In the early 19th century, medievalism, Romanticism and the
Gothic Revival reawakened interest in Arthur and the medieval romances. A new
code of ethics for 19th-century gentlemen was shaped around the chivalric ideals
that the "Arthur of romance" embodied. This renewed interest first
made itself felt in 1816, when Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur was reprinted
for the first time since 1634. Initially the medieval Arthurian legends were of
particular interest to poets, inspiring, for example, William Wordsworth to
write "The Egyptian Maid" (1835), an allegory of the Holy Grail. Pre-eminent
among these was Alfred Lord Tennyson, whose first Arthurian poem, "The
Lady of Shalott", was published in 1832. Although Arthur himself played a minor role in
some of these works, following in the medieval romance tradition, Tennyson's
Arthurian work reached its peak of popularity with Idylls of the King, which reworked the entire narrative of Arthur's
life for the Victorian era. First published in 1859, it sold 10,000 copies
within the first week. In the Idylls, Arthur became a symbol of ideal
manhood whose attempt to establish a perfect kingdom on earth fails, finally,
through human weakness. Tennyson's works prompted a large number of imitators,
generated considerable public interest in the legends of Arthur and the
character himself, and brought Malory's tales to a wider audience. Indeed, the
first modernization of Malory's great compilation of Arthur's tales was
published shortly after Idylls appeared, in 1862, and there were six
further editions and five competitors before the century ended. [Wikipedia ‘King
Arthur’]
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| Victorian view of the Holy Grail |
Blog Question:
What was it about the Victorian age that promoted the revival of the Arthurian
story?
If you look at some of the literature that emerged in the Victorian Era, there are some that are prominent and still somewhat popular today. This includes Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote the detective stories about Sherlock Holmes. Therefore, this period demonstrates the beginning of changes within literature, and how the public would most likely embrace these new type of stories. Therefore, the Arthur traditions are likely to evolve alongside the changing stories in this era. Not only are the Arthurian tales more developed and interesting in terms of plot and characters, they are now told in idylls, which capture the authors’ creative flair and influences from one another.
ReplyDeleteAs Lupack mentions, the Victorian age was filled with questions about faith and reason. This created a duality in society as the two beliefs were seemingly incompatible. With all this doubt in the air, it is easy to see why the Arthurian tale regained its popularity. Tennyson's Arthur tale presents, in each of its idylls, a duality of themes much like the world that he lived in. His references to beasts, beast-like men and the beast inside a man could be representative of questions about evolution and constantly there is the notion of whether things are really what they seem to be.
ReplyDeleteThree phenomena of the Victorian Age that may have revived Arthurian interest are their penchant for flower symbolism and sentiment, the Arts and Craft movement and the suffragette movement. From what I’ve read on flower symbolism it seems many Victorians were well-versed in “the language of flowers” and their implied sentiments. If so perhaps Arthurian name-places and characters were particularly amenable to this new craze. For example, it’s interesting that Tennyson alters Malory’s Camelard and “Elaine le blanche” to Cameliard and “the lily maid of Astolot.” In the first instance maybe this was simply to comply with the rhythm/structure of his poetry, he may just have needed an extra syllable! However Cameliard could be a play on/allusion to the Camellia – supposedly the most fashionable flower of the nineteenth century that signaled love and intertwined destinies (according to “A Victorian Flower Dictionary, the Language of Flowers by Mandy Kirkby and Vanessa Diffenbaugh). The lily on the other hand had an established association with purity and death since ancient Greek times so was apt for Elaine. The second factor – the Arts and Crafts movement – is linked to the first in that it advocated a return to nature (at the very least as design inspiration) and promoted handmade goods to counter industrialisation’s encroachment. Some devotees were inspired by medieval guilds and valued craftmanship (or the decorative arts) on par with fine arts hence the Arthurian story could provide inspiration. In a way this leads into the last phenomenon – the suffragette movement. Lupack highlights that Tennyson introduced the weaving aspect to The Lady of Shalott’s character which reflects appreciation/elevation of craft whilst reverting to the traditional association of weaving with woman’s chastity and domesticity, hence commentary on contemporary socio-political stirrings.
ReplyDeleteIn the Victorian era, medievalism, Romanticism and the Gothic Revival emerged as a reaction the the Enlightenment. During this period, idealism was preferred over reason. There was also an emphasis on society and human-kind. This was the perfect atmosphere for the revival of the Arthurian tradition, a fantasy story made relevant to a contemporary audience through the Idylls. The Arthurian tradition provided hope from the harsh social reality created from the Industrial Revolution. It also provided an 'ideal man', in Arthur, who Victorian men aspired to be like. These elements of idealism fit well into the context of the Victorian era. Similarly, Tennyson's version of the Arthurian tradition reflected Victoria ideals of religion, evolution, love and behaviour. Furthermore, the Idylls presented a moral about society and mankind. This was also suited to the period of the Victorian era, hence its revival. The Victorian period earned for a fantasy story that could bring hope as well as reflect its social beliefs, which it found in the revival of the Arthurian tradition.
ReplyDeleteThe Victorian age was a time of great change in Britain, mainly due to the Industrial Revolution. Technological advancements led to an increase in urban population as people relocated to the city in the hope of gaining work in factories and the like. The cities became crowded, and the majority of workers lived in filthy living conditions and worked long hours. Life was hard and often cruel and people thus escaped into fantasy. Romanticism is a name given to this escapism and the fantastical legends of Arthur fit quite nicely into all this—especially as there is the hope at the end that Arthur will return one day and make life better for all: the sad people of Britain needed that hope to push on through their tough lot.
ReplyDeleteIn an age where reason, science and industry was rising, the notion of chivalry became a symbolic idea that appealed to Victorian people, particularly of the Aristocracy. Chivalry, embodied by Arthur and his Knights in Victorian literature became about not just about battles and actions, but strong ethical values and morals. This can be seen by both Queen Victorian and Prince Albert, both of whom had high moral values, no extra marital affairs and a strong family life. By including these stable morals and values Arthurian literature showed, in a sense, that being a knight involved committing to what was considered ethical at the time. The fall of the characters due to their mistakes (such as Lancelot/Lady of Shalott) and lack of values (Gwen/Lancelot) may have served as both entertaining and warning to those who did not embody the values of the era. Furthermore, the feminine influence of Arthur and the diminishing role of violence show that there was a rise of Arthurian literature in this period, however it was adapted by the Victorian period.
ReplyDeleteI think there are many explanations for the Arthurian legends' popularity during the Victorian era.
ReplyDeleteOnce such reason, as others have already mentioned, is the contrast between the ideal of Arthur's Britain/England and Victorian Britain/England. The great period of change and upheaval caused by the Industrial Revolution would have made the simpler, and more 'romantic' times of the Middle Ages as portrayed in the Arthurian myths seem attractive.
Another possible explanation that has been noted is the agreement of Victorian morals and ideals with the idea of chivalry contained in the Arthurian legends. Whereas the 18th century in particular had seen a sharp decline in standards of public behaviour and morals, Victoria and Albert were well-noted for their good morals and high regard and affection for their children. Their influence helped foster a similar ideal amongst the middle classes in Britain during their reign. Those people would be able to identify with the ideals presented in Arthur, such as honouring and defending of ladies, righting injustices, and personal loyalty.
It also must not be forgotten that Britain during this period was at the height of her power, controlling a far-flung empire across much of the globe. The tales of Arthur, his large empire, and the "Golden Age of Britain" would resonate strongly with how many of the British would have considered their empire to have been.
The Victorian age was one where progress (technical, scientific, and intellectual) and the betterment of humanity were juxtaposed against the exploitation and hardship of the average person. Lupack notes in the readings that it was also an age that was torn between faith and doubt, and hope and despair. The moral issues that are dealt with in the Arthurian story were useful as a means of reflecting the Victorian dilemma of balancing ‘appearance with reality’ as stated by Lupack. It proved an ideal vehicle for outlining the difficulties of trying to find the balance between one’s faith and the doubt that the new advances brought about, the hope of a better future for humanity, and the despair that was felt by those who suffered in the name of progress.
ReplyDeleteDuring the Victorian age, a lot of drastic changes were going on in society, and not a lot of them were good. The main cause of this was the Industrial Revolution. It made huge progress, and was meant to better the human race, which it did, but it also came at a cost. Exploitation and the undermining of faith revealed the darker side of the Victorian Age. It was a time of doubt and faith, which Tennyson’s poem, Idylls, reflects about the age.
ReplyDeleteArthur was a symbol of high ideals and progress, but in the end he fails and the round table is broken up because of human weaknesses, which people of the Victorian age could relate to as they saw how their own society was troubled. The Arthurian story was revived because people of this age wanted an idyllic hero like Arthur in their own time, as they saw their own society degrading and wanted someone to renew their faith in the goodness of humanity.
I always feel like I'm just repeating what everyone has said...
ReplyDeleteThe Victorian age saw a huge upsurge in scientific and technological advances, as well as general intellectual advances. In any period that witnesses such a dramatic change in daily life and worldview there is a tendency to look back to the past - a romanticised past anyway - and think how much simpler and better things were then. The shift towards rationalism and intellectualism - heralding the advent of modernity - also resulted in a disenchantment of the world; a loss of magic and mysticism which to most academics would inevitably result in the death of religion. It is therefore understandable why people would look back on an earlier time, a 'golden age of Britain', one filled with magic, miracles and wonder.
PS - 'The Lady of Shallot' has been written as a song - youtube 'lady of shallot loreena mckennitt' if you're interested. The things you learn while randomly googling
The 'romanticism' of the arthurian tales is likely to explain its revival during the Victorian Age. As many have already said this was during the Industrial Revolution, a time where many were being exploited and likely to turned to simpler things, especially stories that had adventure, magic and chivalry.
ReplyDeleteLupack's identification of the nineteenth-century pre-occupation with the conflict between faith and reason will always play in a discussion of the literature and culture of that time.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting is the preponderence of female characters, particularly in episodes Tennyson developed from Malory, where those characters had previously had small, or insignificant roles. Tennyson's women seem complex, psychologically subtle and often sexually provocative or ambiguous. I concur with Carolyne Larrington that a motivating feature of the public hunger for Tennyson's Arthuriana was "the complex, dramatic emotions of (his) women," and transferring those into a 'past' space allowed them to be considered from a (societally) non-threatening position.
As narratives go, pinning Tennyson's women to the suffragette movement may be a bit of a stretch, for me. I think they merely represent a hunger for familiar archetypes that was to that point left unfulfilled by any of the other grand social narratives of the time.
The revival of the Arthurian legend, could be put down to the fact that the Victorian times were a time of revolution and upheaval. People would want to remember a more romantic and joyful time, where men were chivalrous. This seems in stark contrast to the hard times of the industrial revolution in England, but that is why it became popular, people want what they don't have.
ReplyDelete