even be able to find some stuff online if it's old enough.
If you want you might check out some movies for different views such as King Arthur, Mists of Avalon (miniseries), Tristan & Isolde, and The Last Legion. I've seen Excalibur but I thought it was terrible. There's also Camelot which is a musical.
If you haven't already there is Merlin on tv right now. It is an abolutely stand alone take on the legend. Don't expect any accuracies.
Passepartout
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Post RE: Does anyone have any suggestions for the Arthurian Legend?
on: August 09, 2009 10:21
King Artur and his Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green is a pretty good Arthur book. I bought it from a bookstore recently and so far its pretty good and close to the legend.
pv
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