As he became increasingly politicized, however, his story became increasingly dangerous. He is the subject of histories, chronicles, poetry, romances, ballads, and pageants. His story was of great interest to everyone from ancient chroniclers to early modern English royalty. No one seems to have been writing plays about King Arthur. There was, however, a conspicuous absence in this theatrical pageant of monarchy. Green, ‘Tom Thumb and Jack the Giant-Killer: Two Arthurian Fairy Tales?’, Folklore, 118.2 (2007), 123–40Īncient kings were a favorite subject of the playwrights of early modern England. Jack the Giant-Killer, in contrast, seems to owe a noteworthy debt to the Arthur of Welsh and/or Cornish folklore rather than to the roi fainéant of the international legend, perhaps reflecting the decline in importance of the latter since the time of the History of Tom Thumbe. It is suggested that the Arthurian element in Tom Thumb is, while not central, significant, and that it is best viewed in the context of an established pattern of development and expansion of the international Arthurian cycle which meets the needs and interests of different audiences. Rather, both arguably embody and illustrate important points about the nature of the Arthurian legend in an era in which interest in this had declined considerably. The earliest recorded forms of these stories are discussed and it is contended that the common dismissal of their Arthurian elements as unimportant background-Arthur's Britain as a variant of "Once upon a time"-is unhelpful. This study examines the chapbook tales of Tom Thumb and Jack the Giant-Killer.
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