Introductions

[gwalchmai2007.livejournal.com]

Good day, all. I have been a fan of the Arthurian legend since I was sixteen, and I am much older now. In grad school, I corresponded with numerous scholars on Arthur as he is presented in history, traditional literature, legend, art, and modern fantasy literature. I cannot say that I have read all the literature produced about Arthur and his heroes, but I have read an extensive list of famous (Le Morte D'Arthur) and obscure (the Scottish Lancelot of the Laik from the 16th century) works as well as modern Arthurian fantasy, such as Marion Zimmer Bradley's classic The Mists of Avalon, the Gillian Bradshaw trilogy, and Patricia Kenneally-Morrison's Hawk's Gray Feather series (King Arthur in distant space, sort of like an Arthurian Star Wars).

I look forward to many conversations with all of you out there and hope to share my passion for the myths of Arthur and his heroes with you in an open, warm spirit.

Comments

[minstrel-ivare.livejournal.com]

King Arthur in distant space?? That's so exciting! (Is it good?)

[gwalchmai2007.livejournal.com]

It is, quite. The story begins with Hawk's Gray Feather. For some reason I am drawing a blank on the second story, but the third novel is The Hedge of Mist. It transforms the Arthurian myth into a battle of the planets and intergalactic quests. The Fomorians are transformed into an alien race opposed to the humans (descendants of astronauts who migrated to the current planets). Cornwall is transformed into the planet Kernow. Owein is morphed into a villain from the planet Rheged. Excalibur is one of the fastest fighter ships in Arthur's fleet. There is a grail quest, too. The knights use laser pistols, fly space ships, and also use the traditional sword and shield we are so familiar with. It is a wonderful bit of cross-pollenation of genres, and I highly recommend it to Arthur fans who also appreciate good science fiction. Mrs. Morrison (she is Jim Morrison's widow, married in a private ceremony in the 70s) weaves excellent science fantasy fiction using the Arthurian legend as source and springboard inspiration.

[mad-about-books.livejournal.com]

Hi! Welcome to the community! I'm new here as well and reading your LJ entry makes me feel like I'm the baby in this community (I'm 17). Obviously, I still have a lot to read.

I have never heard of the Scottish Lancelot of the Laik you mentioned. Do you need to have training in Middle English to read it or is it accessible for the modern reder? (For some reason, I'm betting on the former) What's it about?

I'm very excited about the idea of an Arthurian Star Wars considering that I love both Arthur and Star Wars.

[gwalchmai2007.livejournal.com]

I first read Sir Thomas Malory in the Baines edition when I was 16. The Scottish Lancelot of the Laik was written in a thick northern English around the time of William Shakespeare. It's not as beautiful as the Bard, but it is readable without specific training in Middle English or Old English (I do have that, but it's not necessary for reading this). The Scottish Lancelot is really just a Scottish redaction of the French Prose Lancelot, which was the bulk of the French Vulgate to which Malory frequently refers in Le Morte (when he says, "the Frenche booke sayeth," he means the French Vulgate cycle), for the most part, but there are always nuances that alter the flavor. Remember that Caxton's printing press was relatively new, and many books were still reproduced the old fashioned way: scribes re-wrote and even translated by hand. This was a manual translation really, but with every redaction, there are always changes to the story because the translator or scribe heard or read something different elsewhere and imposes his version of the story even when translating or manually reproducing a text. So, even the same story reproduced becomes a new permutation.

[mad-about-books.livejournal.com]

Okay, I see. So this Scottish Lancelot is basically a variation of the Lancelot we all know from other sources. Mostly the same, but not quite.

I'm not sure if this is a personal question or not but I'm pretty sure from reading your LJ entries that you're an English Literature graduate. Are you? I'm just wondering...

Anyway, other that 'The Mists of Avalon' and Patricia Kenneally-Morrison's science fiction version of the legends you described, do you have other contemporary Arthurian books that you would recommend? I'm always on the lookout for more books :)

[gwalchmai2007.livejournal.com]

Most of the medieval literature is a variation. Medieval writers weren't wired the same way modern writers are. Modern writers pride themselves on making up fiction - a completely new story. Medieval writers had to swear up and down that they weren't making up their stories. So, often they would retell something that someone else already told. If there was a variation, they would say something like, "as it was told to me," or "the [name that source] saith" and then go into whatever the version of the story that they grew up with had to say. The Scottish had a serious alliance and cultural connection to the French, and it is not surprising to see the story of Lancelot make its way to Scotland.

Oh, answer to your question: I majored in English in undergrad school and concentrated in medieval English literature, particularly Arthurian studies in grad school.

These days, I read mainly modern Arthurian fiction. In many cases, 20th and 21st century treatments do a wonderful job of exploring the characters in depth and making the heroes and villains of the cycle come to life in new ways, presenting them with a new perspective. My favorite 20th and 21st century writers who have treated the Arthurian cycle are Parke Godwin (Firelord is awesome) and Stephen Lawhead. I am reading a trilogy by Molly Cochran that is also turning out to be quite good. The first book was The Forever King. I am a little past halfway through The Broken Sword, the second novel in the series, and the third novel is The Third Magic.