The Arthurian Legend and Imperialism: Geoffrey of Monmouth, Mark Twain and Hollywood

Abstract

This essay will discuss the impact the adventurist, imperialistic and expansionist mindset of this country has had on how the Arthurian legend has been treated by American writers, such as Mark Twain, and filmmakers. This imperialistic theme is present in some of the earliest versions of the legends such as Geoffrey of Monmouth‘s Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain).