Alliance/Blog Update August 2013

Effective August 2013, the Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain has been absorbed by the revived Society for Arthurian Popular Culture Studies (founded 2000) and the resulting organization named The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain. The new group will function for the remainder of 2013 as an affiliate of The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages and be based at the King Arthur Forever website at KingArthurForever.org. This site will be maintained as time permits.

Further details can be found on King Arthur Forever at http://kingarthurforever.blogspot.com/2013/08/king-arhur-forever-reborn.html.

Michael A. Torregrossa
Co-Founder, The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Founder, The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain

Our Kalamazoo Sessions 2013

Time and technology continue to conspire against me, but here (at last) are the details of our sessions. The complete program can be accessed at http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/sessions.html.

Saturday, 11 May 2013 at 12:00 PM
Valley III 303
Business Meeting and Reception: Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain; Institute for the Advancement of Scholarship on the Magic-Wielding Figures of Visual Electronic Multimedia; Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages

All are welcome to attend to discuss and plan sessions for 2014 and 2015.


Saturday, 11 May 2013 at 1:30 PM
Session 422, Fetzer 1005
Arthurian Monster Quest: Investigating the Monsters of the Arthurian Tradition (A Roundtable)
Sponsor: Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain

Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain
Presider: Charlotte A. T. Wulf, Stevenson Univ.

Ysbaddaden Pencawr: A Gentler Giant?
Lisa LeBlanc, Anna Maria College

The Giant of Mont-Saint-Michel: Grendelkin?
Kris Kobold, York Univ.

Monstrous Felines in Old French Arthuriana, or, There’s More Than One Way to Skin a Chapalu
Brandy N. Brown, Pennsylvania State Univ.

Lycanthropy and Absence in Arthur and Gorlagon
Angela Tenga, Florida Institute of Technology

“An Unsemely Sighte”: Medieval Arthurian Women as Monstrosities
S. Elizabeth Passmore, Univ. of Southern Indiana


=============================
Michael A. Torregrossa, MA
Founder, The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain
http://ArthurianVillainyResearch.blogspot.com/

Other Links:

The Monstrous Matter of Britain

http://monstrous-matter-of-britain.blogspot.com/

Arthurian Monster Quest Update

I am pleased to announce the details of our sponsored session for next year's Medieval Congress:


Arthurian Monster Quest: Investigating the Monsters of the Arthurian Tradition (Roundtable)
Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain

Presider: Charlotte A. T. Wulf, Stevenson University

Paper 1: Ysbaddaden Pencawr: A Gentler Giant?
Lisa LeBlanc, Anna Maria College

Paper 2: The Giant of Mont-Saint-Michel: Grendelkin?
Kris Kobold, York University

Paper 3: Monstrous Felines in Old French Arthuriana, or There’s More Than One Way to Skin a Chapalu
Brandy N. Brown, The Pennsylvania State University


Paper 4: Lycanthropy and Absence in Arthur and Gorlagon
Angela Tenga, Florida Institute of Technology

Paper 5: “An Unsemely Sighte”: Medieval Arthurian Women as Monstrosities
S. Elizabeth Passmore, University of Southern Indiana

Kalamazoo Update

My apologies for the delaying in updating the site(s) and focusing on the Kalamazoo session on monsters. I have been thinking and reading much on monsters but (unfortunately) not doing much thinking about Kalamazoo these past few months.

Expect an update on the session by Monday and email responses to all proposals submitted to the Alliance address by tonight.

Michael Torregrossa

CFP Arthurian Monster Quest

CALL FOR PAPERS
ARTHURIAN MONSTER QUEST
INVESTIGATING THE MONSTERS OF THE ARTHURIAN TRADITION, MEDIEVAL THROUGH MODERN
A SESSION FOR THE 48TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON MEDIEVAL STUDIES (WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY, KALAMAZOO, MI) FROM 9-12 MAY 2013
SPONSORED BY THE ALLIANCE FOR THE PROMOTION OF RESEARCH ON THE VILLAINS OF THE MATTER OF BRITAIN
PROPOSALS BY 1 SEPTEMBER 2012 (EARLY SUBMISSION RECOMMENDED)


Inspired by the pioneering work of Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, teratology, the study of monsters, is experiencing a renaissance of late in Medieval Studies. Much of this new work has been conducted under the auspices of MEARCSTAPA (Monsters: the Experimental Association for the Research of Cryptozoology through Scholarly Theory and Practical Application), but there remain other avenues to explore, especially with regards to fields of interest, like Arthurian Studies, that stretch outside the medieval and into the various eras of post-medieval history. In sponsoring this session, The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain hopes to offer some much needed illumination into the darker parts of Arthur’s realm and provide some sense of the history of the monsters that dwell in these shadows.

In existence for nearly fifteen hundred years, the Matter of Britain, the body of myths and legends associated with King Arthur and his court, has long been linked with the supernatural, chiefly in Arthur’s own nebulous fate as the Once and Future King and in the wonder-workings of the incubus-spawned Merlin, the fairy women variously called the Lady of the Lake, and Arthur’s sibling Morgan le Fay, who is of human origin despite her otherworldly title. These characters have all received much attention from scholars, but the larger mass of Arthurian preternature has not. Besides these examples, the denizens of Camelot presented in medieval texts encounter many further mystical creatures, all of which we might consider as unnatural, or monstrous, today, including demons, dragons, the Fair Folk, figures we would now label as witches, giants, griffins, hellhounds, the restless dead, unicorns, werewolves, and, who can forget, the enigmatic Questing Beast. These monsters, although important features of their respective narratives, have all received little attention in modern scholarship. Their successors have received even less attention, despite the continuance of all of these preternatural beings in post-medieval Arthurian texts, including such extremes as the Blazing Dragons franchise, which recasts Arthurian figures as anthropomorphic dragons. In addition, as the corpus of Arthuriana has expanded exponentially following the close of the Middle Ages, this new Matter of Britain has also introduced additional creatures of the night (such as ogres, vampires, zombies, and a plethora of new creations featured in the Merlin television series) not found in medieval tales of Arthur’s court. Modern Arthurian texts, moreover, have expanded the provenance of the monstrous and transformed ordinary figures from the legend into monsters. It is this world of Arthurian monsters that we seek to explore in these sessions with the intent of opening up their realm for further discussion and appreciation.

Please note, all submissions will also be considered for a special issue of Arthuriana on the topic. Completed essays will be due in June 2013.


PLEASE SUBMIT PROPOSALS OF 500 WORDS OR LESS, PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FORM (AVAILABLE AT http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/submissions/index.html), AND A COPY OF YOUR CV TO THE ORGANIZERS AT ArthurianVillainyResearch@gmail.com PLEASE INCLUDE “KALAMAZOO 2013 PROPOSAL” IN THE SUBJECT LINE

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ALLIANCE FOR THE PROMOTION OF RESEARCH ON THE VILLAINS OF THE MATTER OF BRITAIN, PLEASE ACCESS OUR BLOG AT http://ArthurianVillainyResearch.blogspot.com/

A Go for Kalamazoo 2013

I am very pleased to report that the organizing committee of the International Congress on Medieval Studies has looked favorably on our proposal for sessions on the topic of "Arthurian Monster Quest: Investigating the Monsters of the Arthurian Tradition, Medieval through Modern" (details in previous post), though they have approved only one of our two requested sessions. That does severely limit our energies and time/space for the project, but I do welcome your ideas and proposals via email. All proposals submitted, regardless of their acceptance for the panel, will be considered for a special issue of Arthuriana on the topic. Michael Torregrossa Founder and Blog Editor

Kalamazoo Proposal 2013

Here is the text of our proposal to the Medieval Institute for next year's International Congress on Medieval Studies:

Arthurian Monster Quest: Investigating the Monsters of the Arthurian Tradition, Medieval through Modern (2)

Inspired by the pioneering work of Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, teratology, the study of monsters, is experiencing a renaissance of late in Medieval Studies. Much of this new work has been conducted under the auspices of MEARCSTAPA (Monsters: the Experimental Association for the Research of Cryptozoology through Scholarly Theory and Practical Application), but there remain other avenues to explore, especially with regards to fields of interest, like Arthurian Studies, that stretch outside the medieval and into the various eras of post-medieval history. In sponsoring these sessions, The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain hopes to offer some much needed illumination into the darker parts of Arthur’s realm and provide some sense of the history of the monsters that dwell in these shadows.

In existence for nearly fifteen hundred years, the Matter of Britain, the body of myths and legends associated with King Arthur and his court, has long been linked with the supernatural, chiefly in Arthur’s own nebulous fate as the Once and Future King and in the wonder-workings of the incubus-spawned Merlin, the fairy women variously called the Lady of the Lake, and Arthur’s sibling Morgan le Fay, who is of human origin despite her otherworldly title. These characters have all received much attention from scholars, but the larger mass of Arthurian preternature has not. Besides these examples, the denizens of Camelot presented in medieval texts encounter many further mystical creatures, all of which we might consider as unnatural, or monstrous, today, including demons, dragons, the Fair Folk, figures we would now label as witches, giants, griffins, hellhounds, the restless dead, unicorns, werewolves, and, who can forget, the enigmatic Questing Beast. These monsters, although important features of their respective narratives, have all received little attention in modern scholarship. Their successors have received even less attention, despite the continuance of all of these preternatural beings in post-medieval Arthurian texts, including such extremes as the Blazing Dragons franchise, which recasts Arthurian figures as anthropomorphic dragons. In addition, as the corpus of Arthuriana has expanded exponentially following the close of the Middle Ages, this new Matter of Britain has also introduced additional creatures of the night (such as ogres, vampires, zombies, and a plethora of new creations featured in the Merlin television series) not found in medieval tales of Arthur’s court. Modern Arthurian texts, moreover, have expanded the provenance of the monstrous and transformed ordinary figures from the legend into monsters. It is this world of Arthurian monsters that we seek to explore in these sessions with the intent of opening up their realm for further discussion and appreciation. 

Kalamazoo 2013 Ideas

The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain seeks your input regarding our sponsored sessions for next year's International Congress on Medieval Studies. We are interested in submitting proposals for sessions on the monstrous and the Arthurian and on Mordred. If you're interested in presenting or helping to organize/preside, please email us (at ArthurianVillainyResearch@gmail.com) ASAP by 5/25 with details. Please use "Kalamazoo 2013" as your subject line.

Michael

Kalamazoo 2012

A much delayed posting of our sponsored sessions for 47th International Congress on Medieval Studies (10-13 May 2012). The full program is online at http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/sessions.html.

Thursday, 10 May: 7:30 PM
Session 170 (Bernhard 204)

Are You From Camelot? Recent Arthurian Film and Television as Innovators of the Arthurian Tradition and Their Impact (A Roundtable)
Sponsor: Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain; Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Presider: Charlotte A. T. Wulf, Stevenson Univ.
Merlin: Magician, Man, and Manipulator in Starz’s Camelot (2011)
Caroline Womack, Univ. of Leeds
Morgan, Uther’s Other Child, in BBC1’s Merlin (2008–) and Starz’s Camelot (2011)
Cindy Mediavilla, Univ. of California–Los Angeles
Galahad and Indiana Jones: The Commodification of the Holy Grail in Modern Grail Quests
Schuyler Eastin, San Diego Christian College
Arthurizing the Wife of Bath: The Wife of Bath’s Tale in S4C’s The Canterbury Tales (1999) and BBC’s Canterbury Tales (2003)
Paul Hardwick, Leeds Trinity Univ. College
Respondent: Karolyn Kinane, Plymouth State Univ.

Saturday, 12 May: 12:00 PM
Valley II (Garneau Lounge)
Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain; Institute for the Advancement of Scholarship on the Magic-Wielding Figures of Visual Electronic Multimedia; Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Business Meeting and Reception

Blog Update

Wow! I'm really behind on this blog and apologize to my 3 (!) followers. We've missed season 4 of BBC1's Merlin (featuring Morgana, Morgause, and Agravaine) and the specifics of our Kalamazoo sessions. I'll do my best to catch up over the summer on things.

Michael

Kalamazoo Roundtable Update

The details of our co-sponsored roundtable for the 2012 International Congress on Medieval Studies have now been finalized as follows. I am especially grateful to Ciny Mediavilla for her proposal on Morgan le Fay.

Are You From Camelot? Recent Arthurian Film, Television, and Electronic Games as Innovators of the Arthurian Tradition and Their Impact

Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages

Presider: Charlotte A. T. Wulf, Stevenson University

1. “Merlin: Magician, Man, and Manipulator in Starz’s Camelot (2011)”

Caroline Womack, University of Leeds

2. “Morgan, Uther’s Other Child, in BBC1’s Merlin (2008-) and Starz’s Camelot (2011)”

Cindy Mediavilla, UCLA Department of Information Studies

3. “Galahad and Indiana Jones: The Commodification of the Holy Grail in Modern Grail Quests”

Schuyler Eastin, San Diego Christian College

4. Arthurising the Wife of Bath: The Wife of Bath’s Tale in S4C’s The Canterbury Tales (1999) and BBC’s Canterbury Tales (2003)

Paul Hardwick, Leeds Trinity University College

5. Respondent

Karolyn Kinane, Plymouth State University 

CFP Are You From Camelot? (Roundtable) (9/1/11; Kalamazoo 5/10-13/12)

CALL FOR PAPERS

ARE YOU FROM CAMELOT?
RECENT ARTHURIAN FILM, TELEVISION, AND ELECTRONIC GAMES AS INNOVATORS OF THE ARTHURIAN TRADITION AND THEIR IMPACT

A ROUNDTABLE FOR THE 47TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON MEDIEVAL STUDIES (WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY, KALAMAZOO, MI) FROM 10-13 MAY 2012

CO-SPONSORED BY THE ALLIANCE FOR THE PROMOTION OF RESEARCH ON THE VILLAINS OF THE MATTER OF BRITAIN AND THE VIRTUAL SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF POPULAR CULTURE AND THE MIDDLE AGES

PROPOSALS BY 1 SEPTEMBER 2011 (EARLY SUBMISSION RECOMMENDED)

The Matter of Britain is alive and well in modern mass media, and the media of film and television, especially, have long been recognized as important disseminators of the Arthurian legend to audiences of various ages and in disparate countries across the globe. Such productions are often assessed by their fidelity to pre-established versions of the legend, an anxiety of influence that Norris J. Lacy has termed “the tyranny of tradition.” However, mass media like film, television and electronic games also function as innovators of new traditions for representing characters or motifs that then become fixed in popular Arthuriana (consider, for example, both the long-standing iconographic portrayal of Merlin, cemented via Wolfgang Reitherman’s THE SWORD IN THE STONE, as an aged figure with flowing white hair, beard and robes or John Boorman’s conflation—copied by many later writers—of Morgan le Fay and Morgause in EXCALIBUR and the resulting figure’s role as the mother of Mordred, an expansion of her traditional filmic role as an enemy within Camelot), yet, to date, few studies, beyond lamentations of how to, as Lacy, puts it to “unteach” these texts, have explored this aspect of these modern Arthurian texts. The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, in particular, include many innovative productions (including Alexandre Astier’s KAAMELOTT; Steve Barron’s MERLIN; Chris Chibnall and Michael Hirst’s CAMELOT; Antoine Fuqua’s KING ARTHUR; Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps, and Julian Murphy’s MERLIN; Mythic Entertainment’s DARK AGE OF CAMELOT; SyFy’s STARGATE SG-1 and Type-Moon’s FATE/STAY NIGHT) that deviate significantly from preexisting literary and filmic/televisual traditions of the legend, and these works have influenced and will influence both further Arthurian texts and the popular reception of the Arthurian story as they are dispersed across the intertextual landscape of the modern Matter of Britain. For this session, in furtherance of the goals of the sponsoring organizations, we are particularly interested in how these recent representations of Arthurian characters (for example King Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, Morded, Morgan le Fay, and Morgause) and motifs (such as the Grail legend) in film, television, and electronic games have shaped contemporary conceptions of these elements and, also, in exploring how these productions may influence ongoing or future Arthurian texts.

PLEASE SUBMIT PROPOSALS OF 500 WORDS OR LESS, PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FORM (AVAILABLE AT
http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/submissions/index.html), AND A COPY OF YOUR CV TO THE ORGANIZERS AT

Popular.Culture.and.the.Middle.Ages@gmail.com

PLEASE INCLUDE “KALAMAZOO 2012 PROPOSAL” IN THE SUBJECT LINE


FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ALLIANCE FOR THE PROMOTION OF RESEARCH ON THE VILLAINS OF THE MATTER OF BRITAIN, PLEASE ACCESS OUR BLOG AT http://ArthurianVillainyResearch.blogspot.com/

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE VIRTUAL SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF POPULAR CULTURE AND THE MIDDLE AGES, PLEASE ACCESS OUR BLOG AT http://PopularCultureandtheMiddleAges.blogspot.com/

Kalamazoo 2012 Session Proposals

The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain in association with The Institute for the Advancement of Scholarship on the Magic-Wielding Figures of Visual Electronic Multimedia and The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages has proposed the following session for the 47th International Congress on Medieval Studies to be held from 10-13 May 2012. Interested parties should contact the Society at Popular.Culture.and.the.Middle.Ages@gmail.com (please note "Are You From Camelot 2012" in the subject line). An official call for papers will be distributed this summer upon notification of acceptance from the Congress's organizing committee.

Are You From Camelot? Recent Arthurian Film, Television, and Electronic Games as Innovators of the Arthurian Tradition and Their Impact (Roundtable)

The Matter of Britain is alive and well in modern mass media, and the media of film and television, especially, have long been recognized as important disseminators of the Arthurian legend to audiences of various ages and in disparate countries across the globe. Such productions are often assessed by their fidelity to pre-established versions of the legend, an anxiety of influence that Norris J. Lacy has termed “the tyranny of tradition.” However, mass media like film, television and electronic games also function as innovators of new traditions for representing characters or motifs that then become fixed in popular Arthuriana (consider, for example, both the long-standing iconographic portrayal of Merlin, cemented via Wolfgang Reitherman’s The Sword in the Stone, as an aged figure with flowing white hair, beard and robes or John Boorman’s conflation—copied by many later writers—of Morgan le Fay and Morgause in Excalibur and the resulting figure’s role as the mother of Mordred, an expansion of her traditional filmic role as an enemy within Camelot), yet, to date, few studies, beyond lamentations of how to, as Lacy, puts it to “unteach” these texts, have explored this aspect of these modern Arthurian texts. The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, in particular, include many innovative productions (including Alexandre Astier’s Kaamelott; Steve Barron’s Merlin; Chris Chibnall and Michael Hirst’s Camelot; Antoine Fuqua’s King Arthur; Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps, and Julian Murphy’s Merlin; Mythic Entertainment’s Dark Age of Camelot; SyFy’s Stargate SG-1 and Type-Moon’s Fate/Stay Night) that deviate significantly from preexisting literary and filmic/televisual traditions of the legend, and these works have influenced and will influence both further Arthurian texts and the popular reception of the Arthurian story as they are dispersed across the intertextual landscape of the modern Matter of Britain. For this session, in furtherance of the goals of the three sponsoring organizations, we are particularly interested in how these recent representations of Arthurian characters (for example King Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, Morded, Morgan le Fay, and Morgause) and motifs (such as the Grail legend) in film, television, and electronic games have shaped contemporary conceptions of these elements and, also, in exploring how these productions may influence ongoing or future Arthurian texts.

Kalamazoo Session Cancelled

I am sorry to report that our co-sponsored session "Arthurian Villains on Film: Studies in Commemoration of the Thirtieth Anniversary of John Boorman’s Excalibur" has been cancelled due to under-whelming interest in the topic.

CFP: Arthurian Villains on Film/TV/Etc (9/1/10; Kalamazoo, MI 5/12-15/11)

CALL FOR PAPERS
ARTHURIAN VILLAINS ON FILM:
STUDIES IN COMMEMORATION OF THE THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF JOHN BOORMAN'S EXCALIBUR
THE 46TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON MEDIEVAL STUDIES,
WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY, KALAMAZOO, MI
12-15 MAY 2011
CO-SPONSORED BY THE ALLIANCE FOR THE PROMOTION OF RESEARCH ON THE VILLAINS OF THE MATTER OF BRITAIN AND THE VIRTUAL SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF POPULAR CULTURE AND THE MIDDLE AGES
PROPOSALS BY 1 SEPTEMBER 2010 (EARLY SUBMISSION RECOMMENDED)

In furtherance of our respective missions, the Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain and the Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages (formerly the Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages) are proposing a session devoted to the theme of Arthurian Villains on Film: Studies in Commemoration of the Thirtieth Anniversary of John Boorman’s EXCALIBUR. Papers included in these sessions will explore the representations of the villains of the Matter of Britain, both traditional ones (e.g. Cerdic, Lot of Orkney, Mark of Cornwall, Mordred, Morgan le Fay, Morgause, and Vortigern) as well as those (e.g. Brack, Cynric, Mab, Mad Madame Mim, Palamides, Ruber, and, even sometimes, Merlin) unique to specific productions, as represented in films, television programming, and other visual electronic multimedia, such as electronic games and Internet videos.

The Arthurian legend has been represented in films since at least the late 1890s and in television programming since the 1950s, and the villains of these productions serve important, though often overlooked, roles as the initiators of dramatic action and as the counteragents to their respective heroes. Despite these vital narrative functions, study of the filmic villains of the Matter of Britain remains in its infancy with few studies engaged with their role in specific productions and with only a handful of overviews of their careers as investigated (in chronological order) by Elizabeth S. Sklar, Jacqueline de Weever, Maureen Fries, and Michael A. Torregrossa.

Since its introduction in the 1980s, Arthurian film and television studies has matured into a legitimate field of investigation, and the thirtieth anniversary of John Boorman’s EXCALIBUR (1981), a key text for the study of Arthurian villains on film, marks an appropriate time to reflect upon the role that the villains play in the Arthurian story. Boorman’s EXCALIBUR has become a seminal text for scholars of Arthurian-themed films and part of the modern canon of popular Arthuriana. Moreover, it is especially important for its presentation of the villains Morgana and Mordred and their relationship to King Arthur, as Boorman is the first filmmaker (as Torregrossa has explored) to fully depict the incest of King Arthur (here with Morgana), an act that results in the conception of Mordred, and its consequences. In addition, Boorman’s versions of both Morgan le Fay and Mordred have shaped countless later representations of these characters in popular Arthuriana throughout the globe.


PLEASE SUBMIT PROPOSALS OF 500 WORDS OR LESS, PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FORM (AVAILABLE AT
http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/submissions/index.html IN JULY), AND A COPY OF YOUR CV TO THE ORGANIZERS AT

ArthurianVillainyResearch-AT-gmail-dot-com


PLEASE INCLUDE “KALAMAZOO 2011 PROPOSAL” IN THE SUBJECT LINE


FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ALLIANCE FOR THE PROMOTION OF RESEARCH ON THE VILLAINS OF THE MATTER OF BRITAIN, PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR BLOG AT http://ArthurianVillainyResearch.blogspot.com/

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE VIRTUAL SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF POPULAR CULTURE AND THE MIDDLE AGES, PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR BLOG AT
http://popularcultureandthemiddleages.blogspot.com/

Kalamazoo 2011 Update

We have had an update on sessions for next year's International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo. One session our proposal (accessible here) has been accepted, and a call for papers will be forthcoming.

Kalamazoo Sessions 2011

The Alliance has just completed the paperwork for our sponsored sessions for next year's International Congress on Medieval Studies. Proposals will be accepted later this year pending approval by the conference organizing committee.


Arthurian Villains on Film: Studies in Commemoration of the Thirtieth Anniversary of John Boorman’s Excalibur

In furtherance of our respective missions, the Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain and the Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages (formerly the Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages) are proposing a set of two sessions devoted to the theme of Arthurian Villains on Film: Studies in Commemoration of the Thirtieth Anniversary of John Boorman’s Excalibur. Papers included in these sessions will explore the representations of the villains of the Matter of Britain, both traditional ones (e.g. Cerdic, Lot of Orkney, Mark of Cornwall, Mordred, Morgan le Fay, Morgause, and Vortigern) as well as those (e.g. Brack, Cynric, Mab, Mad Madame Mim, Palamides, Ruber, and, even sometimes, Merlin) unique to specific productions, as represented in films, television programming, and other visual electronic multimedia, such as electronic games and Internet videos.

The Arthurian legend has been represented in films since at least the late 1890s and in television programming since the 1950s, and the villains of these productions serve important, though often overlooked, roles as the initiators of dramatic action and as the counteragents to their respective heroes. Despite these vital narrative functions, study of the filmic villains of the Matter of Britain remains in its infancy with few studies engaged with their role in specific productions and with only a handful of overviews of their careers as investigated (in chronological order) by Elizabeth S. Sklar, Jacqueline de Weever, Maureen Fries, and Michael A. Torregrossa.

Since its introduction in the 1980s, Arthurian film and television studies has matured into a legitimate field of investigation, and the thirtieth anniversary of John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981), a key text for the study of Arthurian villains on film, marks an appropriate time to reflect upon the role that the villains play in the Arthurian story. Boorman’s Excalibur has become a seminal text for scholars of Arthurian-themed films and part of the modern canon of popular Arthuriana. Moreover, it is especially important for its presentation of the villains Morgana and Mordred and their relationship to King Arthur, as Boorman is the first filmmaker (as Torregrossa has explored) to fully depict the incest of King Arthur (here with Morgana), an act that results in the conception of Mordred, and its consequences. In addition, Boorman’s versions of both Morgan le Fay and Mordred have shaped countless later representations of these characters in popular Arthuriana throughout the globe.

Kalamazoo 2010 Update #2

Here are the details on our sessions for this year's International Congress on Medieval Studies. According to panel presider Mikee Delony, the roundtable on Thursday was again well attended and offered both informative presentations and much discussion. Please join Mikee at our business meeting/reception on Saturday and share your ideas for the future of our group.


THURSDAY, 13 MAY
1:30-3:00 PM
SESSION 68: VALLEY I 105
Why Arthur? Reflections on the International Appeal of the Matter of Britain in the Post-medieval World (A Roundtable)
Sponsor: Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain and the Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain/Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Presider: Mikee Delony, Abilene Christian Univ.

Glorious Gods: The Eschatology of Camelot
Joshua Fullman, Southern Illinois Univ.–Carbondale

Joshua Fullman is a first-year PhD student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He currently holds an MA in English from California State University Fullerton and an MSc in Medieval Studies from the University of Edinburgh. His MSc thesis was on visions of medieval kingship and the Wars of the Roses in Malory's Morte Darthur. And he plans to write his dissertation on apocalyptic literature of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

Arthur’s Popularity: Legacy, Hybridity, and Salvation
Matthew T. Hanson, Cornell Univ.

Matthew Hanson graduated from Brown University where he concentrated in Classics and Late Antique Cultures. After stints, though not terribly short, as an Egyptologist and then a Germanic philologist, he has turned his attention to Middle English romance in the guise of a close-reading literary critic. He is currently a PhD candidate at Cornell University in the Medieval Studies program. His dissertation examines the three alliterative treatments of the Alexander Romance through a post-colonial lens.

Crafting the Witch: The Transformation of Morgan le Fay
Heidi J. Breuer, California State Univ.–San Marcos

Heidi got her Ph.D. from the University of Arizona and now teaches at Cal State University, San Marcos. She published her first monograph, titled CRAFTING THE WITCH: GENDERING MAGIC IN MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN ENGLAND, with Routledge in April 2009. Her book offers an answer to the question, "How did the witch become wicked?"--especially in the Arthurian literary tradition. You'll hear more about her book today in her talk for this round table. Heidi's research interests include medieval and contemporary Arthurian literature, representations of magic and the occult, feminist theory, gender studies, and LGBT studies, and she has recently published a dialogue on the pedagogy of canonical medieval texts in the undergraduate survey course.

Perception and Joy: Political Commentary in Dryden’s King Arthur and Milton’s Paradise Lost
Kara Larson Maloney, Binghamton Univ.

Kara Larson Maloney is a first year English PhD student at Binghamton University in upstate New York. Her academic interests include Arthurian studies, the concept of nation and identity in the Medieval world, and Viking sagas. She plans to write her dissertation on the concept of national identity within King Arthur's court. Current articles in progress include studies of the role of Statius in Dante's Commedia, and Terence's influence on gender within Hrotsvitha's Pelagius. She received her MA in English, specializing in the medieval literature of the British Isles, from Cal State University Long Beach. When not immersed in dead languages and thousand-year-old texts, she pursues her goal of reaching all seven continents. This summer, she hopes to combine both interests by exploring some of the Viking saga sites of Iceland.

Arthur and Merlin go to France: Arthurian Fantasy in French [WITHDRAWN]
Anne Berthelot, Univ. of Connecticut



SATURDAY, 15 MAY
12:00 PM
VALLEY II GARNEAU LOUNGE
Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages and the Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain
Business Meeting and Reception

Kalamazoo 2010

A reminder that the Alliance has sponsored two events at this year's International Congress on Medieval Studies now in progress at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. The complete schedule at corrigenda can be accessed at http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/sessions.html.

Thursday, 13 May: 1:30 PM
Session 68: Valley I, Room 105

Why Arthur? Reflections on the International Appeal of the Matter of Britain in the Post-medieval World (A Roundtable)
Sponsor: Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain and the Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the
Villains of the Matter of Britain/Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages

Presider: Mikee Delony, Abilene Christian Univ.

Glorious Gods: The Eschatology of Camelot
Joshua Fullman, Southern Illinois Univ.–Carbondale

Arthur’s Popularity: Legacy, Hybridity, and Salvation
Matthew T. Hanson, Cornell Univ.

Crafting the Witch: The Transformation of Morgan le Fay
Heidi J. Breuer, California State Univ.–San Marcos

Perception and Joy: Political Commentary in Dryden’s King Arthur and Milton’s Paradise Lost
Kara Larson Maloney, Binghamton Univ.

Arthur and Merlin go to France: Arthurian Fantasy in French [WITHDRAWN]
Anne Berthelot, Univ. of Connecticut



Saturday, 15 May
12:00 PM: Valley II, Garneau Lounge
Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages and the Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain
Business Meeting and Reception--All are welcome to attend

CFP: Arthurian Villains in Film/Television/Electronic Games (1st Round 4/1/10; Kalamazoo 5/12-15/11)

The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain, in conjunction with the Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages, will be proposing a set of panels for the 2011 International Congress on Medieval Studies (Western Michigan University, 12-15 May 2011) on the topic of Arthurian Villains in Film/Television/Electronic Games in celebration of the 30th anniversary of John Boorman's Excalibur (1981). Prior to submitting our session proposal, we would like to gauge interest in the topic and appreciate brief proposals and a short CV from potential presenters.

Michael A Torregrossa
The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain
34 Second Street
Smithfield, RI 02917-3627
United States
Email: arthurianvillainyresearch-at-gmail.com
Visit the website at http://arthurianvillainyresearch.blogspot.com/