Tennyson's Camelot: The Idylls of the King and its Medieval Sources

237 Pages·1982·13.254 MB·English

by  David Staines, Charles Tennyson

TENNYSON'S
CAMELOT
THE IDYLLS OF THE KING
AND ITS MEDIEVAL SOURCES
David Staines
As the principal narrative poem of nineteenth-century
England, Tennyson's Idylls of the King is an ambitious
and widely influential reworking of the Arthurian
legends of the Middle Ages, which have provided a
great body of myth and symbol to writers, painters, and
composers for the past hundred years. Tennyson's
treatment of these legends is now valued as a deeply
significant oblique commentary on cultural decadence
and the precarious balance of civilization.
Drawing upon published and unpublished materi-
als, Tennyson's Camelot studies the Idylls of the King
from the perspective of all its medieval sources. In
noting the Arthurian literature Tennyson knew and pay-
ing special attention to the works that became central to
his Arthurian creation, the volume reveals the poet's
immense knowledge of the medieval legends and his
varied approaches to his sources. The author follows
the chronology of composition of the Idylls, allowing
the reader to see Tennyson's evolving conception of his
poem and his changing attitudes to the medieval ac-
counts. The Idylls of the King stands, ultimately, as the
poet's own Camelot, his legacy to his generation, an
indictment of his society through a vindication of his
idealism.
David Staines is Associate Professor of English at the Uni-
versity of Ottawa. He received the Ph.D. degree from Har-
vard University, where he has also taught, introducing
Canadian literature courses there. The author of many arti-
cles on medieval romance, medieval drama, and Arthurian
literature of the Middle Ages and the nineteenth century, he
has also edited Responses and Evaluations: Essays on
Canada by E. K. Brown and The Canadian Imagination:
Dimensions of a Literary Culture.
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TENNYSON'S
CAMELOT
THE IDYLLS OF THE KING
AND ITS MEDIEVAL SOURCES
TENNYSON'S
CAMELOT
THE IDYLLS OF THE KING
AND ITS MEDIEVAL SOURCES
DAVID STAINES
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Staines, David, 1946-
Tennyson's Camelot : the Idylls of the King and
its medieval sources
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-88920-115-3
1. Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, Baron, 1809-1892. Idylls
of the King. 2. Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, Baron,
1809-1892 - Knowledge - Folklore, mythology.
3. Arthurian romances - History and criticism.
4. Arthurian romances in literature. I. Title.
PR5560.S82 821'.8 C82-094512-9
Copyright © 1982
WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY PRESS
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5
84 85 4 3 2
Cover Design: Polygon Design Limited
No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system, translated or reproduced in any
form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche, or any other means, without written
permission from the publisher.
for
M. R. S.
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Contents
Foreword by Charles Tennyson xi
Preface xv
Chapters
1. On the Road to Camelot 1
2. 1859: The Four Women
Enid, Vivien, Elaine, Guinevere 24
3. 1869: The Holy Grail
The Coming of Arthur, The Holy Grail,
Pelleas and Ettarre, The Passing of Arthur 64
4. 1873: Autumn and Spring
The Last Tournament, Gareth and Lynette 98
5. Towards a Completion
Balin and Balan 134
6. The Realm of Tennyson's King 149
Epilogue: Alfred Tennyson and Victorian Arthuriana 156
Appendices
1. Morte d'Arthur 164
2. Collinson's Somersetshire 175
3. The Seduction of Merlin 177
4. The Prose Drafts of the Idylls of the King 179
Bibliography 203
Index 215
IX