Arthurian Poets

The great vogue in Victorian times for matters Arthurian owes much to the poetry of Matthew Arnold and William Morris. Unlike Tennyson, however, neither of these poets is now remembered primarily for his Arthurian poems; as a result there is no modern anthology devoted to this area of their output. This is a major gap which the present volume seeks to rectify. Arnold's 'Tristram and Iseult'(published in 1852) is the first modern English retelling of the Tristram legend and gives a strongly melancholic interpretation of the theme. In particular, Arnold brings the character of the pale Iseult of the White Hands to life and his introduction of the two children creates a pervasive feeling of poignancy. For Arnold the poem reflects the plight of his own culture: in his sad resolution to the story one sees something of his own pessimism about his age.Morris takes up the second Arthurian triangle in 'The Defence of Guenevere and other Poems'(published in 1858). In this volume Morris examines the Arthurian stories from a psychological perspective and develops the human motivations behind the traditional responses. In their rich sensuality the poems demonstrate why the Middle Ages were to become so alluring to the pre-Raphaelites and their successors.

JAMES CARLEY is Professor of Medieval Studies at York University, Toronto, where he also teaches a course on the renaissance of medieval themes, and especially the revival of interest in the Arthurian legends, in the nineteenth century. Companion volume: Swinburne