Jessie Weston
Encyclopedia
Jessie Laidlay Weston was an independent scholar
and folklorist, working mainly on mediaeval Arthur
ian texts.
Her best-known work is From Ritual to Romance
(1920); this book is now available as an online text, as are others of hers. In it she brought to bear an analysis harking back to James George Frazer on the Grail legend, arguing for origins earlier than the Christian
or Celt
ic sources conventionally discussed at the time. It was cited by T. S. Eliot
in his notes to The Waste Land
. (He later claimed that the notes as a whole were ironic in intention, and the extent of Weston's actual influence on the poem is unclear. Eliot also indicated that the notes were requested by the publisher to bulk out the length of the poem in book form, calling them "bogus scholarship".)
It also caused her to be dismissed as a theosophist by F. L. Lucas
, in a hostile review of Eliot's poem. The interpretation of the Grail quest as mystical and connected to self-realisation, which she added to the anthropological layer of reading, was to become increasingly popular during the 1920s. According to Richard Barber
in The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief, the Wasteland
as theme in the Grail romances is of minor importance until the last works of the cycle, and the emphasis on fertility
is "an interpretation which has haunted twentieth-century literature to a degree quite disproportionate to its basis in fact". The book appears in the film Apocalypse Now
amongst those kept by the character Kurtz, along with The Golden Bough
.
While Weston's work on the Grail theme has been derided as fanciful speculation in the years since the publication of From Ritual to Romance (even one-time supporter Roger Sherman Loomis
eventually abandoned her hypothesis), her editions of numerous medieval romances
have been commended as valuable translations.
A biography "In Quest of Jessie Weston" by Janet Grayson appears in "Arthurian Literature," Vol 11 (1992).
Independent scholar
An independent scholar is anyone who conducts scholarly research outside universities and traditional academia. Independent scholars play an especially important role in areas such as art history and other humanities fields...
and folklorist, working mainly on mediaeval Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
ian texts.
Her best-known work is From Ritual to Romance
From Ritual to Romance
From Ritual to Romance is a 1920 book written by Jessie L. Weston. The work is notable for being mentioned by T. S. Eliot in the notes to his poem, The Waste Land:...
(1920); this book is now available as an online text, as are others of hers. In it she brought to bear an analysis harking back to James George Frazer on the Grail legend, arguing for origins earlier than the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
or Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic sources conventionally discussed at the time. It was cited by T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
in his notes to The Waste Land
The Waste Land
The Waste Land[A] is a 434-line[B] modernist poem by T. S. Eliot published in 1922. It has been called "one of the most important poems of the 20th century." Despite the poem's obscurity—its shifts between satire and prophecy, its abrupt and unannounced changes of speaker, location and time, its...
. (He later claimed that the notes as a whole were ironic in intention, and the extent of Weston's actual influence on the poem is unclear. Eliot also indicated that the notes were requested by the publisher to bulk out the length of the poem in book form, calling them "bogus scholarship".)
It also caused her to be dismissed as a theosophist by F. L. Lucas
F. L. Lucas
Frank Laurence Lucas was an English classical scholar, literary critic, poet, novelist, playwright, political polemicist, and Fellow of King's College, Cambridge....
, in a hostile review of Eliot's poem. The interpretation of the Grail quest as mystical and connected to self-realisation, which she added to the anthropological layer of reading, was to become increasingly popular during the 1920s. According to Richard Barber
Richard Barber
Richard William Barber FRSL FSA FRHistS is a British historian who has been writing and publishing in the field of medieval history and literature ever since his student days. He has specialised in Arthurian legend, beginning with a general survey, Arthur of Albion which is still in print in a...
in The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief, the Wasteland
Wasteland (mythology)
The Wasteland is a Celtic motif that ties the barrenness of a land with a curse that must be lifted by a hero. It occurs in Irish mythology and French Grail romances, and hints of it may be found in the Welsh Mabinogion....
as theme in the Grail romances is of minor importance until the last works of the cycle, and the emphasis on fertility
Fertility
Fertility is the natural capability of producing offsprings. As a measure, "fertility rate" is the number of children born per couple, person or population. Fertility differs from fecundity, which is defined as the potential for reproduction...
is "an interpretation which has haunted twentieth-century literature to a degree quite disproportionate to its basis in fact". The book appears in the film Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
amongst those kept by the character Kurtz, along with The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging, comparative study of mythology and religion, written by Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer . It first was published in two volumes in 1890; the third edition, published 1906–15, comprised twelve volumes...
.
While Weston's work on the Grail theme has been derided as fanciful speculation in the years since the publication of From Ritual to Romance (even one-time supporter Roger Sherman Loomis
Roger Sherman Loomis
Roger Sherman Loomis was an American scholar and one of the foremost authorities on medieval and Arthurian literature.-Biography:...
eventually abandoned her hypothesis), her editions of numerous medieval romances
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
have been commended as valuable translations.
A biography "In Quest of Jessie Weston" by Janet Grayson appears in "Arthurian Literature," Vol 11 (1992).
Private life
Jessie was the eldest of seven children born to William and Clara Weston. The elder siblings were born in Surrey, but youngest son Clarance was born in Kent. Jessie, her sister Frances and brother Clarence later moved to Bournemouth, where Jessie began her writing career, remaining there until around 1903. Her home at 65 Lansdowne Road still stands, as of 2010.Works
- Parzival: A Knightly Epic by Wolfram von Eschenbach (1894) (translator)
- The Legends of the Wagner Drama: Studies in Mythology (1896)
- The Legend Of Sir Gawain: studies upon its original scope & significance (1897)
- Sir Gawain and the Green KnightSir Gawain and the Green KnightSir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance outlining an adventure of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. In the poem, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green, from his clothes and hair to his...
: Retold in Modern Prose (1898) - King Arthur and His Knights: A Survey of Arthurian Romance (1899)
- Guingamor, LanvalLanval"Lanval" is one of the Lais of Marie de France. Written in Anglo-Norman, it tells the story of a knight at King Arthur's court who is overlooked by the king, wooed by a fairy lady, given all manner of gifts by her, and subsequently refuses the advances of Queen Guinevere...
, TyoletTyoletTyolet is an anonymous Breton lai that takes place in the realm of King Arthur. It tells the tale of a naïve young knight who wins the hand of a maiden after a magical adventure.-Composition and manuscripts:...
, Bisclaveret: Four Lais Rendered into English Prose (c. 1900) translator, text by Marie De FranceMarie de FranceMarie de France was a medieval poet who was probably born in France and lived in England during the late 12th century. She lived and wrote at an undisclosed court, but was almost certainly at least known about at the royal court of King Henry II of England... - MorienMorienMorien or Moriaen is a 13th-century Arthurian romance in Middle Dutch. A 4,720-line version is preserved in the vast Lancelot-Compilatie, and a short fragment exists at the Royal Library at Brussels...
: a Metrical Romance Rendered into English Prose (1901) PDF - The Romance Cycle of CharlemagneCharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
and his Peers (1901) - Sir ClegesSir ClegesSir Cleges is a medieval English chivalric romance. It is clearly a minstrel tale, praising giving gifts to minstrels, and punishing the servants who might make it impossible for a minstrel in a noble household. Corrupt officials are central to it....
, Sir Libeaus DesconusLibeaus DesconusLibeaus Desconus is a 14th century Middle English version of the popular "Fair Unknown" story. Its author is thought to be Thomas Chestre. The story matter displays strong parallels to that of Renaut de Beaujeu's Le Bel Inconnu; both versions describe the adventures of Gingalain, the son of King...
(1902) - The Three Days' Tournament (1902)
- The Legend of Sir Perceval: Studies upon its Origin, Development and Position in the Arthurian Cycle. London, David Nutt 1906. 2 volumes.
- Sir Gawain & the Lady of Lys. London, David Nutt 1907
- Romance Vision and Satire; English Alliterative Poems of the Fourteenth Century (1912)
- The Quest for the Holy GrailHoly GrailThe Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
(1913) - The Chief Middle English poets (1914)
- From Ritual to Romance (1920) HTML
- The Romance of PerlesvausPerlesvausPerlesvaus, also called Li Hauz Livres du Graal , is an Old French Arthurian romance dating to the first decade of the 13th century...
(1988) edited by Janet Grayson