230574 Fantasy Literature I: King Arthur in Medieval Literature (S) (SoSe 2007)

King Arthur, more than Charlemagne, was the first hero to be written about in almost all of medieval European vernacular literatures. His and his knights' exploits and their services to love and chivalry fired the imagination of readers and writers in German, English, Dutch, and Icelandic texts, to name only a few national literatures.

In this class, we will read texts focusing on Gawain and Lancelot, the two major heroes in English literature, and will of course start with King Arthur himself.

Topics for discussion and debate will be the nature and function of fantasy elements in the different literary genres (from epic-like texts to popular romance), the personal, political, and social agendas behind the texts, and the representation of men and women.

We will also look at three modern adaptations of the Arthurian legends for the big screen (fantasy, historical and satirical-humorous), which will come at the end of class in the form of a weekend workshop in late June.

Set texts:

The Romance of Arthur, ed. by J.J. Wilhelm, NY 1994
Thomas Malory Le Morte Darthur, ed. by Helen Cooper; World¿s Classics, OUP
ISBN 9780192824202