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Merlin: Knowledge and Power through the Ages
Stephen Knight
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Description for Merlin: Knowledge and Power through the Ages
hardcover. Num Pages: 296 pages, 25. BIC Classification: DSB; JFHF. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 165 x 244 x 25. Weight in Grams: 584. Good clean copy with minor shelfwear. DJ has some minor nicks and tears, remains very good
Merlin, the wizard of Arthurian legend, has been a source of enduring fascination for centuries. In this authoritative, entertaining, and generously illustrated book, Stephen Knight traces the myth of Merlin back to its earliest roots in the early Welsh figure of Myrddin. He then follows Merlin as he is imagined and reimagined through centuries of literature and art, beginning with Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose immensely popular History of the Kings of Britain (1138) transmitted the story of Merlin to Europe at large. He covers French and German as well as Anglophone elements of the myth and brings the story up to the present with discussions of a globalized Merlin who finds his way into popular literature, film, television, and New Age philosophy. Knight argues that Merlin in all his guises represents a conflict basic to Western societies-the clash between knowledge and power. While the Merlin story varies over time, the underlying structural tension remains the same whether it takes the form of bard versus lord, magician versus monarch, scientist versus capitalist, or academic versus politician. As Knight sees it, Merlin embodies the contentious duality inherent to organized societies. In tracing the applied meanings of knowledge in a range of social contexts, Knight reveals the four main stages of the Merlin myth: Wisdom (early Celtic British), Advice (medieval European), Cleverness (early modern English), and Education (worldwide since the nineteenth century). If a wizard can be captured within the pages of a book, Knight has accomplished the feat.
Product Details
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2009
Publisher
Cornell University Press
Condition
Used, Very Good
Number of Pages
296
Place of Publication
Ithaca, United States
ISBN
9780801443657
SKU
KTS0037537
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 2 to 4 working days
Ref
99-1
About Stephen Knight
Stephen Knight is Professor of English Literature at Cardiff University. Arguably the world's foremost authority on Robin Hood, he is the author of Robin Hood: A Complete Study of the English Outlaw and many other books, including several on the outlaw tradition.
Reviews for Merlin: Knowledge and Power through the Ages
The Celticist, medieval scholar, and cultural critic Stephen Knight is the ideal person to have written this book. His account of the earliest surviving traditions of Merlin is illuminated by his deep understanding of their Welsh context, his medieval Merlin embodies both prophecy and wisdom, his discussion of the Victorian Merlin resonates with his fine ear for poetry, and his report from the New Age front plays out between informative appraisal and a sympathy for fantasy and transformation.
Helen Cooper, University of Cambridge Stephen Knight's interpretations of the Arthurian sources and characters are provocative and stimulating. Knight displays much erudition herein and evaluates the literary material in new and interesting ways.
Christopher A. Snyder, Marymount University, author of The Britons and The World of King Arthur Merlin is probably the most familiar character in the Arthurian legends, as his frequent appearances in popular culture attest. Stephen Knight's wide-ranging, thorough, insightful, and comprehensive study of the figure of Merlin should become the standard resource on the well-known wizard. Knight shows real familiarity with the major traditions relating to the figure of Merlin and to Arthurian literature in general-which is no mean feat when covering such a large body of material.
Alan Lupack, University of Rochester, author of The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend Merlin is a brilliant and wide-ranging cultural history that fulfills much the same role for the multifaceted Welsh wizard that Stephen Knight's earlier study does for Robin Hood. This is an indispensable volume for anyone interested in the origins and later development of the Arthurian tradition.
Richard F. Green, The Ohio State University Knight frames Merlin's career in terms of the different functions he performs in successive periods.... Knight ends his history with a brief but heartfelt warning that the dialectical relationship between knowledge and truth and the public institutions of power remains crucial to both the academy and to the health of the body politic.
Times Literary Supplement
Helen Cooper, University of Cambridge Stephen Knight's interpretations of the Arthurian sources and characters are provocative and stimulating. Knight displays much erudition herein and evaluates the literary material in new and interesting ways.
Christopher A. Snyder, Marymount University, author of The Britons and The World of King Arthur Merlin is probably the most familiar character in the Arthurian legends, as his frequent appearances in popular culture attest. Stephen Knight's wide-ranging, thorough, insightful, and comprehensive study of the figure of Merlin should become the standard resource on the well-known wizard. Knight shows real familiarity with the major traditions relating to the figure of Merlin and to Arthurian literature in general-which is no mean feat when covering such a large body of material.
Alan Lupack, University of Rochester, author of The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend Merlin is a brilliant and wide-ranging cultural history that fulfills much the same role for the multifaceted Welsh wizard that Stephen Knight's earlier study does for Robin Hood. This is an indispensable volume for anyone interested in the origins and later development of the Arthurian tradition.
Richard F. Green, The Ohio State University Knight frames Merlin's career in terms of the different functions he performs in successive periods.... Knight ends his history with a brief but heartfelt warning that the dialectical relationship between knowledge and truth and the public institutions of power remains crucial to both the academy and to the health of the body politic.
Times Literary Supplement