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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
adventurous
slow-paced
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
As a historical document, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s opus is of dubious usefulness; however, as an influential work of literature, it’s importance cannot be overstated. Perhaps the earliest writer to distill the Arthurian myth to a form recognizable to a modern audience, the 50 or so pages that concern the mythical king are worth the price of admission alone.
But there is a lot of other great content in this book as well. From Trojan refugees seeking a new home to a treacherous king being burned alive in his own tower, there are many compelling stories detailed in this book. The political machinations and occasional doses of magical interference and prophesying make this a clear forerunner to modern fantasy works, especially A Song of Ice and Fire.
But this text is short, and therefore dense. Often, Geoffrey breezes through multiple generations of kings and wars, stopping only to focus on the more interesting characters and events. Because of this structure, the book is light on detail and characterization; but it makes up for this by forming the prototypical structure for nearly every medieval fantasy to follow.
The book is also worthwhile as a historical and cultural artifact. There is a through line in this text, and that is Geoffrey’s nationalistic concern over the displacement of the Britons due to infighting and the treachery of outsiders. Through the stories and the occasional interjections from Geoffrey himself, he makes clear that his motivation is to warn against the potential implosion of the British empire. Though his perspective often veers into xenophobia, it reflects an authentic selfish concern that resonates with many people even today, and is an interesting view into the cultural and social concerns of Geoffrey’s time.
Worth reading for any fan of fantasy, cultural history, or Arthurian mythology.
But there is a lot of other great content in this book as well. From Trojan refugees seeking a new home to a treacherous king being burned alive in his own tower, there are many compelling stories detailed in this book. The political machinations and occasional doses of magical interference and prophesying make this a clear forerunner to modern fantasy works, especially A Song of Ice and Fire.
But this text is short, and therefore dense. Often, Geoffrey breezes through multiple generations of kings and wars, stopping only to focus on the more interesting characters and events. Because of this structure, the book is light on detail and characterization; but it makes up for this by forming the prototypical structure for nearly every medieval fantasy to follow.
The book is also worthwhile as a historical and cultural artifact. There is a through line in this text, and that is Geoffrey’s nationalistic concern over the displacement of the Britons due to infighting and the treachery of outsiders. Through the stories and the occasional interjections from Geoffrey himself, he makes clear that his motivation is to warn against the potential implosion of the British empire. Though his perspective often veers into xenophobia, it reflects an authentic selfish concern that resonates with many people even today, and is an interesting view into the cultural and social concerns of Geoffrey’s time.
Worth reading for any fan of fantasy, cultural history, or Arthurian mythology.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Second time reading through this book. While this book may be labeled a 'history,' it should really be read as literature more than history, as the historical claims are a bit dubious and the literary qualities are fantastic. Considered as a whole, this book sets up a war between Rome and Britain for the legacy of Troy. Over the course of hundreds of years the struggle escalates to the point where Britain is at the point of crushing its rival and taking the mantle of Troy upon itself... Until it fails when Mordred betrays Arthur, turning the story into a quasi-tragedy, where Britain is unable to win because it remains fundamentally divided--which is an utterly fascinating tale for one of the foundational works of English literature. Add to this the origins of many of the stories we know today, such as King Lear and King Arthur, and this is a book well-worth reading.
Rating: 4-4.5 Stars (Very Good).
Also read in March 2009.
Rating: 4-4.5 Stars (Very Good).
Also read in March 2009.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
I've been trying to get a basic grounding in Arthuriana, which I've largely ignored due to being boring and kind of a downer, to be honest, so this seemed to be a logical place to start. Written in Latin in 1136, it's one of the early compilations of earlier folktales and songs. It's also completely bananas.
(This is J. A. Giles' 19th-century update of an 18th-century translation by Aaron Thompson, about which all subsequent translators complain, but I read a couple chapters of a translation from the 1980s, and frankly didn't notice a heck of a lot of difference.)
Starting from when the refugees from the fall of Troy journeyed to and colonised Britain (led by Brutus, grandson of Aeneas), which was of course terra nullius when they got there. After founding London under the name "New Troy," we get to an increasingly wild set of pre-Roman kings, including King Lear and King Lear's dad, who was a necromancer, and that one guy who went and conquered Rome. I admit to glazing over a bit for some of the lists of kings, and definetely for some of the stories about Roman Britain (though they're probably hilarious if you're really familiar with that era, which I am not). A lot of the history is barely coded commentary on Norman Britain, which I picked up was happening, but didn't especially understand. Plus utterly BS explanations for place names, such as "Britain" coming from "Brutus" and "London" from "King Lud" et cetera.
There were a bunch more kings after the Romans packed it in, and then we hit Vortigern, where I perked up because at least I've heard of him (sexy Jude Law in black leather from the 2017 film). Cutting out the prophecies of Merlin (which were long, and extremely tedious, and may have made sense as insider baseball on Norman politics), the Arthur stuff was pretty fun. It was interesting what was in place that far back (Uther going in disguise to Igraine, Arthur having a special sword via Avalon, Arthur marrying Guinevere, a few of the knights, Arthur "dying" because of his nephew's betrayal), what I hadn't run into before (Merlin being the son of an incubus and a nun, Merlin building Stonehenge, Arthur attempting numerous genocides, then heading out to conquer Rome), and what was not yet in place (no sword in the stone, not a lot of knights I knew, such as Lancelot, no holy grail).
Then Arthur went to Avalon, and we were back to British kings I didn't care about (plus surprise cannibalism), and the author complaining about how the Saxons and Angles were the worst. In part because they were pagans, but mostly just because they were German.
It's a pretty fast read, and I'm glad I swung through, but I can see why everyone spent the next thousand years fleshing out the story. For the most part, it's pretty bare on details, and I don't think anyone gets an actual personality. Most of the entertainment value comes from how wild the stories are, and how obviously cranky the author is about other versions of history being Incorrect.
(This is J. A. Giles' 19th-century update of an 18th-century translation by Aaron Thompson, about which all subsequent translators complain, but I read a couple chapters of a translation from the 1980s, and frankly didn't notice a heck of a lot of difference.)
Starting from when the refugees from the fall of Troy journeyed to and colonised Britain (led by Brutus, grandson of Aeneas), which was of course terra nullius when they got there. After founding London under the name "New Troy," we get to an increasingly wild set of pre-Roman kings, including King Lear and King Lear's dad, who was a necromancer, and that one guy who went and conquered Rome. I admit to glazing over a bit for some of the lists of kings, and definetely for some of the stories about Roman Britain (though they're probably hilarious if you're really familiar with that era, which I am not). A lot of the history is barely coded commentary on Norman Britain, which I picked up was happening, but didn't especially understand. Plus utterly BS explanations for place names, such as "Britain" coming from "Brutus" and "London" from "King Lud" et cetera.
There were a bunch more kings after the Romans packed it in, and then we hit Vortigern, where I perked up because at least I've heard of him (sexy Jude Law in black leather from the 2017 film). Cutting out the prophecies of Merlin (which were long, and extremely tedious, and may have made sense as insider baseball on Norman politics), the Arthur stuff was pretty fun. It was interesting what was in place that far back (Uther going in disguise to Igraine, Arthur having a special sword via Avalon, Arthur marrying Guinevere, a few of the knights, Arthur "dying" because of his nephew's betrayal), what I hadn't run into before (Merlin being the son of an incubus and a nun, Merlin building Stonehenge, Arthur attempting numerous genocides, then heading out to conquer Rome), and what was not yet in place (no sword in the stone, not a lot of knights I knew, such as Lancelot, no holy grail).
Then Arthur went to Avalon, and we were back to British kings I didn't care about (plus surprise cannibalism), and the author complaining about how the Saxons and Angles were the worst. In part because they were pagans, but mostly just because they were German.
It's a pretty fast read, and I'm glad I swung through, but I can see why everyone spent the next thousand years fleshing out the story. For the most part, it's pretty bare on details, and I don't think anyone gets an actual personality. Most of the entertainment value comes from how wild the stories are, and how obviously cranky the author is about other versions of history being Incorrect.
informative
slow-paced
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Very enjoyable. I liked how it had the Latin and the English right next to eachother (not that i read the Latin but it made me feel like i was reading the English faster which is nice when you're behind on your essay). Honestly it didn't say what i expected though. Far more historical sounding and war like.
This book should be read as a work of literature and not as an actual history. Geoffrey of Monmouth did write the history of the kings, but he also invented a great deal of it. In some cases, it is hard to tell what is fact and what is fiction. That aside, The History of the Kings of Britain is absolutely wonderful! This is especially so in the chapters about King Arthur. Until now, I had only heard the typical Arthur pulls the sword from the stone and becomes king, marries Guinevere, and is betrayed by Guinevere and Lancelot. This is a whold different take on the traditional King Arthur.
A very fun, fairy-tale esque take on the "History" of Britain. Geoffrey is tracing the history of the Britain's history prior to the Anglo-saxon arrival. However, Geoffrey states himself that he wishes not to bore his readers with his history. The purpose of Geoffrey's writing is to provide a romanticized, political history that is not so much accurate but more appealing to those who wish to be entertained, and in this way his history is not so much an accurate depiction of what actually happened throughout the history of Britain, but it expresses a great love that Geoffrey has for Britain and wants to share with his audience.
A recommend for those interested in Historiography, mythology, and Arthurian legend.
A recommend for those interested in Historiography, mythology, and Arthurian legend.