2016, ISBN: 9788892591158

The main difficulty of our research lies in the fact that the Grail legend consists of a congeries of widely differing elements?elements which at first sight appear hopelessly incongruous… More...

The main difficulty of our research lies in the fact that the Grail legend consists of a congeries of widely differing elements?elements which at first sight appear hopelessly incongruous, if not completely contradictory, yet at the same time are present to an extent, and in a form, which no honest critic can afford to ignore. Thus it has been perfectly possible for one group of scholars, relying upon the undeniably Christian-Legendary elements, preponderant in certain versions, to maintain the thesis that the Grail legend is ab initio a Christian, and ecclesiastical, legend, and to analyse the literature on that basis alone. Another group, with equal reason, have pointed to the strongly marked Folk-lore features preserved in the tale, to its kinship with other themes, mainly of Celtic provenance, and have argued that, while the later versions of the cycle have been worked over by ecclesiastical writers in the interests of edification, the story itself is non-Christian, and Folk-lore in origin. Both groups have a basis of truth for their arguments: the features upon which they rely are, in each case, undeniably present, yet at the same time each line of argument is faced with certain insuperable difficulties, fatal to the claims advanced. Thus, the theory of Christian origin breaks down when faced with the awkward fact that there is no Christian legend concerning Joseph of Arimathea and the Grail. Neither in Legendary, nor in Art, is there any trace of the story; it has no existence outside the Grail literature, it is the creation of romance, and no genuine tradition. On this very ground it was severely criticized by the Dutch writer Jacob van Maerlant, in 1260. In his Merlin he denounces the whole Grail history as lies, asserting that the Church knows nothing of it?which is true. The main difficulty of our research lies in the fact that the Grail legend consists of a congeries of widely differing elements?elements which at first sight appear hopelessly incongruous, if not completely contradictory, yet at the same time are present to an extent, and in a form, which no honest critic can afford to ignore. Thus it has been perfectly possible for one group of scholars, relying upon the undeniably Christian-Legendary elements, preponderant in certain versions, to maintain the thesis that the Grail legend is ab initio a Christian, and ecclesiastical, legend, and to analyse the literature on that basis alone. Another group, with equal reason, have pointed to the strongly marked Folk-lore features preserved in the tale, to its kinship with other themes, mainly of Celtic provenance, and have argued that, while the later versions of the cycle have been worked over by ecclesiastical writers in the interests of edification, the story itself is non-Christian, and Folk-lore in origin. Both groups have a basis of truth for their arguments: the features upon which they rely are, in each case, undeniably present, yet at the same time each line of argument is faced with certain insuperable difficulties, fatal to the claims advanced. Thus, the theory of Christian origin breaks down when faced with the awkward fact that there is no Christian legend concerning Joseph of Arimathea and the Grail. Neither in Legendary, nor in Art, is there any trace of the story; it has no existence outside the Grail literature, it is the creation of romance, and no genuine tradition. On this very ground it was severely criticized by the Dutch writer Jacob van Maerlant, in 1260. In his Merlin he denounces the whole Grail history as lies, asserting that the Church knows nothing of it?which is true. Inhoud: Taal: Engels; Bindwijze: E-book; Verschijningsdatum: april 2016; Afmetingen: Afmeting: 21,3 x 13,8 x 1,1 cm; Ebook formaat: Adobe ePub; Illustraties: Nee; Betrokkenen: Auteur(s): James L Weston | Jessie Laidlay Weston | Jessie Laidlay Weston | James L Weston | James L. Weston; Redacteur: Robert A. Segal; Uitgever: Jessie L. Weston; Vertaling: Originele Titel: From Ritual to Romance; Lees mogelijkheden: Lees dit ebook op: Android (smartphone en tablet) | Kobo e-reader | Desktop (Mac en Windows) | iOS (smartphone en tablet) | Windows (smartphone en tablet); Ebook formaat: Adobe ePub; EAN: Overige kenmerken: Gewicht: 276 g; Studieboek: Nee; Verpakking hoogte: 19 mm; Engels | E-book | 9788892591158, Boeken, Mens & Maatschappij, Sociologie, Jessie L. Weston<

2016, ISBN: 9788892591158

The main difficulty of our research lies in the fact that the Grail legend consists of a congeries of widely differing elements?elements which at first sight appear hopelessly incongruous… More...

The main difficulty of our research lies in the fact that the Grail legend consists of a congeries of widely differing elements?elements which at first sight appear hopelessly incongruous, if not completely contradictory, yet at the same time are present to an extent, and in a form, which no honest critic can afford to ignore. Thus it has been perfectly possible for one group of scholars, relying upon the undeniably Christian-Legendary elements, preponderant in certain versions, to maintain the thesis that the Grail legend is ab initio a Christian, and ecclesiastical, legend, and to analyse the literature on that basis alone. Another group, with equal reason, have pointed to the strongly marked Folk-lore features preserved in the tale, to its kinship with other themes, mainly of Celtic provenance, and have argued that, while the later versions of the cycle have been worked over by ecclesiastical writers in the interests of edification, the story itself is non-Christian, and Folk-lore in origin. Both groups have a basis of truth for their arguments: the features upon which they rely are, in each case, undeniably present, yet at the same time each line of argument is faced with certain insuperable difficulties, fatal to the claims advanced. Thus, the theory of Christian origin breaks down when faced with the awkward fact that there is no Christian legend concerning Joseph of Arimathea and the Grail. Neither in Legendary, nor in Art, is there any trace of the story; it has no existence outside the Grail literature, it is the creation of romance, and no genuine tradition. On this very ground it was severely criticized by the Dutch writer Jacob van Maerlant, in 1260. In his Merlin he denounces the whole Grail history as lies, asserting that the Church knows nothing of it?which is true. The main difficulty of our research lies in the fact that the Grail legend consists of a congeries of widely differing elements?elements which at first sight appear hopelessly incongruous, if not completely contradictory, yet at the same time are present to an extent, and in a form, which no honest critic can afford to ignore. Thus it has been perfectly possible for one group of scholars, relying upon the undeniably Christian-Legendary elements, preponderant in certain versions, to maintain the thesis that the Grail legend is ab initio a Christian, and ecclesiastical, legend, and to analyse the literature on that basis alone. Another group, with equal reason, have pointed to the strongly marked Folk-lore features preserved in the tale, to its kinship with other themes, mainly of Celtic provenance, and have argued that, while the later versions of the cycle have been worked over by ecclesiastical writers in the interests of edification, the story itself is non-Christian, and Folk-lore in origin. Both groups have a basis of truth for their arguments: the features upon which they rely are, in each case, undeniably present, yet at the same time each line of argument is faced with certain insuperable difficulties, fatal to the claims advanced. Thus, the theory of Christian origin breaks down when faced with the awkward fact that there is no Christian legend concerning Joseph of Arimathea and the Grail. Neither in Legendary, nor in Art, is there any trace of the story; it has no existence outside the Grail literature, it is the creation of romance, and no genuine tradition. On this very ground it was severely criticized by the Dutch writer Jacob van Maerlant, in 1260. In his Merlin he denounces the whole Grail history as lies, asserting that the Church knows nothing of it?which is true. Inhoud: Taal: Engels; Bindwijze: E-book; Verschijningsdatum: april 2016; Afmetingen: 21,3 x 13,8 x 1,1 cm; Ebook formaat: Adobe ePub; Illustraties: Nee; Betrokkenen: Auteur(s): Jessie L Weston | Jessie Laidlay Weston | Jessie Laidlay Weston | James L Weston | James L. Weston; Redacteur: Robert A. Segal; Uitgever: Jessie L. Weston; Vertaling: Originele Titel: From Ritual to Romance; Lees mogelijkheden: Lees dit ebook op: Android (smartphone en tablet) | Kobo e-reader | Desktop (Mac en Windows) | iOS (smartphone en tablet) | Windows (smartphone en tablet); Ebook formaat: Adobe ePub; EAN: Overige kenmerken: Gewicht: 276 g; Studieboek: Nee; Verpakking hoogte: 19 mm; Engels | E-book | 9788892591158, Mens & Maatschappij, Sociologie, Boeken, Jessie L. Weston<

ISBN: 9788892591158

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 Arthuria… More...

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. Digital Content>E-books>Classics>Myth & Folk>Folklore, Jessie L. Weston Digital >16<