From Ritual to Romance was written in 1920 by Jessie L. Weston. The book was made famous by being mentioned by T. S. Eliot in the notes to his poem, The Waste Land. He says, "Not only the title, but the plan and a good deal of the incidental symbolism of the poem were suggested by Miss Jessie L. Weston's book."The book centres on an examination of the roots of the King Arthur legends and seeks to make connections between the early pagan elements and the later Christian influences. In particular, the book looks at the Holy Grail tradition and its influence.

Published in 1965: In the following pages the author has endeavoured to give, as clearly and concisely as possible, a description of the literature composing the Grail cycle, an analysis of its content and a survey of the leading theories to which this perplexing body of romance has given rise.

THE stories contained in the present volume ofArthurian Romancesare drawn from the same collection of tales as that from which the first visit of Gawain to the Grail castle, in the preceding volume of the series, is derived. Indeed, the stories follow in close sequence, and a glance at the introductory lines of the Grail visit will show that that adventure is placed immediately after the successful termination of the expedition against Chastel Orguellous, which forms the subject of this volume.

Acknowledged by T. S. Eliot as crucial to understanding "The Waste Land," Jessie Weston's book has continued to attract readers interested in ancient religion, myth, and especially Arthurian legend. Weston examines the saga of the Grail, which, in many versions, begins when the wounded king of a famished land sees a procession of objects including a bleeding lance and a bejewelled cup. She maintains that all versions defy uniform applications of Celtic and Christian interpretations, and explores the legend's Gnostic roots.

Drawing from J. G. Frazer, who studied ancient nature cults that associated the physical condition of the king with the productivity of the land, Weston considers how the legend of the Grail related to fertility rites--with the lance and the cup serving as sexual symbols. She traces its origins to a Gnostic text that served as a link between ancient vegetation cults and the Celts and Christians who embellished the story. Conceiving of the Grail saga as a literary outgrowth of ancient ritual, she seeks a Gnostic Christian interpretation that unites the quest for fertility with the striving for mystical oneness with God.