King Arthur's Enchantresses
Morgan And Her Sisters in Arthurian Tradition
Larrington, Carolyne
Hardcover
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BOOK SUMMARY
King Arthur: the very name summons visions of courtly chivalry and towering castles, of windswept battlefields and heroic quests, and above all of the monarch who dies but who one day shall return again. The Arthurian legend lives on as powerfully and e
BOOK SYNOPSIS
King Arthur: the very name summons visions of courtly chivalry and towering castles, of windswept battlefields and heroic quests, and above all of the monarch who dies but who one day shall return again. The Arthurian legend lives on as powerfully and enduringly as ever. Yet there is an aspect to this myth which has been neglected, but which is perhaps its most potent part of all. For central to the Arthurian stories are the mysterious, sexually alluring enchantresses, those spellcasters and mistresses of magic who wield extraordinary influence over Arthur's life and destiny, bestriding the Camelot mythology with a dark, brooding presence. Echoing the search for the Grail, Carolyne Larrington takes her readers on a quest of her own - to discover why these dangerous women continue to bewitch us. Her journey takes in the enchantresses as they appear in poetry and painting, on the Internet and TV, in high culture and popular culture. She shows that whether they be chaste or depraved, necrophiliacs or virgins, the Arthurian enchantresses are manifestations of the feared, uncontainable Other, frightening and fascinating in equal measure.
BOOK REVIEWS
"A good book on Arthur's enchantresses, Morgan-le-Fay among them, is long overdue, and this one is very good. Carolyne Larrington's wide knowledge of Arthurian literature, and her sensitivity to the cultural movements and gender politics that have shaped the creation of these women, make this the book of first recourse."--Helen Cooper, Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English in the University of Cambridge
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"Original, intelligent, persuasive and always interesting, Carolyne Larrington makes us see the Arthurian legends in a new light. For anyone with the slightest interest in the subject, King Arthur's Enchantresses will be essential reading."--Allan Massie, author of Arthur the King
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"If you have always loved the stories of the Knights of the Round Table, but want to know more: then this is the book for you. If you've heard of the names - Lancelot, Guinevere, Morgan Le Fay - but never read the stories: then King Arthur's Enchantresses is the book that you have to read. New ideas and lost interpretations are brought together in this hugely entertaining and clever book that bridges the gap between simple pleasure and real scholarship."--Jeanette Winterson, author and broadcaster "Marvelously subversive and entertaining.: --Bernard Cornwell, Times Online "Repeatedly throws up arresting ideas... No wonder these legendary women have become the focus of a new-age feminist cult."--Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Sunday Times, July 23, 2006 Author Interview-- Women's hour, BBC Radio 4, July 17, 2006 "By concentrating on the women and by offering a feminist examination of the Arthurian legends, Carolyne Larrington presents them in a new and challenging light." --Literary Review "Larrington records this harsh judgement, but her wide-ranging book presents Arthurian enchantresses, medieval and modern, as much more interesting and more powerful...Larrington covers a great deal of ground in this scholarly and often entertaining study" --Times Literary Supplement "Larrington presents an enormous amount of information in a readable and jargon-free style...Well-illusrated and frequently insightful...totally enchanting from start to finish." --Fortean Times  Â
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MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 1845111133
ISBN(13-digit): 9781845111137
Dewey Decimal: 398.352
Library of Congress: oc2007060473
Book Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Language: ENG
No. of Pages: 264
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