Camelot Regained

The revival of interest in Arthurian literature in the early part of the 19th century has been largely unremarked until now. Roger Simpson's wide-ranging study of this period in which he traces the dominant forms adopted by the Arthurian revival and presents a wealth of new material shows it to have been of critical importance in the development of the legend and to have been a powerful early influence on Tennyson whose role within the Arthurian revival is accordingly reassessed. His book also contains a complete bibliography of early 19th-century Arthurian poetry drama and prose fiction together with catalogues of paintings and illustrated books. ROGER SIMPSON is Director Centre for Overseas Student Programmes at the University of East Anglia