The Broadview Anthology of Medieval Arthurian Literature

This teaching anthology collects texts from the vast archive of medieval Arthurian literature. It includes selections from mainstream canonical authors, such as Geoffrey of Monmouth and Sir Thomas Malory, and more peripheral works, such as the Melech Artus (a twelfth-century Hebrew text) and the Dutch Morien (featuring a black knight). In this it differs from other anthologies of medieval Arthuriana: it is more inclusive and diverse than previous collections. Characters and authors showcase the diversity of race, religion, gender, and gender orientation of the Arthurian tradition. As well, this anthology and its accompanying website include a variety of genres, ranging from visual art to sculpture, from historical chronicles to romance and drama. Arthurian works, while concentrated in England, France, and Wales, are found across medieval Europe; this anthology therefore includes texts from Iceland to Greece.

The Broadview Anthology of Medieval Arthurian Literature is ideally suited to teaching: it includes full texts, such as Chrétien de Troyes’s Knight of the Cart, Chaucer’s “Wife of Bath’s Tale,” and the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, for classes that wish to study a whole work in depth; it also includes shorter excerpts of parallel incidents, such as the Uther and Igraine story, so that students can compare a story’s treatment by different authors. Marginal glosses assist students with the Middle English texts, while introductory notes and explanatory footnotes give students necessary background information.

“The superb Broadview Anthology of Medieval Arthurian Literature offers a carefully chosen and wide-ranging selection, including canonical English, French, and German works alongside lesser-known texts in, for instance, Dutch, Greek, Hebrew, and Old Norse, and admirably foregrounding the ways in which translation functions both across cultures and across languages. Indeed, inclusivity is a hallmark of this wonderful volume, which Kathy Cawsey and Elizabeth Edwards have skillfully curated to give invaluable insights into not only the Arthurian legend’s geographical reach and generic variety but also the diversity of its racial, religious, and sexual identities and attitudes. A fantastic and very welcome new resource for studying medieval Arthuriana.” — Megan Leitch, Cardiff University

“The Broadview Anthology of Medieval Arthurian Literature is more than simply the ideal Arthurian anthology for twenty-first-century undergraduates studying English literature. Going beyond the canonical Latin, French, and English texts that established the characters and narratives collected in Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur, BAMAL adds texts from Welsh, Hebrew, Norse, Dutch, German, and Greek, plus a collection of visual images, all of which make it a unique collection. More than any previous anthology, BAMAL shows the diversity and vitality of medieval Arthurian literature.” — Michael W. Twomey, Ithaca College

“The Broadview Anthology of Medieval Arthurian Literature is fantastic. The selections richly cover the thousand years of medieval Arthurian literature, in all its geographic, linguistic, and cultural diversity. ‘Must-have’ canonical works by Geoffrey of Monmouth, Chrétien, or the Gawain-poet are enriched by texts that speak to contemporary concerns of inclusion, represented by the transgender hero Silence and the Moorish knight Morien. Texts formerly deemed peripheral now provide opportunities for comparison, such as the Jewish morality tale Melech Artus, in which the grail becomes a plate for serving the poor, or the Greek tale The Old Knight, in which the hero fights ageism. Crisp headnotes provide students easy access to the works and helpful suggestions for further research. The collection replaces all prior anthologies while offering professors of Arthurian literature or Middle English courses many paths to choose through the woods of medieval Arthuriana.” — Karen Cherewatuk, St. Olaf College

Kathy Cawsey is Professor of English at Dalhousie University. Elizabeth Edwards is Inglis Professor at the University of King’s College.

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