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This book examines tradition, the authority of the past, by tracing the process through which emotion and imagination transform everyday experience into an awareness of one's dependence on the work of predecessors. The King Arthur legend serves as a case study, outlining how this authority of tradition creates and sustains meaningful structures of social order.
"This is a strikingly beautiful piece of philosophical prose, devoted to an issue of overriding importance. It is eminently readable; often quite eloquent! Allan manages competently to incorporate the very latest research and current perspectives in historiography, cultural anthropology, social psychology, linguistics, and critical theory." — George R. Lucas, Jr., Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Santa Clara
"It is almost spellbinding. The importance of story and myth is not only discussed, it is an integral part of the book itself and of the author's style of exposition. This is the most beautifully written book I've read in a long time." — Donald Crosby, Professor of Philosophy, Colorado State University
Preface
Chapter 1: Common Ground
Chapter 2: Holy Ground
Chapter 3: Solid Ground
Chapter 4: The Historical Past
Chapter 5: The Mythic Past
Chapter 6: The Eternal Past
Chapter 7: The Arthurian Tradition
Chapter 8: The Unraveling of Tradition
Chapter 9: The End of Tradition
Notes