Merlin : knowledge and power through the ages

Summary: Merlin, the wizard of Arthurian legend, has been a source of enduring fascination for centuries. In this authoritative text, the author traces the myth of Merlin back to its roots in the early Welsh figure of Myrddin. He then follows Merlin as he is imagined and reimaged through the centuries of literature and art. He covers French and German as well as Anglophone elements of the myth and brings the story up to the present with discussions of a globalized Merlin who finds his way into popular literature, film, television, and New Age philosophy. The author argues that Merlin in all his guises represents a conflict basic to Western societies - the clash between knowledge and power. While the Merlin story varies over time, the underlying structural tension remains the same whether its takes the form of bard versus lord, magician versus monarch, or scientist versus capitalist. As Knight sees it, Merlin embodies the contentious duality inherent to organized societies. -- from Book Jacket.