Merlin and Legendary Romance

<p>An indepth work on the origins of the Merlin of Arthurian legend this book examines early texts thirteenth century romances focusing particularly on Merlin as a character rather than those where Merlin is a background cast member. The outline here starts with looking at the genre and the place of fantasy moving on to consider the attitudes towards magic and magic-users in medieval times. Main works considered are Geoffrey of Monmouth’s <em>Historia Regum Britanniae</em> and <em>Vita Merlini</em>; the Vulgate cycle <em>Suite du Merlin</em>; and finally Malory’s work. The author asserts that each portrays a different approach to Merlin but all are tied to history and to the Christian religion.</p>