Below the Summer Stars

An analytical exploration of Williams' poetic magnum opus, guiding the lay reader through the rich and challenging text. Charles Williams, Oxford's 'Third Inkling', is less well known than C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, yet both recognized his brilliance. Nichols moves through the Arthuriad poem by poem, drawing on the historical, religious and literary context informing Williams' poetical work and drawing out poignant details to enrich one's reading of the collection. Below the Summer Stars does not proceed with line-by-line analysis, but instead illuminates the overall sense and message of the Arthuriad poems; the result is a concise and informative study which accompanies the reader through the text rather than overshadowing Williams' words. Ultimately, Nichols argues, the Arthuriad is theological in character, yet it also establishes a hitherto lacking mythopoetic world for the British Isles; Nichols' historical and cultural analysis is an invitation to step into this world, confident in the authorial voice which shows you the way.