The Return of King Arthur and the Nibelungen : National Myth in Nineteenth-Century English and German Literature

TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS is a series of books that open new perspectives in our understanding of language. The series publishes state-of-the-art work on core areas of linguistics across theoretical frameworks as well as studies that provide new insights by building bridges to neighbouring fields such as neuroscience and cognitive science. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS considers itself a forum for cutting-edge research based on solid empirical data on language in its various manifestations, including sign languages. It regards linguistic variation in its synchronic and diachronic dimensions as well as in its social contexts as important sources of insight for a better understanding of the design of linguistic systems and the ecology and evolution of language. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS publishes monographs and outstanding dissertations as well as edited volumes, which provide the opportunity to address controversial topics from different empirical and theoretical viewpoints. High quality standards are ensured through anonymous reviewing. Frontmatter -- Introduction: National Myth -- Mythic or National -- CHAPTER 1: The Investment of Literature with Mythic Significance -- CHAPTER 2: The Investment of History with Mythic Significance -- CHAPTER 3: The Search for the Legitimising Mythic Matter of the Moderns: From Homer's Heroes to Gothic Knights and Back -- CHAPTER 4: The National Dimension of the New Mythic Materials: "Volkspoesie", Ballad Revival and the Germanic Nations' Mission in History -- CHAPTER 5: The Representative National Individual: The Emergence of Siegfried and King Arthur -- CHAPTER 6: The Results: Richard Wagner's Ring des Nibelungen and Alfred Tennyson's Idylls of the King as Modern National Myths -- CONCLUSION: Arthur, Siegfried and the Germanic -- A Qualification of the Difference between the German and the Western Tradition -- Bibliography -- Index -- Backmatter.