The gentry context for Malory's Morte Darthur

"This book sets Malory's Morte Darthur in the context of the political concerns that he shared with his fifteenth-century gentry readers; the author draws widely on their correspondence and reading material, but looks particularly at the political content of contemporary miscellanies owned, commissioned and read by the gentry. She shows how the themes of political governance and royal succession, which are of primary importance in contemporary historical chronicles and genealogies, informed the political thinking of Malory's readers; and demonstrates how debates over ideas of worship, fellowship, lordship, and counselling indicate a process of change in the gentry's political attitudes and values, their sense of identity, and also their response to the Arthurian story."--Jacket.