Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/12

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Subject: [Leica] racial overtones / lancelot and the grail
From: Robert Appleby and Susan Darlow <laintal@tin.it>
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2000 22:49:47 +0100

>>
The quest is everything. Remember Lancelot and the holy grail? His life
was devoted to the quest, not to the grail. If he'd found the stupid
grail he wouldn't have had any idea what to do with himself. He didn't
really want it, he wanted to look for it. I'm sure he subscribed to
"Absolute Questing" magazine rather than to "Family Grail".
 (Brian reid)
>>

Please! My friend Lancelot is one of the most misunderstood knights of the
Table. In fact, when Lancelot did achieve the Quest of the Grail, he was
not allowed to enter the chapel to celebrate Mass with Percivale and (I
forget who - Percivale's sister? Galahad?) because of his adulterous
relationship with Guinevere. This was the crushing blow to his self-esteem
(and spiritual status) which was only redeemed when he restored a dead
knight to life after a joust in which he had accidentally killed him. "And
Lancelot cried like a little boy that hath been whipped". In fact Lancelot
was not a gung-ho bully boy riding to hounds, but a deeply spiritual
person; the Quest for the Grail was not a trophy hunt, but a search for the
ultimate religious consummation, which led to the passing away of those who
had celebrated mass (they left the world on a mysterious ship which carried
them away over the waters). The Grail knights were in search of perfection,
not a fox's tail, and the Quest of the Grail signalled the breaking up of
the Round Table. It had no more reason to exist, and degenerated into a
jousting club.
(The Round Table and Scott of the Antarctic are two subjects which get me
gassing).
Now is this off topic, or what!
Rob.
Robert Appleby and Sue Darlow
Via Bellentani 36
41100 Modena
Italy
Tel/fax [39] 059 303436