The idea of the quest, crucial to Arthurian literature, investigated in texts, manuscripts, and film. The theme of the quest in Arthurian literature - mainly but not exclusively the Grail quest - is explored in the essays presented here, covering French, Dutch, Norse, German, and English texts. A number of the essays trace the relationship, often negative, between Arthurian chivalry and the Grail ethos. Whereas most of the contributors reflect on the popularity of the Grail quest, several examine the comparative rarity of the Grail in certain literatures and define the elaboration of quest motifs severed from the Grail material. An appendix to the volume offers a filmography that includes all the cinematic treatments of the Grail, either as central theme or minor motif. This book will appeal to students, scholars, and general readers fascinated by the Arthurian and Grail legends. CONTRIBUTORS: NORRIS J. LACY, ANTONIO FURTADO, WILL HASTY, RICHARD TRACHSLER, MARIANNE E. KALINKE, MARTINE MEUWESE, DAVID F. JOHNSON, PHILLIP BOARDMAN, CAROLINE D. ECKHARDT, P.J.C. FIELD, JAMES P. CARLEY, RICHARD BARBER, KEVIN J. HARTY

The most recent research in matters Arthurian, by leading scholars in the field. The essays in this volume represent a wide range of Arthurian subjects, reaching as far back as the sixth century, and as far forward as the nineteenth; they include studies of Arthur as an icon of an independent England in the reign of Henry VIII, the source of Geoffrey of Monmouth's knowledge of Merlin, Malory's Morte Darthur, and the works of Chretien - both in literature and in depictions of scenes from his romances in ivory caskets from the Middle Ages and beyond. Of special interest is the appearance for the first time in print of a newly discovered Arthurian text: a letter in Anglo-Norman French purportedly written by Morgan le Fay. Elizabeth Archibald is Professor of English, University of Durham; DAVID F. JOHNSON is Professor of English, Florida State University. CONTRIBUTORS: CAROLYNE LARRINGTON, MARTINE MEUWESE, STEWART MOTTRAM, RALUCA RADULESCU, NICOLAI TOLSTOY, MICHAEL TWOMEY