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Article: The Genesis of Narrative in Malory's 'Morte Darthur'.(Book Review)
- Article from:
- The Modern Language Review
- Article date:
- January 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Modern Humanities Research Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Genesis of Narrative in Malory's 'Morte Darthur'. By ELIZABETH EDWARDS. (Arthurian Studies) Cambridge: Brewer. 2001. x+201 pp. 40 [pounds sterling]; $75. ISBN 0-85991-596-4.
Elizabeth Edwards's book laudably addresses that perennial question in Malory criticism: what is the significance of Malory's 'narrative abbreviation and uncanniness' (p. 23)? Her study answers this question in the light of the recent literary theory of Genette, Barthes, and others. Chapter 1, 'Symbolic Structure', defines structure as 'an internal logic which generates [Malory's] selection of incidents and stories' in relation to his sources (p. ix). Freud's notion of cathexis enables ...