The Quest of the Holy Grail translated with an introduction by P.M. Matarasso
Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1969 ISBN 0140442200
While I was reading this book, my wife pondered why the Arthurian story, particularly the Grail Quest, has held the imagination of the Western world for so long. It is indeed an interesting question, but could be answered as with any classic - each era gets something different from the tale, and so it goes on.
The current Dan Brown era of Grail Lore focusses on mystery and mayhem. The Quest of the Holy Grail was written much more as a spiritual guide, with the "adventure" added on (there is an interesting footnote which parses the term adventure, which in the French of the time had a much wider meaning than the mere physical aspect we give the word in today's English).
The Quest of the Holy Grail forms part of the Vulgate Cycle: perhaps the most important part. Previously to the beginning of this tale is the story of Camelot, Lancelot and other Knights of the Round Table. After this tale is the Death of Arthur and the end of Camelot.
The tale of the Grail is about being a good Christian more than anything else. The adventures that are described all are lessons on how to live a good Christian life, and are all explained as such within the text, via the trope of a Knight suffering an adventure (whether temporal or spiritual) and then seeking a divine of some sort (usually a hermit) to explain what just happened. Both the visions and the explanations are intricate and ingenious, and emphasise what was important to those who wrote and read this tale - to live a good Christian life, chaste, noble, and fearful of God.
The Quest focusses on some key figures - Galahad, Lancelot, Gawain, Percival, and Bors. These Knight's adventures form the core of the text, and illustrate the fate of those that sin, and those that repent. Gawain is too prideful, and suffers a steep fall, Perceval lacks discernment, but his good heart and noble character allow him to complete the Quest, as does Bors, whose loyalty and faith in God are rewarded even though he stumbled on the path. Galahad is a vision of Christ, and so naturally fulfills his destiny (in fact, like may perfect heroes, he is somewhat of a cipher in this text). Lancelot's story is the most complex - during the Quest he is shriven, coming to the realisation that his sins of adultery, lust and desire for riches and power mean that he can never fulfil the ultimate quest - he can see the Grail at a distance, but never behold it fully.
For the modern reader, this work can be difficult to get into and interpret. The melding of Celtic myth (the Maimed King, the Wastelands) with Christian symbolism creates a unique world in which nothing is what it seems, and where the Christian meaning of places and actions can be hard to discern. This is myth as story, and story as myth (thankfully the endnotes are helpful to the reader who wishes to know more). The image of the primeval forest is strong in this book - most of the Knights spend most of their time there, and it is a metaphor for the world at large, where evil reigns, and the good person must always be on their guard.
In the end the three good Knights (Perceval, Bors and Galahad) succeed in bringing the Grail to Sarras, where God takes it back up to heaven, deeming that England, and indeed mankind, had become too wicked to allow it to stay on earth.
If you get your ideas about the Holy Grail from Indiana Jones or Dan Brown, you will find this book somewhat perplexing, but if you want to know the "true" history of the Grail, this is a must-read.
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