The “matter of France” includes the subjects of the old
French epics. These concern the stories about Charlemagne and a good example is
the well-known Song of Roland. The “matter of Rome” concerned the tales of classical
antiquity, and included stories about Alexander and Troy amongst many others.
The “matter of Britain” derives from the history of Geoffrey
of Monmouth and made King Arthur into a national hero, the British counterpart
of Charlemagne. Nonetheless the pretence of solidity and historical truth found
in Geoffrey was not suitable for romantic purposes and the Arthur found in the “matter
of Britain” stories is very unlike the great imperial monarch and conqueror as
presented by Geoffrey and his followers.
Geoffrey announced his purpose – to set out the deeds of the
kings of the Britons from the first king, Brutus to Cadwaladr, i.e. from 1115
BC to AD 689. It created a new and rich history for a very old country –
Britain which by Geoffrey’s day had been forgotten and passed over for England.
His work restored pride for Britain’s people, the Britons. Because he left the
end tantalizingly open it meant that the Matter of Britain not only referred to
the glories of the past but might well have relevance for the future.
Geoffrey of Monmouth made Britain, not England, the subject
o his work and in the process provided Britain with a glorious pre-English and
non-English past. The Matter of Britain was an overwhelming success,
particularly as the fount of a remarkable body of literature.
Blog Question: What was it about the Matter of Britain that
was so attractive not only to British authors, but to the continental authors
of Romance?
The British mythic cycle, provides attractions to both British and continental authors, in that it provides an ancient origin for the British nation from which dignity and legitimacy extend. To continental authors it provides a British but also European ‘Time of the Ancients’ for their own myths to exist within or in the context of. The ‘Matter of Britain’ gives to the island a Pagan and Christian past, from Brutus is a classical origin and claim to ownership. The myth lends a Christian origin comparable to the foundation of Roman Christendom, with the imperial figure of Arthur and the semi mythologised saints St. Agustin and St. Patrick. Britain is subdued and Christianised by the same religious imperial fusion that occurred on the continent with Constantine, progressing from missionary stage to divinely ordained rule coming after unification from west to east. Importantly Britain, in the context of this cycle is a whole polity, not separated into kingdoms, but flowing in unity under Brutus, to imperial reunification under Arthur. To continental authors, the legitimisation of Britain as a whole entity is not so important to their national agendas, but the cycle licences the creation of Mythic time outside of the borders of the small Mediterranean (Rome Greece and Israel). If the Pagan mythic and the Christian mythic can occur in Britain at a certain time, that gives a context for it to occur in France or Germany at the same time or in other times. The ‘Matter of Britain’ is so attractive to British and continental authors of many periods, because it allows for an origin progressing from Pagan to ordained Christian in the familiar style of the Romano-Christian experience, not just Britain but for Europe.
ReplyDeleteTom Daley
The matter of Britain gave a legitimacy and meaning to British writers trying to find a medium in the mixture of Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Roman and Norse heritage by providing continuity between the rulers of the ‘Dark Ages’ and those of the ancient world. In creating a new version of the past, writers could include elements of Christianity that had spread with the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons and so had not been a part of the discourse of Britain’s early years. It also conceived Britain’s geographic position on the margins of the known world not as an issue of marginality and irrelevance but a haven with a special destiny. For the continental authors of Romance in the twelfth century, the matter of Britain provided a structure outside of history that allowed them to express mythological themes, relevant to their own lives and national stories, that were in line with romanticism but not present historically. It allows historical figures such as Arthur to embody ideas of universal significance beyond their historical existence.
ReplyDeleteClare Rodda.
I think the main reason it was so appealing to not only the Britons but continental Europeans, is that it mixes various mythic traditions from Celtic, Greek, Roman, Trojan, Norse and Christian elements. The Matter of Britain in my opinion, highlights the relevance and importance that myth played for both Britain and continental Europe. To understand the the present and future there must be an understanding of the past in order to move forward. Myth invokes questions and illustrates a higher purpose than "reality". For example, the mythology of the Norse god Thorr, he is the personification of thunder, establishing a primordial setting that acts as a higher purpose to understand the beginning of the world. Much like how Christian God created the world in 7 days. However, do some of the "myths" told in the Matter of Britain actually constitute as myths, or are they in fact legends. Personally i don't think that Arthur is a part of the higher purpose, but a legends associated around a historical context. As for why everyone was writing about myths and legends, i think they hit a nerve in ourselves, to make sense of the world around us, and give it meaning in the world that they lived. We tend to reflect history from a modern perspective, not giving these people enough respect. They could not explain the same amount as we can now, and that if perhaps why we as a race have strayed from our ancestors, we have partly lost our reverence for the world and in tern, the higher mysteries.
ReplyDeletemay have gone off topic a little, but o' well :)
mark
The Matter of Britain is so popular amongst many British authors as well as continental authors as it provides an ancient origin for the Britain’s which they are able to hitch chronology of the classical worlds of Greece and Rome as well as provide a Biblical legitimacy. Furthermore, to the non-British appeal it allows for their own myths to occur concurrently or within the ' Matter of Britain”. Furthermore, the religious overtones account not only for Christianity, with the defeat of “Gogamogg”, mentioned in the book of Revelations as Satan's soldiers; but also to the arrival of the Saxons as well as the ancient Norse heritage with the giants resembling the counterparts to the Gods. Furthermore it applies to the Romance section in that the Arthur myth allows for a time period in which Arthur is conceived out of wedlock, as well as a time for the Arthur romance to occur with Gweneivere and such.
ReplyDeleteenjoying your comments, peeps! :)
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, I think that it is the mixture of Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Roman and Norse inheritance that makes the matter of Britain so attractive to both British and Continental authors. For the British it is the legitimacy that can be gained from defining themselves through the amalgamation of the very best of the other cultures of continental europe and britain itself thus placing them in the realm of the divine and above all other nations who may be considered to be of a more narrow lineage. For the continental authors there would be some interest in the universal nature of the myth and the idea that the surrounding nations of europe are all somehow interconnected and that it may be easier to support their own origin myths through the use and adaptation of the matter of britain which is diverse, divine and all encompassing.
ReplyDeleteThe Matter of Britain appealed to British Authors in that it gave them a legitimacy and divine right to the land while also linking them to the Romans, Greeks and the Bible. It also placed Britain and its people as being above all others, combining the best of a number of other peoples into a superior race chosen by God. This links into why continental authors also found the Matter of Britain to be so attractive; the mixture of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, Greek, Roman and Celtic inheritance. For one, such a diverse inheritance allowed other European nations to create similar origin myths. The Matter of Britain also provided an avenue through which continental authors of romance could introduce a number of mythological themes and stories from many different cultures.
ReplyDeleteThe Matter of Britain in its thematic 'Arthurian vision' provided a romantic connection between humanity and divinity. It connected the English lords in the dark ages with the great rulers of the ancient world, and thus cemented the Britons in the historical mold of their forbearers in the ancient times. It provided the perfect mythological basis for the political legitimacy of Britain cleverly combining a mixture of Celtic, Greek, Roman, Trojan, Norse and Christian elements. In a sense, it 'cleaned up' the fragmented mythological history of the nation. Furthermore, being a cosmogonic myth (by implying a divine power over the world), The Matter of Britian was a vehicle that gave the nation a divinity or a biblical legitmacy.
ReplyDelete