King Arthur: History and Legend

De: Dorsey Armstrong, The Great Courses

Narrado por: Dorsey Armstrong

The saga of King Arthur and his court is the most enduringly popular mythic tradition of Western civilization. For over 1,500 years, the Arthurian narrative has enthralled writers, artists, and a limitless audience spanning the Western world and beyond - and its appeal continues unabated in our time. No other heroic figure in literature compares with King Arthur in terms of global popularity and longevity; now, each year sees literally thousands of new versions of the story appear across diverse media, from fiction writing and visual arts to film and popular culture. Delve into the historical mystery behind the figure of Arthur, and discover the magnificent breadth of these epic tales.

These 24 spellbinding lectures reveal the full scope of the Arthurian tradition, from its beginnings in post-Roman Britain to its extraordinary trajectory across the centuries and its latest incarnations in modern times. Your pathfinder in this world of mythic adventure and romance, Professor Armstrong, is one of the world's leading Arthurian scholars and the current editor-in-chief of the academic journal Arthuriana. Demonstrating both encyclopedic knowledge and an infectious passion for the subject, she leads you in tracing how the myth developed across time, clarifying many misunderstood aspects of the narrative, such as the origins of the Round Table and the figure of Merlin, the illicit love between Lancelot and Guenevere, and the varied manifestations of the magical Holy Grail. You'll discover how the legend was appropriated and assimilated by differing cultures, and how each writer and artist in the tradition reflected and commented, through the Arthurian narrative, on the concerns of their own time and place. The result is an illuminating look at one of the most engaging, entertaining, and influential legendary traditions the world has ever known.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2015 The Great Courses (P)2015 The Teaching Company, LLC

A must for lovers of the Arthur legend

The professor is particularly suited for this course, and while listening I often thought of how enjoyable it would be to be taking this course as a student. Listening, then, is the next best thing. It borders at times on Arthurian overload - 12 hours all about King Arthur and the various legends that inspire him? - but it is at most times most interesting. As a lover of all things Monty Python, I especially loved Professor Armstrong's including of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which is of course the funniest film of all time.

Highly recommended for both novices and serious scholars.

legend leads 2 literary trad'n & lasting pop motif

sometimes a little heavy focus on the literature devices but overall well told, accessible, comprehensive, and intriguing

interesting look at the Medieval Arthur lit

First, a few things I found disappointing. There's very little historical basis for Arthur, so the heart of this course is a fairly in depth look at the Medieval literature about Arthur, and the variations across different cultures and times. I didn't find this discussion as interesting as I expected, and my mind wandered a bit during the discussions of the variations in the stories.

The good - this professor is an engaging and energetic lecturer and I would recommend her other Great Courses too. I did learn a lot that I didn't know about the historical context for an Arthur like figure, and I found that all fascinating. Her lecture style would be interesting to younger people and homeschoolers.

Although there were a few lectures that dragged for me, overall this was enjoyable and highly recommended.

Extremely informative and a pleasure to the ears

This is the finest course on the topic of King Arthur known to me. Dorsey Armstrong demonstrates her acute knowledge of all things Arthuriana. This knowledge in combination with her powerful speaking and teaching ability makes this course extremely informative and a pleasure to the ears, heart and mind.

First experience with The Great Courses

Truly an enjoyable course for anyone interested in Arthurian legends, literature and history. The first several chapters were probably my favourite , an Indiana Jones - esque search through the historical basis of Arthur, with archeological evidence suggesting who the "Aurthur-like" character may have been. Much of the course concerns itself with literature as the Arthurian legends grow and change across time. The professor teaching the course conveys her passion and transfers it to the listener. As my first experience with The Great Courses, I'd consider listening to others based on "King Aurthur: History and Legend."

Armstrong is a fantastic lecturer

Armstrong makes every topic she talks about interesting. I don't even care about King Arthur, and I enjoyed this immensely because of her skill as a lecturer.

Enjoy!

King Arthur: History and Legend, an enjoyable entry from the Great Courses, was both insightful and entertaining. The narrator's enthusiasm brings the topic to life.

Just great! I really enjoyed these lectures.

I recommend this seires of The Great Courses to anyone who loves Arthurian history and books.
I’ve listened to a few of the Great Courses series and this has been my favourite so far.

King Arthur in History…for sure!!

Ok, I need to speak to Prof. Dorsey!!! This is an AMAZING breakdown of the history of the Arthurian studies/stories/investigations/language/oral to written histories…I was responding as if I was a student in her class…with more than a basic knowledge of this oral to written to scientific to geographic ‘history’…THIS was an AMAZING breakdown of the history of literature+science+where we started as society.

Beautiful.

I could not listen to this fast enough. Such a good listen!!!! Planning on going back and relistening to my favorite lectures!