EXP-05f -- King Arthur: The Power of a Legend

Goals for the semester:
How could an obscure medieval Celtic king -- who may or may not even have existed --- inspire works as diverse as Wagner's Parsifal, Tennyson's Idylls of the King, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail? We will read, view, or listen to versions of Arthur's story from the Middle Ages to the present, thinking about how each new generation or literary movement chooses different parts of the story to emphasize. All readings will be in English, though you may read in the original language if you prefer; all films will be in English or subtitled.

Required texts and suggested editions:
Thomas Malory, Morte d'Arthur, ed. Vinaver. ($35)
Chrétien de Troyes, Perceval and Lancelot, trans. Raffel ($35)
The Four Branches of the Mabinogion, trans. Gantz ($12)
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King, ed. Gray ($12)
T. H. White, The Once and Future King ($15)
Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon ($17)

Required films:
Parsifal, opera by Richard Wagner
Camelot, Allan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe
The Sword in the Stone, animated film by Walt Disney Studios
Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Workload and grading:
Each week, you will read a version of the Arthurian legend, paying attention to how it is similar to and different from other versions. You will write a short essay or response paper every week (roughly 300-500 words), and will write a major paper about another version of the story.

Grades will be computed as follows:

General policies:
Short written assignments are due in class the week after they are assigned. The major paper is due 12 November 2003. Intermediate steps toward the major paper are due on 17 September, 1 October, 22 October, and 5 November. Late papers will not be accepted. If you will not be in class on the day when an assignment is due, email it to me, in plain text format (rather than a proprietary word-processor format), to arrive by the end of class.

You should complete the reading assigned for each class before that day's class. You will probably want to bring your notes on the readings to class. The films will be on reserve at the Tisch Media Center; be sure to allow enough time to watch them.

Attendance in class is required, because this course is based on discussion. On the other hand, if you must occasionally miss class for a legitimate reason, I will assume you can keep up with the work.

I am happy to read drafts of papers as you work on them, or to answer questions about assignments. You may not re-write and re-submit assigned papers; the final copy is due on the scheduled due date, and will be graded.

I call your attention to University policy against plagiarism and other forms of cheating.  Please refer to the Bulletin of Tufts University, p. 40-41, for details.

Please note that except in the most extraordinary circumstances, I will not give "incomplete" grades.  As you know, an Incomplete means that you did not complete the work of the course, and it is the policy of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Technology that incomplete work must be completed within six weeks of the beginning of the next semester.

No extra credit work is permitted, and grades in this course are not "curved."

Topics and reading assignments by class:
1. 3 September. Introduction and overview. The facts about Arthur, few as they are. Geoffrey of Monmouth and other chronicles.
2. 10 September. Malory: the canonical English version. (Read at least tales 1-4 for today.)
3. 17 September. Malory continued. (Read the rest of Malory if you haven't already.) Paper topic due; be prepared to explain the version you've chosen.
4. 24 September. Chrétien de Troyes.
5. 1 October. The Mabinogion: the "original" version. Preliminary bibliography due
6. 8 October. The Romantic Arthur, 1: Tennyson.
7. 15 October. The Romantic Arthur, 2: Wagner. (You may view the film or simply listen to a recording of the opera.)
8. 22 October. T. H. White: a new standard version? Working bibliography due
9. 29 October. White's Arthur on stage and screen, 1: Camelot.
10. 5 November. White's Arthur on stage and screen, 2: The Sword in the Stone. Paper abstract due
11. 12 November. Monty Python's (post-?)modern Arthur. Final paper due
12. 19 November. A woman's view: Bradley.
13. 3 December. Review and summary.

Selected bibliography:
This bibliography is limited to books in English that are available in Perseus or in Tisch.
Geoffrey Ashe. The Discovery of King Arthur. Garden City: 1985. DA152.5.A7 A793 1985
Richard W. Barber. King Arthur: Hero and Legend. New York: 1986. PN57.A6 B33 1986
Stephanie L. Barczewski. Myth and National Identity in Nineteenth-Century Britain. Oxford: 2000. PR468.N293 B37 2000
Marion Zimmer Bradley. The Mists of Avalon. New York: 1984. PS3552.R228 M5 1984
Rodney Castleden. King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend. New York: 2000. DA152.5.A7 C37 2000
Chrétien de Troyes. Complete Romances, trans. David Staines. Bloomington: 1990. PQ1447.E5 S73 1990
----------. Lancelot, trans. Burton Raffel. New Haven: 1997. PQ1445.L3 E5 1997
----------. Perceval, trans. Burton Raffel. New Haven: 1999. PQ1447.E5 R35 1999
Thelma S. Fenster. Arthurian Women: A Casebook. New York: 1996. PN682.W6 A78 1996
Patrick K. Ford. The Mabinogi and other Medieval Welsh Tales. Berkeley and Los Angeles: 1977. PB2363.M2 F6
Norris J. Lacy, Geoffrey Ashe, Debra N. Mancoff. The Arthurian Handbook. New York: 1997. PN685.L3 1997
Thomas Malory. Works, ed. Eugene Vinaver. Oxford: 1954. PR2041.V5 1959
William Albert Nitze. Arthurian Romance and Modern Poetry and Music. Chicago: 1940. PN686.A7 N5
Derek Pearsall. Arthurian Romance: A Short Introduction. Oxford: 2003. PN685.P43 2003
Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Idylls of the King. New York: 1939. PR5558.A1 1939
T. H. White. The Once and Future King. New York: 1958. PR6045.H2 O5

On-line resources
The Internet Medieval Sourcebook, primary sources in English translation.
Arthuriana, a journal of Arthur studies.
The Labyrinth, resources for medieval studies.
Arthurian Resources, essays with extensive bibliography.
Llys Arthur, references to Arthur in Welsh tradition.
Bibliography of references to Arthur in Celtic literature generally.