Arthurian fantasy
Fantasy arthurienne
Published on Friday, February 08, 2019
Abstract
For its 7th issue, Fantasy Art and Studies seeks to explore the representations and uses of the Arthurian legends in fantasy – in literature, comics, movies, TV series, video games, transmedia studies, etc.
Announcement
Argument
Shared and amplified since the 9th century, the legends of King Arthur, the sorcerer Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table keep being developed today in the whole world, especially in fantasy rewritings and adaptations. From T.H. White’s educational novel The Sword in the Stone (1938), to the surprising anime version King Arthur (1979-1980), from Marion Zimmer Bradley’s feminist rewriting The Mists of Avalon (1983), to the Celtic reading established by Jean-Luc Istin and Eric Lambert in their comics Cycle initiatique de Merlin (2003-2018), fantasy regularly draws from the different aspects of the Arthurian legends, as a way to question their permanence and their relevance today. The great number of characters and mythological creatures, the importance of universal themes such as friendship, betrayal, and power, all these allow the Arthurian legends to be adapted to every historical and geographical context – and to every atmosphere, from historic fantasy like Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles (1995-1997) to the light fantasy of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) or Shrek the Third (2007). Adding new characters to the environment of the royal court, like young Ana in Fabien Clavel’s L’Apprentie de Merlin (2010-2013), is a traditional way of shifting the narrative but remaining faithful to a familiar setting – enjoyed by the readers.
What does King Arthur bring to fantasy? Does the interest of medieval legends lie in their universality, or on the contrary in the way they surprise the contemporary reader? How are the complementary themes of epic and magic, inherent to fantasy, connected to please the 19th, 20th or 21st century reader? What is the point of rewriting well-known stories by shifting the perspective, and developing the point of view of traditionally evil characters such as Mordred and Morgan?
For its 7th issue, Fantasy Art and Studies seeks to explore the representations and uses of the Arthurian legends in fantasy – in literature, comics, movies, TV series, video games, transmedia studies, etc.
Papers could tackle the following topics, without being limited to them:
- The link between Arthurian fantasy and medieval sources (texts and images);
- The reasons and issues of the permanence of Arthurian legends in contemporary fantasy works;
- The association or separation of epic and magic themes;
- The evolution of some characters, especially female characters;
- Etc.
Submission guidelines
Papers will not exceed 30.000 signs (space and endnotes included). They will be written in English or French, and sent in .doc format, Times New Roman 12pts, single-line spacing,
before June 22nd, 2019,
to fantasyartandstudies@outlook.com
Scientific Committee
- Viviane Bergue, docteur en littérature comparée, chercheuse indépendante, éditrice de Fantasy Art and Studies.
- Justine Breton, docteur en littérature médiévale, CAREF, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, ESPE de Picardie.
- Caroline Duvezin-Caubet, docteur en études anglophones, ATER Université de Poitiers.
- Guillaume Labrude, doctorant en études culturelles, Université de Lorraine.
Subjects
Date(s)
- Saturday, June 22, 2019
Keywords
- fantasy, roi arthur, représentation, littérature, cinéma, media studies
Contact(s)
- Justine BRETON
courriel : justine [dot] breton [at] univ-lorraine [dot] fr
Reference Urls
Information source
- Justine BRETON
courriel : justine [dot] breton [at] univ-lorraine [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Arthurian fantasy », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Friday, February 08, 2019, https://doi.org/10.58079/11vr
