Choice
"Rewarding...readily accessible...useful...will interest both medievalists and students of American literature"

Arthuriana
"Approach has merit...it reminds Arthurian scholars of contemporary events that may have influenced the authors...some interesting information here"

Catholic Library World
"Offers a comprehensive analysis of American literature’s fascination with the Arthurian legend...accessible...well-researched and annotated"

Book Description
In American fiction, two forms of the Arthurian myth are commonly found: the use of the myth for political reasons, and the use of the myth for the continuation of an aesthetic tradition that can be traced back to the earliest use of the Arthurian cycle by writers in the British Isles. This work traces the use of the legend from Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court to Donald Barthelme’s novel The King. It discusses how Twain used the myth to take a stand against England, how it served cultural and aesthetic purposes in John Steinbeck’s writing, how Raymond Chandler used it in complex texts with less obvious Arthurian allusions that carried strong cultural and even political associations, how John Gardner used aspects of the myth to embellish already existing narrative structures and to underscore philosophic debates, and how Donald Barthelme suggests the continuing interest of American writers in the Arthurian legend today in his novels. Also discussed is the effect of World War II on American literature and the Arthurian myth and the Camelot image surrounding the Kennedys.

About the Author
Andrew E. Mathis currently teaches English at Temple University. He lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"In American fiction, two forms of the Arthurian myth are commonly found: that used for political reasons, and that which continues an aesthetic tradition tracable to the earliest use of the Arthurian cycle by writers in the British Isles." "This work traces the use of the legend from Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court to Donald Barthelme's novel The King. It discusses how Twain used the myth to take a stand against England, how it served cultural and aesthetic purposes in John Steinbeck's writing, how Raymond Chandler used it in complex texts with less obvious Arthurian allusions that carried strong cultural and even political associations, how John Gardner used aspects of the myth to embellish already existing narrative structures and to underscore philosophic debates, and how Donald Barthelme demonstrates the continuing interest of American writers in the Arthurian legend today." Also discussed is the effect World War II on American literature and the Arthurian myth and the Camelot image surrounding the Kennedys.

SYNOPSIS

Mathis (English, Temple U.) examines the use of Arthurian legend in modern American writing. Coverage includes, for example, how Mark Twain used the myth for political reasons in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, how the legend served cultural and aesthetic purposes in the writing of John Steinbeck, and how it continues in the writings of contemporary novelist Donald Barthelme.