At its core, The Rowan Tree is a modern rendition of the Arthurian Legend.
The fall of Camelot at Jefferson College begets a generation-spanning quest for the Holy Grail that will renew the spirit of human dignity throughout our global political culture. The destiny of Arthur falls upon Adam as he gathers the future champions of dignitarian values to his Round Table and ushers in a new era in Washington, D.C.
Like Arthur, Adam’s life is fraught with personal setbacks and betrayals that threaten the rise of the new Camelot. Will Adam have to retreat before the grail of dignity can shine throughout the world?
Note from the Author
I did not set out to write an Arthurian novel. In fact, it was only after working on The Rowan Tree for five years that I realized my characters had their counterparts in Camelot. Though the Arthurian myth may have shaped my novel unconsciously, the parallels between the characters of Morte d’Arthur and The Rowan Tree were long hidden from me, in part because the genders of King Arthur’s parents are reversed in Adam’s parents of The Rowan Tree.
When, finally, these parallels struck me, I changed the names, but not the genders, of a few of the characters in The Rowan Tree to provide clues to its underlying mythical structure. For example, Sir Galahad became the female Galia.
In short, The Rowan Tree was not intentionally modeled on the Arthurian myth. Rather, it assumed that form organically as if rising from unconscious depths—like Excalibur, borne aloft by the Lady of the Lake.
Characters in The Rowan Tree | Characters in the Arthurian Legend |
Rowan | Igraine of Cornwall |
Easter | Uther Pendragon |
Sara | Duke of Cornwall (Gorlois) |
François | Merlin |
Adam | King Arthur |
Marisol | Morgan le Fay (Morgana) |
Gwyneth | Guinevere |
Rex Urey | King Uriens |
Ben | Lancelot |
Ellie | Elaine of Corbenic |
Viviane | Vivienne |
Galia | Galahad |
Karen | Kay (seneschal) |
Modern Arthuriana: Resources
Here are further resources for those interested in how the Arthurian Legend has played out in the modern world:
Wikipedia’s List of Works Based on Arthurian Legend
Wikipedia’s List of Films Based on Arthurian Legend
King Arthur: A Man for the Ages
King Arthur: The Stuff of Future Memory
Literary Inspirations
Sword at Sunset – Rosemary Sutcliff
The Once and Future King -T.H. White
The Mists of Avalon – Marion Zimmer Bradley
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table – Roger Lancelyn Green
Morte d’Arthur – Sir Thomas Malory
Arthurian Romances – Chrétien de Troyes
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight -Translation by Simon Armitage
Further Reading
Arthuriana: The Journal of Arthurian Studies
The Cambridge Companion to the Arthurian Legend – Elizabeth Archibald, Ad Putter
The Arthurian Tradition: Essays in Convergence – Mary Flowers Braswell, John Bugge
The Return to Camelot: Chivalry and the English Gentleman – Mark Girouard
Arthurian Literature and Society – Stephen Thomas Knight
A Bibliography of Modern Arthuriana (1500-2000) – Ann F. Howey, Stephen Ray Reimer
A History of Arthurian Scholarship – Norris J. Lacy
King Arthur through the Ages – Valerie Marie Lagorio, Mildred Leake Day
Modern Arthurian Literature: An Anthology of English and American Arthuriana – Alan Lupack
The Grail Legend in Modern Literature – John Barry Marino
The King Arthur Myth in Modern American Literature – Andrew E. Mathis
Popular Arthurian Traditions – Sally K. Slocum
The Return of King Arthur: British and American Arthurian Literature Since 1900 – Beverly Taylor, Elizabeth Brewer
The Return from Avalon: A Study of the Arthurian Legend in Modern Fiction – Raymond H. Thompson
The Quest of the Holy Grail – Jessie L. Weston