The Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur - Paperback

by Howard Pyle (Author)

A classic retelling of the final phase of the Arthurian legend, presenting the Grail quest and the decline of Camelot in a unified and accessible narrative form.

Howard Pyle's The Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur brings together the concluding movements of the Arthurian cycle, focusing on the spiritual quest for the Holy Grail and the subsequent dissolution of the Round Table. Drawing upon medieval sources, Pyle reshapes the material into a continuous prose narrative, emphasising chivalric ideals, moral testing, and the consequences of human frailty. The work presents both the aspiration embodied in the Grail quest and the inevitable decline that follows, situating individual actions within a broader moral and legendary framework.

First published in the early twentieth century, the volume forms part of Pyle's larger Arthurian series, which played a significant role in introducing these legends to modern readers. His approach combines clarity of structure with a strong narrative voice, making complex source material accessible without loss of thematic coherence. The work remains an important entry point into the Arthurian tradition and a representative example of early modern retellings of medieval legend.