THE LADY OF SHALOTT

The Celts contributed to the European literature with the Arthurian books, and the best example is “The Lady of Shalott” (1842) by Lord Tennyson, based on the Arthurian legend “Eleaine of Astolat” (Early Medieval).
“The Lady of Shalott”, one of the most famous poems of the nineteenth century, focuses on a  lady who lives secluded on the island of Shalott, located in the river that flows to Camelot. A curse has confined her into the castle that dominates the island and she spends the day weaving the images she can see by the window through a mirror, it is forbidden for her to look out. One day passes by Sir Lancelot, and she falls in love at first sight. She can’t avoid looking by the window, and then the terrible curse is on.
To illustrate the poem, the Irishman Matthew Griffin has recreated the early medieval Celtic aesthetics, and was also inspired by The Book of Kells, where he was borned.

The Heritage Collection is a series of picture books to make widely
known for children the European aesthetic heritage, represented on
popular crafts and arts. The aim is to show  how ancient cultures looked
at the world.