Richard W. BarberReseñas

As a novice, this was a nice overview of the development of Arthurian literature. I especially appreciated the appendix of suggested readings---such an inclusion should be mandatory for all survey works of this nature.

Apparently there are pictures of the Grail dating back to the mid 9th Century, and even earlier images of a Grail or Grail-like object. I had no idea. I thought it was purely a 12th Century thing. As well as these shadowy beginnings, the first half of the book looks at the literature that created the legend. Barber thoroughly covers Chrétien to Malory but really focuses in detail on the period 1190-1240. There’s a handy graph at the back that shows works vs time. His analysis is really good. They were a couple of points where I thought he hadn’t made his point, but on the whole, where I had read the book he was talking about, I found I agreed with him. In the world of my head this means that we are both right.

In the second half he looks at the resurgence of interest, covering scholarship, literature, and the arts. He also covers esoterica and tries to keep a straight face, bless ‘im, but there some funny moments.

This is the first non-fiction book on the subject that I’ve read, but I’m having trouble imagining a better one. It should probably be required reading for anyone interested in the subject. I should imagine that there are many people who will not agree with his conclusions. I think that Barber argues honestly enough for people to make up their own minds.

5FTQPIBH

Edward of Woodstock, eldest son of Edward III and known as “The Black Prince”, was instrumental in the 100 Years War between England and France; he fought valiantly at the battle of Crécy, captured King John II of France at Poitiers, and defeated a Franco-Spanish force at the battle of Najera, restoring Pedro of Castile to his throne. Unfortunately for England, he died relatively young, before his father, and his young son Richard took the throne as Richard II, precipitating the War of the Roses.

This is a selection of original documents relating to Edward’s life – letters home from him and people in his entourage, and more complete documents from contemporaries Geoffrey le Baker and “the Chandos Herald”. They’re hagiographic glorifications of Edward, and don’t give much information on his personality or military strategy, but they’re where anybody would start. Readable enough, given the 14th-century language. A map of France in the front matter but no notes or index.

Detta är en historik över de medeltida västeuropeiska kungarnas maktdemonstrationer: de offentliga spektakel då de skulle visa upp sig i all sin världsliga prakt och storhet. Tre olika former presenteras, även om de gärna kombinerades: intåget i en stad, den offentliga festmåltiden samt tornerspelen.

Av dessa är de första de troligen minst bekanta: det var vanligen främst en händelse när kungen för första gången besöka en viss stad, och var ett känsligt tillfälle då såväl kungens överhöghet som stadens privilegierade status skulle bekräftas; vanligen framfördes olika enklare skådespel eller pantomimer. Festmåltiden är mer begriplig, även om också denna på olika sätt var överlastad: maträtterna verkar ibland ha varit mindre viktiga än diverse konstiga anordningar som de skulle serveras med, och till slut tycks även ätandet i viss mån överskuggats av skådespel.

Turneringen är en av klichéerna när det kommer till medeltiden, med diverse moderna varianter. Tycker man inte om att folk leker riddare kan man trösta sig med att redan riddarna själva gjorde det; en av bokens mest fascinerande stycken handlar om när man i den franska byn Le Hem lajvade kung Artur och riddarna runt runda bordet.

Annars är bokens benägenhet att gå in på detaljer dess stora svaghet. Den har mycket att täcka cirka fyrahundra år och flera länder – främst England, Frankrike (inklusive Burgund och Provence), men även Tyskland, Spanien och Savojen – och när den grottar ned sig i enstaka händelser så tappar den tempo och överblick. Det finns mycket spännande detaljer, men inte så mycket eftertanke.½

I am almost ashamed to say that I haven't opened this set of books yet. I bought them in 2008 from the Folio Society, intending to work my way through them as time permitted. Now, my sight isn't what it used to be and specs can only help so far. Do I continue to keep them or do I follow my wife's pleas to sell my library? Only time will tell...

Five stars for the topic and the Folio Society!

John Aubrey's racy portraits of the great figures of 17th-century England stand alongside Pepys's diary as a vivid evocation of the period. Aubrey was born in 1626, the son of a Wiltshire squire; at the age of 26 he inherited a family estate encumbered with debt, and finally went bankrupt in the 1670s. From then on he led a sociable, rootless existence at the houses of friends - from Oxford and the Middle Temple -pursuing the antiquarian studies which had always obsessed him. At his death in 1697 he left a mass of notes and manuscripts, among them the material for Brief Lives. He never managed to put even a single life into logical order; all we have are the raw materials, scribbled down -'tumultuously as they occurredto my thoughts'. With this full, modern English edition, which reproduces Aubrey's words as closely as possible, Richard Barber introduces us to Aubrey and his world, tells how the Livescame into being and enables many new readers to enjoy this eccentric masterpiece.
---
John Aubrey FRS was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the Brief Lives, his collection of short biographical pieces. He was a pioneer archaeologist, who recorded (often for the first time) numerous megalithic and other field monuments in southern England, and who is particularly noted as the discoverer of the Avebury henge monument. The Aubrey holes at Stonehenge are named after him, although there is considerable doubt as to whether the holes that he observed are those that currently bear the name. He was also a pioneer folklorist, collecting together a miscellany of material on customs, traditions and beliefs under the title "Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme". He set out to compile county histories of both Wiltshire and Surrey, although both projects remained unfinished. His "Interpretation of Villare Anglicanum" (also unfinished) was the first attempt to compile a full-length study of English place-names. He had wider interests in applied mathematics and astronomy, and was friendly with many of the greatest scientists of the day.

Mainly the campaigns of the Black Prince, with a very little bit of life for flavour. Principally about the France campaigns (with so so much burning... amazing there's any of France left), The letters and diaries are fascinating, the Chandos Herald account is a little tedious. Beautiful Folio Soc book, well presented.

A wonderful, chronologically organized collection of snapshots that show how the Arthurian legends have evolved over the centuries.

This book I got many years ago from Quarwood of all places. It's one of the books I own from John Entwistle's personal library, and it is an exceptionally beautiful book. It is worth five stars for the pictures alone, but the accompanying text makes it all even better.

The book is a broad survey of the Arthurian Legends, and how they changed over time. Each section focuses upon a different period in Arthurian literature and is complete with a survey of what was focused upon during that time, and selections from each piece of art/literature. It begins with a selection from [b:Mabinogion|455219|The Mabinogion|Anonymous|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1334993150s/455219.jpg|162739] and ends with one from [b:The Once and Future King|43545|The Once and Future King (The Once and Future King, #1-4)|T.H. White|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338741283s/43545.jpg|1140206], to give an idea of how thorough it is.

All in all, a beautiful book, and from the personal collection of a wonderful man. One of my most prized possessions.

Un libro eccezionale!

Read most of this for exam revision, quite interesting and informative, but book in such bad condition it had to be thrown away:( Fairly typical 'academic' work and perhaps would not read again?

A nice anthology of Arthurian tales, with good notes and illustrations.

This is not as rousing or exiting a history as I'd hoped for given what I thought I knew about the Holy Grail from the third Indiana Jones movie and popular culture in general. But I learned a lot and it certainly educated me as to the true history of the Grail (if you can define as "true history" the story of an imaginary object invented by an author who never even described what the object actually was or what it looked like). If you have any interest in the Grail, this is your book. I am very glad I stumbled across this book and I recommend it.½

A good compilation of memoirs, letters, and other sources describing the adventures of Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince, in France and Spain. Includes the Chandos Herald account.

A very accessible translation of documents, but not intended as a light romp through history. A good reference source, except it was published without an index, making it marginally useful as a reference.½

This thorough investigation into the "historical" sources for King Arthur was fascinating, mostly because of the kind of detective work needed to interpret and date the sources. I thought when I found it in the library that I'd just skim a bit, but I became thoroughly engrossed. The conclusion, that if there was a historic Arthur, he is not connected to the legends that grew up around his name, is now widely held.

Richard Barber’s classic Arthurian study was deservedly dusted off and re-issued to coincide with the film of the same name (he very curious King Arthur, starring Clive Owen and Keira Knightley), though there was absolutely no other connection between the two. Its first appearance (in 1961 as Arthur of Albion), despite being presented to a middle-brow audience, by its style betrayed its origins in academic research; it still occasionally appears on second-hand bookshop shelves. Next, King Arthur in Legend and History appeared in the 70s during a boom in larger format non-fiction paperbacks; unfortunately the glued binding was poor quality and all the colour plates in my copy fell out.

The present revised and extended reincarnation is substantially the same as that which appeared in both hardback and paperback in the 80s and 90s, and this time the plates stay put and the format is more friendly. Barber’s text is authoritative but accessible, and while you might not agree with or welcome all his ex cathedra pronouncements – Glastonbury fans may well lose their phlegm – there’s no denying that he knows of what he speaks. He also is clearly a besotted enthusiast of middle-brow Arthuriana, not surprising when his publishing interests are taken into account (he was a co-founder of academic publishers Boydell & Brewer).

Essentially Barber takes the historian’s view, looking at the sparse material from the early 9th century onwards, and combines it with a literary survey, especially authoritative when it comes to the medieval romances. There is a little on the archaeology, though he includes interesting discussion on the background to the ‘discovery’ of Arthur’s tomb at Glastonbury in the late 12th century.

The only lacuna in this otherwise admirable survey is any detailed discussion of everyday, man-in-the-street responses to the Arthurian mythos. If you are searching for analysis of the appearance of Arthurian archetypes in popular culture and consciousness, you will need to look elsewhere; but if you want a reliable overview, over time, of this phenomenal figure as he is developed and re-furbished, then you can’t do much better than this.

http://calmgrove.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/hero/½

I have reviewed each volume separately and am copying them to the collection as a whole.

Marvels and Magic

This is the first of the three volume British Myths and Legends collection. Richard Barber has chosen a mixture of sources and translations and presented them in chronological order. Thus we start with myths about the origins of Britain and move on, in this volume, to early history and the marvels and magic of the title.

I enjoyed most of the entries and even came across some unfamiliar tales. This is not the kind of book to read straight through but dipping in and reading a story here and a story there is a pleasant way to spend some time.

This, being a Folio edition, is a beautifully produced book and the occasional illustrations by John Vernon Lloyd are a nice addition to the text.

Heroes and Saints

This collection contains, in the Heroes section, The Story of Arthur from Geoffrey of Monmouth; Kevin Crossley-Holland's translation of Beowulf; the Deeds of Cuchulain based on Lady Augusta Gregory's version; The Four Branches of the Mabinogi translated by Lady Charlotte Guest and four Saints lives - Saint Cadog; Saint Joseph of Arimathea; Saint George and The Empress Helena.

It took me a few months to get through this book not because it was bad but because of my familiarity with some of the stories kept leading me to put it aside for other books. I really enjoyed the version of the Story of Arthur as it was a variant I hadn't read before. Being familiar with the rest of the stories makes it difficult to review them but as a whole collection I am pleased to have revisited them even though I was distracted by the new and different books on my shelves.

History and Romance

The third and final collection edited by Richard Barber. In this one we have a mix of real and fictional characters - King Harold; Hereward the Wake; Richard the Lionheart; King Horn; Havelock the Dane; Guy of Warwick; Bevis of Hampton; Sir Gawain; Robin Hood; Macbeth and Lady Godiva. As in all these collections some of the tales were familiar to me and others were not - or presented in an unfamiliar fashion.

I did enjoy reading these but I do think that they are for dipping in and out of not reading straight through. The Folio edition was a delight to read and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Myths and Legends of Britain.

The third and final collection edited by Richard Barber. In this one we have a mix of real and fictional characters - King Harold; Hereward the Wake; Richard the Lionheart; King Horn; Havelock the Dane; Guy of Warwick; Bevis of Hampton; Sir Gawain; Robin Hood; Macbeth and Lady Godiva. As in all these collections some of the tales were familiar to me and others were not - or presented in an unfamiliar fashion.

I did enjoy reading these but I do think that they are for dipping in and out of not reading straight through. The Folio edition was a delight to read and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Myths and Legends of Britain.

This collection contains, in the Heroes section, The Story of Arthur from Geoffrey of Monmouth; Kevin Crossley-Holland's translation of Beowulf; the Deeds of Cuchulain based on Lady Augusta Gregory's version; The Four Branches of the Mabinogi translated by Lady Charlotte Guest and four Saints lives - Saint Cadog; Saint Joseph of Arimathea; Saint George and The Empress Helena.

It took me a few months to get through this book not because it was bad but because of my familiarity with some of the stories kept leading me to put it aside for other books. I really enjoyed the version of the Story of Arthur as it was a variant I hadn't read before. Being familiar with the rest of the stories makes it difficult to review them but as a whole collection I am pleased to have revisited them even though I was distracted by the new and different books on my shelves.

A scholarly study of all things tournament-related - that nevertheless manages to be an unputdownable read. It looks at the history and development of the tournament, from its thuggish beginnings to the delicate refinements of its later years, and is illustrated with magnificent contemprary images. The interplay between medieval romances, and their re-enactment as spectacle provided by the great and the good of Europe; the unsubtle economics behind some of the participants' presence, tournament wives - all are covered here. I love it!

This is the first of the three volume British Myths and Legends collection. Richard Barber has chosen a mixture of sources and translations and presented them in chronological order. Thus we start with myths about the origins of Britain and move on, in this volume, to early history and the marvels and magic of the title.

I enjoyed most of the entries and even came across some unfamiliar tales. This is not the kind of book to read straight through but dipping in and reading a story here and a story there is a pleasant way to spend some time.

This, being a Folio edition, is a beautifully produced book and the occasional illustrations by John Vernon Lloyd are a nice addition to the text.

A coffee table book published in 1980 that proved to be an excellent introduction to Knighthood and Chivalry. There are many illustrations; the majority in black and white, but they do provide some amusement for an idle flicking through of its pages. There is an index but no notes.

The first section Knights and Warfare gives a brief history of the emergence of the knight on the battlefield and then its importance as a fighting machine in the 11th - 14th centuries, finally the knight becomes more a symbolic figure restricted to tournaments that became evermore formulaic. The following section on Chivalry and Literature; the longest of the sections is very fine indeed. It gives plenty of information about the literature associated with knighthood, with pointers for further reading. The Troubadours, continental literature, Arthurian Romances and the Grail legends are all covered. The Chivalry and Religion section gives an overview of the crusades and the military orders that followed. This includes a well written account of the Knights Templers and Hospitallers. The final section shows the demise of chivalry and the rise of the Gentlemen Courtiers. There are plenty of quotes from literary sources and the battleground scenes are exciting to read. This does provide a little of something for everybody interested in Knights and chivalry.½

A concise well written history that would appeal to the general reader and the student.

Many people will have heard of "The Black Prince" and Barber sets himself the task of writing a biography, while admitting that we know very little about him from official records. It is to Barber's credit that he does not stray too far from what is known and concentrates on building the history of the 100 years war around Edward as a central figure. While Edward was alive and well the English were winning the war against France. Edward was the stuff of legend for his prowess as a warrior and leader of men and his involvement in the battles of Crecy 1346, Poitiers 1356, Najera 1367, and Limoges 1370, have been justly celebrated ever since. He was expected to take over the kingship from his father Edward III, but unfortunately died before his father.

There are few words wasted here and Barber tell his narrative history in 240 pages.(notes references and an index take up another 50 pages). His final sentence sums up what I think is an interesting leitmotif in the book.

"And when we have sought out the dry facts and dull realities, it is to that legend that we return in the end, more enduring than any mere history."

Barber himself has done an excellent job in sorting out the dry facts and dull realities and it is with some honesty that he says that this is almost in vain. The final chapter titled "The Legend" compares the writings of the chroniclers of the time (particularly Froissart) with each other and those dry facts. It does an excellent job in pointing out how those legends come into being and leads the reader to consider which is the most valuable the legend or the history.

This is worth reading if only for that final short chapter.

A workmanlike illustrated account of the Angevin kings of England. This gives just the right amount of factual detail to give an overview of the period. A relief after the overly romantic novel The Book of Eleanor that I read just before this.