The English pseudohistorian Geoffrey of Monmouth (ca. 1100-1155) is known for his "History of the Kings of Britain," through which he contributed greatly to the dissemination of the Arthurian legend throughout Europe. Geoffrey was born in or near...

Of both the life and the works of Geoffrey of Monmouth more is known than is usual about an author of the twelfth century, but this information has often been the subject of controversy, both in his own and in later times. Geoffrey was probably born...

The marvelous logic of the mad ... seems to mock that of the logicians because it resembles it so exactly, or rather because it is exactly the same, and because at the secret heart of madness, at the core of so many of...

Helen Cooper: The English Romance in Time: Transforming Motifs from Geoffrey of Monmouth to the Death Shakespeare (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004). xv + 542 pp. ISBN 0-19-924886-9. 68.00 [pounds sterling]. This engaging, informative book treats the major genre of secular fiction...

Storms and gusting winds have chiseled away at this corner of southwestern England for centuries, but the legends that inhabit the area still loom large.The rocky headland near the village of Tintagel has become so entwined with the legend of King Arthur that its true...

In the following excerpt, Leckie discusses the many problems faced by medieval historians in chronicling Britain's past and traces the reaction to and impact of Geoffrey's effort.

In the following essay, Hanning discusses the impact of the Normans on the more secular attitude toward historical study in the twelfth century. He focuses on how Geoffrey demonstrated this new approach through his accounts of outstanding individuals and the cyclical nature of history.

In the following essay, Curran argues that playwrights who tried to be faithful in their adaptations of Geoffrey's material met with disappointing results, whereas William Shakespeare's version—which did not treat the History literally—is a masterpiece.