An exploration of how Malory deals with the themes of love, marriage and adultery, revealing the socially conservative vantage of the gentry and nobility. Marriage in the middle ages encompassed two crucial but sometimes conflicting dimensions: a private companionate relationship, and a public social institution, the means whereby heirs were produced and land, wealth, power and political rule were transferred. This new study examines the concept of marriage as seen in the 'Morte Darthur', moving beyond it to look at `adulterous' and other male/female relationships, and their impact on the world of the Round Table in general. Key points addressed are the compromise achieved in the `Tale of Sir Gareth' between natural, youthful passion and the gentry's pragmatic view of marriage; the problems of King Arthur's marriage in light of both political need and the difficulty of the queen's infertility and adultery; and the repercussions of Lancelot's adultery in the tragedies of two marriageable daughters, Elaine of Astolat and Elaine of Corbin. Finally, the author reveals and considers in detail [focusing on dynastic dysfunction in three generations of Pendragon men: Uther, Arthur and Mordred] the myth of benevolent paternity by which men, whether born legitimate or bastard, were united through the Round Table. KAREN CHEREWATUK is Professor of English at St Olaf College, Minnesota.

In Malory's Morte Darthur offers insightful new readings of the private and public sides of the fundamental institution of marriage, seen against shared fifteenth-century concerns of the gentry. Overall this is an engaging, well documented study, which will benefit both scholars and students alike.'

Source: Year's Work in English Studies

Enables a range of apercus which Malorians will enjoy engaging with, and the attention both to manuscript and to aural effects makes for secure argument, benefiting specialists and undergraduates alike.'

Source: Medium Aevum