ABSTRACT
Clearly the Arthurian legends present problems for American authors. How can they retell stories that glorify members of a hierarchic and aristocratic system that seems incompatible with American ideals in such a way that the stories become relevant and interesting to a New World audience? One answer is that to a certain extent a
great story is relevant and revealing to any audience in any age. But there are also certain strategies employed by American authors in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to make the legends their own. These strategies include the downplaying of kingship and the democra tizing of the concepts of royalty, knighthood, and chivalry; the introduction of American characters and settings into Arthurian stories; the use of an Edenic (one might say New World) theme; and, at times, a radical departure from the traditional interpretation of Arthurian plots and charac ters.
