MLA Arthurian Discussion Group 2005
2007; Scriptoriun Press; Volume: 17; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/art.2007.0051
ISSN1934-1539
Autores Tópico(s)Historical and Archaeological Studies
ResumoThe Round Table MLA Arthurian Discussion Group 2005 The Arthurian Discussion Group sponsors a session at the Modern Language Association meeting every year; in 2005, the subject was 'Cloaks ofInvisibility: The Status ofArthurian Studies.' Patricia Clare Ingham, in titling the session, said: 'Cloaks ofinvisibility are the stuffoftales ofArthur, instrumental, in some accounts, to Arthur's birth and origin, to Uther Pendragon's paternity of the boy-king. To what extent does invisibility also structure Arthurian Literature as a field?' In the call for papers, we asked: why do scholars working in various subfields of Arthurian romance (medieval or modern, English, German, French, or American) seem to have difficulty engaging with one another's work? And to what extent are Arthurian texts and scholars marginalized (or self-marginalizing), not only within the larger domain of medieval studies, but within the domain of literary studies? Moreover, in the mostly hermetic world of serious scholarly study, texts might be said to occupy certain class positions, and hence their readers, critics, and editors in relation to them. What is the status ofArthurian romance and why do we think so? Our speakers offered diverse, often provocative, answers, as the following papers, only slightly revised for publication, demonstrate. KATHLEEN COYNE KELLY, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Cloaks of Invisibility: The Status of Arthurian Studies ELIZABETH SCALA The ongoing film, print, and merchandizing phenomenon surrounding J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series makes for a timely interrogation of medievalist, and particularly Arthurian, work. While many university scholars lament the dwindling attention and funds given to medievalistprojects, the MiddleAges seems very much alive and well in its popular formations. Both youth and adult cultures are obsessed with the Middle Ages, even beyond the indication that we might perceive from the castle-inhabiting, wizarding narratives ofRowling that have made Harry Potter the best-selling series in publishing history. The fanaticism prompted and fueled by the Star Wars franchise and the Lord ofthe Rings film trilogy, the cult following of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and its recent re-vivication in the Broadway production ofSpamalot, also provide obvious signs ofthe popularity ofthe Middle Ages in the contemporary imagination. But there are numerous others to be found in television advertising: IBM, the U.S. Marines, Capital One Credit Cards, and Jack-in-the-Box restaurants each use medieval, and specifically Arthurian, ad ARTHURIANA I7.4 (2??7) 93 ...
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