Description
Book SynopsisFirst full-length study of these crucial buildings in the Morte, looking at the interplay between characters and space. Castles play an integral part in Malory's Morte Darthur; Camelot, Tintagel, Joyous Gard, and Dover, for example, are the crucial backdrop to the action and both host and shape the story as it moves through them. But despitethis, Malory's castles have received limited scholarly attention. As the first monograph to look extensively at either castles or space in Malory, this book aims to fill that gap. It reads the Morte through its castles - their architecture, structural and symbolic significance, and geographical locations, together with their political, communal, ritual, domestic, and martial functions. The book also traces the mutual development of space and identity in the text, looking at Malory's Arthurian community in and around castle space, both as individuals and as a group; for example, it considers Arthur's political success through his use of space, and shows how crucial Camelot and its hall are to the fellowship of knights. Overall, the volume suggests a better understanding of the community's central organising body, the Round Table, and offers important re-readings of a number of episodes and characters. MOLLY A. MARTIN is Associate Professor and Chair of the English Department at the University of Indianapolis.
Trade ReviewMolly Martin's Castles and Space in Malory's 'Morte Darthur' offers a sustained and generative insight into the representation and literary function of castle-spaces across the Morte, and also provides a model and resource upon which others can draw. -- PARERGON
Martin's book offers a truly fresh way of reading Malory and other Arthurian and medieval literature. The style is scholarly yet accessible, so the book will interest scholars at all levels. The wide-ranging bibliography makes the book an especially valuable resource for students. Highly Recommended. * CHOICE *
Martin's thesis helps to elucidate several key characters and spaces in Malory's Morte, thereby offering the Malory community much to think upon. * MEDIUM AEVUM *
Castles and Space generally presents an accessible, nuanced, and clever exploration of castle spaces and their many functions in Malory's Morte Darthur. It is most definitely a worthwhile investment for both new and experienced scholars eager to explore this novel theoretical frame for studying Malory's text. * Comitatus *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Into the Castle Castles as Political Centers Castles and Community Identity Castles and Ritual Castles and the Domestic Sphere Castles as Prisons Castles at War Afterword: Beyond the Castle Gate Bibliography Index
