Publication of The Arthurian World

Dr. Renée Ward, Senior Lecturer in Medieval Literature and founder and organizer of the University’s annual Medieval Week, has just published The Arthurian World, a co-edited volume on Arthuriana for the Routledge Worlds series. Dr. Ward co-edited the volume, co-wrote the introduction, and wrote a single-authored chapter.

This collection provides an innovative and wide-ranging introduction to the world of Arthur by looking beyond the canonical texts and themes, taking instead a transversal perspective on the Arthurian narrative. Together, its thirty-four chapters explore the continuities that make the material recognizable from one century to another, as well as transformations specific to particular times and places, revealing the astonishing variety of adaptations that have made the Arthurian story popular in large parts of the world.

Divided into four parts—The World of Arthur in the British Isles, The European World of Arthur, The Material World of Arthur, and The Transversal World of Arthur — the volume tracks the legend’s movement across temporal, geographical, and material boundaries. Broadly chronological, each part views the unfolding Arthurian story through its own lens, while temporal and geographical overlaps between the sections underscore the proximity of these developments in the legend’s history.

Ranging from early Latin chronicles and Welsh poetry to twenty-first century anime and political conspiracies, this comprehensive and illuminating book will be of interest to anyone researching Arthurian literature or tracing the evolution of medievalism through literature, the visual arts, and popular culture.

For more on The Arthurian World, see the Routledge site: (https://www.routledge.com/The-Arthurian-World/Coldham-Fussell-Edlich-Muth-Ward/p/book/9780367172701)

For more on Dr. Ward’s research, see her staff profile page: (https://staff.lincoln.ac.uk/dcb0077b-e2a3-4072-8fa4-01d36ef3e2fb)

Story submitted by Dr. Renée Ward
rward@lincoln.ac.uk