Le Morte d'Arthur
In Our Time10 Jan 2013

Le Morte d'Arthur

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Thomas Malory's "Le Morte Darthur", the epic tale of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. Sir Thomas Malory was a knight from Warwickshire, a respectable country gentleman and MP in the 1440s who later turned to a life of crime and spent various spells in prison. It was during Malory's final incarceration that he wrote "Le Morte Darthur", an epic work which was based primarily on French, but also some English, sources.

Malory died shortly after his release in 1470 and it was to be another fifteen years before "Le Morte Darthur" was published by William Caxton, to immediate popular acclaim. Although the book fell from favour in the seventeenth century, it was revived again in Victorian times and became an inspiration for the Pre-Raphaelite movement who were entranced by the chivalric and romantic world that Malory portrayed.

The Arthurian legend is one of the most enduring and popular in western literature and its characters - Sir Lancelot, Guinevere, Merlin and King Arthur himself, are as well-known today as they were then; and the book's themes - chivalry, betrayal, love and honour - remain as compelling.

With:

Helen Cooper Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at the University of Cambridge

Helen Fulton Professor of Medieval Literature and Head of Department of English and Related Literature at the University of York

Laura Ashe CUF Lecturer and Tutorial Fellow at Worcester College at the University of Oxford

Producer: Natalia Fernandez.

Avsnitt(1081)

Lise Meitner

Lise Meitner

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the decisive role of one of the great 20th Century physicists in solving the question of nuclear fission. It is said that Meitner (1878-1968) made this breakthrough ov...

5 Juni 202557min

The Korean Empire

The Korean Empire

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Korea's brief but significant period as an empire as it moved from the 500-year-old dynastic Joseon monarchy towards modernity. It was in October 1897 that King Gojong ...

29 Maj 202547min

Molière

Molière

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the great figures in world literature. The French playwright Molière (1622-1673) began as an actor, aiming to be a tragedian, but he was stronger in comedy, tour...

22 Maj 202551min

Typology

Typology

Melvyn Bragg and guests explore typology, a method of biblical interpretation that aims to meaningfully link people, places, and events in the Hebrew Bible, what Christians call the Old Testament, wit...

15 Maj 202550min

The Battle of Clontarf

The Battle of Clontarf

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the best known events and figures in Irish history. In 1014 Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, defeated the Hiberno-Norse forces of Sigtrygg Silkbeard and allies...

8 Maj 202551min

The Gracchi

The Gracchi

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the brothers Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus whose names are entwined with the end of Rome's Republic and the rise of the Roman Emperors. As tribunes, they brought popular ...

1 Maj 202549min

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908-1961), who was part of the movement known as phenomenology. While less well-known than his contemporaries Jean-Paul S...

24 Apr 202559min

Thomas Middleton

Thomas Middleton

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the most energetic, varied and innovative playwrights of his time. Thomas Middleton (1580-1627) worked across the London stages both alone and with others from D...

17 Apr 202556min

Populärt inom Historia

massmordarpodden
kod-katastrof
p3-historia
historiska-brott
motiv
olosta-mord
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-historien-om
rss-seriemordarpodden
rss-brottsligt
historiepodden-se
rss-massmordarpodden
krigshistoriepodden
rss-historiska-brottslingar
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
militarhistoriepodden
nu-blir-det-historia
rss-arkiv-stieg
palmemordet
vetenskapsradion-historia