Article
Review of Arthurianism in Early Plantagenet England: From Henry II to Edward I by Karen Cherewatuk
Speculum
(2023)
Abstract
"In this fine monograph, Christopher Michael Berard explores how the first five Plantagenet kings either modeled themselves after an idealized Arthur or suffered the misfortune of having that image applied against them. The concept of “ostension” or “the conscious adoption of a narrative as model” for behavior undergirds this study of early Arthurian medievalism (2). Insight into the reciprocity of life and art is not new, but Berard’s meticulous placement of cases of imitation within their political context is impressive. He analyzes not only Bruts, chronicles,and romances but also Arthur’s “cameo appearances” in non-Arthurian texts—in French, Latin, and English—as well as in sport, spectacle, patronage, and even coins. Berard’s “aggregate history of Arthur” (6) links the Plantagenets to Arthur’s dual roles in historic memory: as Brittonic champion of resistance and as imperial monarch.
Berard greatly expands our understanding of the pervasiveness of Arthur’s historical shadow in Plantagenet England by finding it even in very remote corners where earlier scholars hadn’t looked closely. Never reaching for simple answers, Berard allows complexities and indeterminate readings to co-exist. His is a rich study of the political ends to which elites deployed the Arthurian tradition. Arthurianism in Early Plantagenet England will appeal to anyone interested in medieval historiography, political discourse, and, of course, the Arthurian legend."
Disciplines
Publication Date
October, 2023
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1086/727239
Citation Information
Karen Cherewatuk. "Review of Arthurianism in Early Plantagenet England: From Henry II to Edward I by Karen Cherewatuk" Speculum Vol. 98 Iss. 4 (2023) ISSN: 0038-7134 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/christopher-berard/49/