Celebrating King Arthur on Tolkien Reading Day

About this episode

The episode explores the retellings of King Arthur in celebration of Tolkien Reading Day, examining historical and modern interpretations and adaptations.

Saddle up and join the Round Table as Mythmakers embarks on a journey through some of the most famous retellings of King Arthur in celebration of Tolkien Reading Day. Which author started the ball rolling, and who poetically kicked it on into the 19th century? Where do the traces of these tales become most apparent in the works of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis? And who has continued the Arthurian tradition into modern times? Finally, we turn to the screen—what is the most successful adaptation of them all? Tune in to see if you agree with our pick! (00:00) Tolkien Reading Day and the Power of Arthur (03:09) Malory and the Rise of Arthur in Print (05:26) Arthur Pulls the Sword from the Stone (09:24) Keats and the Melancholy of Arthur (12:08) Tennyson, Avalon, and Echoes in Tolkien (15:15) William Morris and Arthur’s Expanding World (16:52) T.S. Eliot, Charles Williams, and the Modern Grail (22:22) Film, Comedy, and Reinventing Arthur (23:00) Tolkien and Lewis Through an Arthurian Lens (27:02) Modern Retellings and Julia Golding’s Own Arthur Stories (29:12) Why BBC’s Merlin Works So Well (30:43) Reading Arthur to Better Understand Tolkien For more information on…

Topics covered

• King Arthur
• Tolkien Reading Day
• Arthurian tradition
• retellings of Arthur
• adaptations of Arthur
• Tolkien and Lewis
• modern retellings

Keywords

• King Arthur
• Tolkien
• C.S. Lewis
• retellings
• adaptations
• Tolkien Reading Day
• Arthurian tradition
• literature
• mythology
• fantasy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC

Books & works: Merlin, Arthur, Grail, Avalon, Sword from the Stone

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