The Quest of the Holy Grail (Penguin Classics), Packaging May Vary Paperback – February 28, 1969

This is a heavily Christianized version of the famous Grail legend. I say that because the Quest of the Holy Grail was written about by many throughout the ages - and this version is probably the most distant from the Celtic pagan tradition. The commentary and notes are excellent - and Pauline Matarasso's insight into the theology and symbolism of the work isextremely entertaining and enlightening. Her theory that the book may have been written by a Cistercian monk based on clues in the text is also interesting given the number of scriptural references and mystical overtones. One of the best of its kind.

This book is special for me.Now I feel like Galahad, Perceval and Bors would always stay in my heart.Being part of a busy everyday city life this book carries you away from it, somewhere very far away, and somewhere within you.The way heroes of this book act while facing their trials is very very inspiring and is presented in such a way that you question yourself: "How can it be otherwise?"For those who are interested to understand the Bible on a deeper level, it does explain some of the Christian symbols and parables.Fantastic book, I would give more than 5 stars, but unfortunately that's not an option.

It was a good read - at times, a bit strange, but also really interesting - i had a hard time putting the book down. It gave me a better understanding behind the knights of the round table, and while what has become legend and explained in symbol can still be found today, the way the stories are told are somewhat too symbolic/obscure to be truly well understood, and may also have been tempered/altered with. A good read nonetheless, and what I was interested at the time I read this book, over 10 years ago.

We needed this book for my son’s summer reading requirements.. The book came in perfect condition. Amazon had it for a great price and 2 days shipping. It’s so easy to have it come straight to your home!

Had to read this for school. It was better than expected. Pleasantly surprised at how good the book was. Very informative.

The Grail literature has fascinated me for many years. This book is very well done and I highly recommend it.

Before reading The Quest of the Holy Grail, one must remember that it is a work of Medieval literature, not a popular novel. With that proviso in mind, this complex and highly allegorical work will delight those interested in the Medieval quest for the Holy Grail--but it will disappoint those wanting a modern page-turner. It is also interesting to compare this volume from the French "Vulgate" Cycle with Malory's later version of the Grail Quest in his Le Morte D'Arthur. Malory streamlines the intricate interlacing of the French version to produce a more compelling read but loses much of the deeper religious symbolism of his source. For those readers willing to delve into Medieval religious allegory I would highly recommend The Quest of the Holy Grail. I have already read it three times, and each time I do I get more out of it.

Although choppy at times, and the characters seem to be superhuman in terms of combat and piety, this remarkable book is useful on a number of levels.What many reviewers fail to note is that this book was intended primarily to be a manual on spiritual growth, not to tell stories of great knights. Given the original audience, this makes sense. The average peasant in the 12th century would not be able to follow scholastic reasoning, but they would be able to follow a story of heroism and spiritual warfare.This book anticipates many of the elements of the future novel: numerous side-plots where the characters branch off but stay united through the author's skillful weaving of the different strands of the narrative. This allows the author to simultaneously develop different characters, build the plot, and release tension at different climaxes without stealing his thunder for the ultimate Grail climax.Evaluation:Modern day readers, whether Protestant or Catholic, will chafe at some of the author's theology. The author, in line with medieval ethics, viewed sex and Concupiscence in a negative light (the author's exegesis of the Genesis account would not stand today's scrutiny).It would probably pay well to read this in light of Tennyson's account. The Grail story for our author here speaks of redemption (if sometimes in an extreme semi-Pelagian sense) as a reality and man's goal as utter self-abandonment to God. Tennyson, being a respectable Victorian, does not have a sense of redemption (but ironically, a strong sense of sin) and views man's goal as respectability in society. In terms of ethics, let's stick with the 12th century Grail account.