دانلود کتاب König Artus und sein Kreis in der höfischen Epik. Eine vergleichende studie der deutschen Artusromane des 12. und 13. Jahrhunderts unter besonderer berüsksichtigung von Chrestien de Troyes [PhD thesis]

Hitherto, studies on the figure of King Arthur considered mostly the aspect of historical background and sources. The present study takes a different approach in analysing the figure of King Arthur as to its function and motivation within courtly romance itself. Furtheron, it points out the existing analogies, but even more, the striking differences between the representation of the personality of King Arthur in German and French courtly romance as well as in classical and epigonous Arthurian romance.
The study therefore centers upon the following aspects:
- King Arthur as the incarnation of fundamental courtly values of morals and ethics. The particular interest of this section lies in the fact that there are only specific values attributed to King Arthur which are not the same in German and French epic, nor are they the same in Hartmann's and Wolfram's Arthurian romances and in those of their contemporaries and successors. The object was to determine the origins which account for the differences of characterization as well as the underlying poetic or ideal concept.
- King Arthur as the incarnation of the medieval sovereign. This section considers the historical, political and social conditions of the time as reflected in the representation of the sovereign, his duties, tasks and activities which widely differ within the various romances.
- The technique of description and characterization. This part of the study permits an appreciation of the literary devices and stylistic means throughout two centuries of courtly epic as applied to the representation of the sovereign.
- The structure of the episodes devoted to King Arthur and his court and their signification within each romance.

The present comparative study as a whole represents a contribution to the evolution of German Arthurian romance in the 12th and 13th centuries and furnishes the necessary elements to a wider study and appreciation of cyclic composition and its literary motivation. It also throws some new light on the concept of the sovereign as encountered in medieval courtly epic.