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Worlds of Arthur
- Facts and Fictions of the Dark Ages
- Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
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Worlds of Arthur
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Summary
King Arthur is probably the most famous and certainly the most legendary medieval king. From the early ninth century through the middle ages, to the Arthurian romances of Victorian times, the tales of this legendary figure have blossomed and multiplied. And in more recent times, there has been a continuous stream of books claiming to have discovered the "facts" about, or to unlock the secret or truth behind, the "once and future king". Broadly speaking, there are two Arthurs. On the one hand is the traditional "historical" Arthur, waging a doomed struggle to save Roman civilization against the relentless Anglo-Saxon tide during the darkest years of the Dark Ages. On the other is the Arthur of myth and legend - accompanied by a host of equally legendary people, places, and stories: Lancelot, Guinevere, Galahad and Gawain, Merlin, Excalibur, the Lady in the Lake, the Sword in the Stone, Camelot, the Round Table. The big problem with all this is that "King Arthur" might well never have existed. And if he did exist, it is next to impossible to say anything at all about him.
As this challenging new look at the Arthur legend makes clear, all books claiming to reveal "the truth" behind King Arthur can safely be ignored. Not only the "red herrings" in the abundant pseudo-historical accounts, even the "historical" Arthur is largely a figment of the imagination: The evidence that we have - whether written or archaeological - is simply incapable of telling us anything detailed about the Britain in which he is supposed to have lived, fought, and died. The truth, as Guy Halsall reveals in this fascinating investigation, is both radically different - and also a good deal more intriguing.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- jamo133
- 11-02-23
Comprehensive overview of late and post Roman society in NW Europe
I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in late Roman or post-Roman history. Whilst the books driving focus is on whether a figure called Arthur really existed, Halsall uses the myth to provide a broad, comprehensive and rigorous account of both the literary and archeological underpinnings of our current understanding and competing theories of the radical shifts undertaken in this period, particularly in Northern Gaul and Briton.
Whilst the book is somewhat difficult to follow for even those with a fairly good historical foundation at certain points, particularly the literary evidence - this is absolutely a must read/listen. The narration was excellent and authoritative.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. A. J. Parsons
- 31-05-17
Excellent account of very early medieval Britain
Narrator is a little stiff and po faced, and misses some of Halsalls wit and humour, but none the less an excellebt book!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Andrew
- 27-02-23
Academic view of the myths
This book delves deeply into the actual politics of the 5th century and debunks many of the Arthurian theories. There are some very good parallels drawn with Northern Europe during the same period. This was extremely interesting as many treat the British period as existing in an isolated bubble. This is not an easy book to absorb, but it is worthwhile persevering with as the many alternate conclusions the author offers are based on actual history. If you have a reasonable understanding of the period, then this is a good addition to your library.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- getpdh
- 11-01-22
Good book, odd narration
The content is utterly absorbing. A well written and thoroughly uncompromising examination of the topic. Significantly undermined, however, by the narrator, who slavishly marks every occurrence of punctuation (no matter how insignificant) with a mid-length pause. In complex and compound sentences this can be quite difficult to follow, and more than a little off-putting.
My advice, get the paper version.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Teresa Cooper
- 31-08-15
Misleading title?
This book was hard to read / listen to and, sadly, I didn't even manage to make it halfway, other history buffs might enjoy this title but unfortunately it was not for me.
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2 people found this helpful