Angl-Am - User contributions [en]

User:Nico Zorn

2009-12-14T09:30:15Z

Nico Zorn: actalisation, PhD project

Passed M.A. exam 2008.
Title of Magisterarbeit: Jasper Fforde's 'Thursday Next' (2001-2007). Intertextuality, Metafiction, Postmodernism

Currently researching about King Arthur in Early Modern England (1473-1800) and seeking employment as PhD student. (Researching on that very topic, obviously).

===Dissertation Exposee - Introduction===

==King Arthur 1473-1800: Between History and Fiction==

Even in the present day, King Arthur is part of popular myth building as well as scientific exploration, especially in connection with the European middle ages in which the Matière de Bretagne got widespread attention. There is no seamless connection from the high middle ages, the apex of the Arthurian Epic, to this day. The middle ages were afterwards shunned and had to be rediscovered by the Romantic Movement; Arthurian literature experiences a revival of its own at about 1800. This has been object of extensive research as has been the medieval treatment of Arthur.
The period of transfer between 1473 (the beginning of print) and 1800 (the rediscovery of the Middle Ages), on the other hand, has been hardly researched. The Arthurian matter was not lost. It can be found in:

- “Histories” and “Chronicles”
- Works of the humanities
- Encyclopaedic and lexical entries
- Operas, stage plays, and pageants
- Verse epics and (topographical) poems
- Romances
- Chapbooks
- Peripheral references of non-fictional texts.

The project sketched herein aims to bridge the gap in Arthurian research with the development of a complex view on the options that bodies of knowledge have to survive in different genres and – in the extreme case – in derogatory glosses.
As a researcher, one will highlight some trends over others if one wants or not. How one does this, is interesting. At the same time, the big lines of negotiation are interesting. These negotiations took place within the process of re-invention of historical research from the 16th to the 19th century; by and by, historical research gained power as scientific battleground of societal controversies. A second process from the 17th to 19th century led to the establishment of fiction, literature in today’s meaning. The Arthurian matter changed from a historical to a literary body of knowledge in this time. The process is marked by doubts, re-evaluations and, ultimately, a massive valorisation within the newly established cultural history.
The aim is to fathom out how the knowledge about Arthur survived. This will show that changes in genre were used to allow re-evaluations without losing the value of the transmitted knowledge. The negotiations will show options to keep relevant a body of knowledge that cannot survive as historical truth any more. At this point, the proposed work promises a re-thinking of the function of genres.
This thesis focuses on the Arthurian matter in early modern Great Britain, a subject matter of national dimension in the midst of the process that shaped today’s meaning of nation. Thus, the nation was concerned about whatever remained to be discussed between historical research and literary science, in addition to requirements set upon it by politics. On the one hand, one wondered if King Arthur, the mystic hero, really existed; on the other hand, one created as national literature a fictional domain in which one could take renewed pride.
The work planned has thus components of the history of a subject matter, of politics, and of a fascinating discursive history. It will also deal with the creation of the category of literature an the early modern book market.[...]

User talk:Karsten Sill

2009-02-06T16:13:26Z

Nico Zorn: pdf link broken

Talk:Online Communication, Blogs and Wikipedia

2008-12-31T17:26:23Z

Nico Zorn: webcomics? (add. thought)

If this ever happens maybe to include Webcomics. These usually feature a high degree of author-audience interaction - as far as playing with the expectations an audience has uttered (in the forums) => either catering to them or deliberately messing up their expectations. Some webmcomics do especially play with genre awareness; other intergrate many pop-(and other-)-culture references. The better ones are not usually "fan art" but at least alter the original considerably so that it is merely a starting point. Maybe this would be worth another interesting seminar or a part of a comic/sequential art seminar - or start for new research as there does not seem to be much on it. (en.wikipedia has quite some references but those are mostly tangential articles; a quick search in the subject catalogues hardly yielded anything.) --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 17:26, 31 December 2008 (UTC)

Talk:Pornography

2008-10-08T18:50:26Z

Nico Zorn: sig...

The course outline raises a number of questions that, if taken seriously, would require fundamentally reconceptualising the whole topic.

# The debate about pornography has been very wide ranging indeed and is not nearly adequately captured by a nod towards those who, like Darnton, still cling to the belief that pornography has the potential of being in any way subversive and a readership with an imputed collective identity of ‘feminist’. I thought we had all ceased a long time ago to use categories such as ‘feminism’, ‘woman’, ‘femininity’ etc. in the singular, acknowledging the multi-layeredness of each by using the plural! The feminist debate about pornography has been so diverse as well as so sophisticated as to warrant a whole course being devoted to unravelling the different strands of the debate.
# On the basis of what criteria can pornography be classified as ‘satisfying’? And what gender would be ‘the modern reader’ who finds a book like ‘Fanny Hill’ ‘satisfying pornography?
# I very much doubt that it makes any sense at all to read supposedly pornographic texts produced over the past 400 years. Pornography, like most cultural phenomena, is historically specific. So what would be the criteria for selecting the texts to be read?
# Finally, I fail to detect any reflection on the gender composition of the class and the subject position of the lecturer. For this kind of topic to be at all teachable, the class would either have to be kept gender-homogeneous – with the limited insights this is most likely to produce – or else require a mixed-gender team of lecturers.

::Dear Jutta,
::First of all: Your response left me delighted. The topic began to attract me while reading Inger Leeman's dissertation (''Het woord is aan de onderkant. Radicale Ideeën in pornografische Romans 1670-1700.'' 2002). I immediately showed my announcement to [[User:Anna Auguscik|Anna Auguscik]] who responded that this was a course she would like to give with me. As you might have seen she put the same listing under her name. As to the four points - I can agree with you on most observations.
::#There is no one faction of feminism - but a plurality of voices and views, and as I said: A confrontation Darnton versus feminism will not be an option.
::# ...‘satisfying’: Well I do think that there is a remarkable cultural demarcation line somewhere around Cleland's ''Fanny Hill''. It is peculiar that one can buy this book as a Penguin Classic, i.e. as a distant text students of literature might want to explore, and as regular pornography - under a cover which promises just another porno, suited to be sold in a porno shop's bookstall (see the German and English Amazon pages for the diversity of title covers [http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/0881846023/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link] [http://www.amazon.de/echte-Fanny-Hill-ungek%C3%BCrzt-unzensiert/dp/3798601283/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202309493&sr=1-3]). It remains a remarkable thing that you cannot offer pre-Cleland pornography on both markets. Once you read into 16th and 17th century texts you realise: they are not designed to offer the same - and here I need a word: gratification, reading pleasure, satisfaction... you name it. I am looking for a word which I will just as easily use when speaking about Wittgenstein's ''Tractatus'' - which definitely offers its special satisfaction to all who will read it.
::# Which texts should enter our corpus? I confess I am interested in the pre-Cleland world. I wonder why 17th century readers demanded a satisfaction so entirely different - one only modern cultural historians will find interesting to look at. Anna's interest will be different: She just read a recent collection of erotic short stories edited by Zadie Smith in her AM course. I think it will be interesting to close the gap and to analyse the cultural change the 18th century brought into our world.
::# As to your final point - here I am not certain what to think about the hidden theory you proposed: You argue for a female/male teacher constellation to handle a mixed gendered seminar. Well, I see advantages, and this is why I immediately accepted Anna's offer to be with me on that seminar. Yet on the other hand: Imagine a group of predominantly female students would ask me to offer that course - me a male teacher - would there be something wrong about their wish?

::The whole topic might - in any case deserve a Modul with another cultural studies course. Maybe we should think about a combination here. Best --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 15:50, 6 February 2008 (CET)

::: Höre gerade auf WDR2 den Talk im Paternoster mit Charlotte Roche, eine ausgesprochene Feministin, die gerade ein sehr nettes Buch namens Feuchtgebiete, geschrieben hat, und die interessante Ansichten zum Thema Feminismus und Pornographie hat. [[User:Maike Engelhardt|Maike Engelhardt]] 11:47, 2 March 2008 (CET)

::::Gerade auf Newsweek.com gefunden: [http://www.newsweek.com/id/162792 The Pornification of a Generation] - in one word (sentence actually): Pornography is deeply entrenchend in today's 'normal' society. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 20:50, 8 October 2008 (CEST)

Talk:Pornography

2008-10-08T18:50:08Z

Nico Zorn: => The Pornification of a Generation

User:Nico Zorn

2008-06-20T23:55:29Z

Nico Zorn:

Provisorische uralte Infos über mich:
http://www.grimoires.de/inhalt.php?art=team&nr=1

Title of Magisterarbeit: Jasper Fforde's 'Thursday Next' (2001-2007). Intertextuality, Metafiction, Postmodernism
Introduction before ultimate revision: [[Magisterarbeit:Nico Zorn]]

User talk:Bryon Burzynski

2008-05-21T21:40:30Z

Nico Zorn:

Hi! I'm an Exchange Student! ... Exciting! ... I'll come up with something more interesting later. [[User:Bryon Burzynski|Bryon Burzynski]] 14:18, 3 May 2008 (CEST)
:a pleasure to have you on board! If you want to include pictures (you draw...) - I can do that (they have restricted the upload function I am afraid, to keep us out of copyright infringements). --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 09:29, 5 May 2008 (CEST)
::Your blog is the best thing in the morning. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 10:31, 8 May 2008 (CEST)

::Your writing reminds me a little bit of Bill Bryson.Cheerz! --[[User:Jessika Thiele|Jessika Thiele]] 16:46, 12 May 2008 (CEST)

If you already feel like Samuel Clemens you'll probably also like his [http://www.alvit.de/vf/de/mark-twain-die-schreckliche-deutsche-sprache.php Rant about the German language]. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 23:40, 21 May 2008 (CEST)

Talk:English Translations of the Bible

2008-04-01T20:10:47Z

Nico Zorn:

For comparing passages from different Bible editions (English only although several other languages are available), I found this webpage useful: [http://bible.cc/ Online Parallel Bible]. This online edition can compare several Bibles on one page and also offers cross-references.

Magisterarbeit:Nico Zorn

2008-03-27T22:54:52Z

Nico Zorn: bibiography of mentioned yet unquoted works?

Magisterarbeit:Nico Zorn

2008-03-19T11:55:24Z

Nico Zorn: Mk II. and not yet content with it...something feels wrong.

Magisterarbeit:Nico Zorn

2008-03-14T20:17:12Z

Nico Zorn: preview for comments

===1.0. Introduction===
(preview)

Jasper Fforde is a relatively unknown Welsh author. Since 2001 he has written five books belonging to the Thursday Next series: The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book, The Well of Lost Plots, Something Rotten, and First Among Sequels. While Fforde has not been subject to large scale studies, some articles dealt with specific aspects of the first two novels of his Thursday Next series. Both Erica Hateley and Martin Horstkotte asserted the novel postmodern tendencies, the latter one taking it as one example for the postmodern fantastic. The problem with Postmodernism and similar constructs – for as a discursive construct we should take it – is that there is no strictly objective definition; in fact there are various postmodernisms that are sometimes acknowledged in a single work. What we shall do is not defining postmodernism once more in yet another necessarily subjective and selective way which would then doubtlessly posit Fforde’s series at the centre and select features appropriate to the task. Rather, we shall look at to what effect postmodern strategies are employed in Fforde’s novels. Withhout defining postmodernism there is now the problem of which those features are, so we will need a short explanation for the selected ones in a minute. Generally, though, this dimension remains the least stressed in this work and its belonging to the postmodern movement be seen as the background noise which accompanies our analysis. One thing will be obvious pretty soon: the quality of this series, operating in an overtly comical mode, is drastically different from the authors that are commonly cited as the primary examples for postmodernism. Those are Donald Barthelme, Kurt Vonnegut, Robet Coover, David Pynchon, William H. Gass, Italo Calvino and others. Their fiction is oftentimes disturbing and some – even college professors – regard them as absolutely unreadable. One will have noted that none of the above authors is British: the ‘prime examples’ of postmodernism seem to mostly come from the North American continent; Europe is occasionally mentioned, Britain rarely, except for John Fowles. Ulrich Broich concluded that this is due to a ‘muted postmodernism’: British postmodernist fiction tends to be less radical than the American counterpart. If we assume this distinction to be correct – inaccessible American postmodernism and accessible British/European postmodernism – we already incorporate the position of the reader into our view. We will have to ask in how far the reader is absorbed into Fforde’s novel and in how far the work remains inaccessible. As a British (Welsh) author, the suggestion stands that the text will be accessible. The same suggestion is supported by the novels being published by Hodder and Stoughton, a publishing house that caters to mass audiences, for example in the English translation Asterix & Obelix. The question remains, whether or not to define postmodernism (anew). If we define, the result will be criticised as streamlining and too restrictive, undoubtedly. If we do not, there seems to lack something, even if it has been asked if postmodernism exists at all. Brian McHale faced these accusations. After his first ‘streamlined’ work which proposed clear-cut differences in the transition from modernism to postmodernism, McHale decided to present a second view, consisting of several essays of his own who were not planned in this way but contradict each other oftentimes. If even a single critic cannot get to a uniform conclusion (nor wants to in the case of McHale), the implications for hundreds of critics are clear: there will not be a postmodernism; there will be postmodernisms. Finally, I have decided to not dedicate a chapter specifically to any specific view or array of views on postmodernism. Rather, I feel that central concepts of this period are mirrored already in the title as well as in various chapter headings and further connections will become explicit at their proper place. Two critics linked the texts to postmodernism, after all, and at least one translator felt the urge to add the very adjective, postmodern, to the German translation of Fforde’s fourth novel. Erica Hateley, moreover, suggests reading it as “parody of the postmodern novel itself” as well as being a postmodern parody itself. Thus we will look at how this postmodernism, Hateley’s or Fforde’s, is portrayed and parodied. Nevertheless, even if decide against a conclusive overview, we need to look at what we defined as central concepts. The ones in the title are metafiction and intertextuality; a third is no defining property of postmodernism, although it has been variously linked to it even to – faulty – equation: the Fantastic.

Neither of this concepts is new; all are well-known and can be traced for centuries. The question then is what is different about them. Answers come in terms of quantity and quality. Metafiction, fiction about fiction, has been part of the novel tradition since Cervantes’ Don Quixote but its quantity rose drastically in the 1950ies and 1960ies. McHale’s prime example of a postmodern text which is both story and description, Max Apple’s “Post-Modernism”, begins which such a gesture. Metafiction in general points to its own artificiality and often “include[s] or constitute[s] [its] own first critical commentary”. This we shall see in Fforde, although the critique does not target his own text specifically but rather the set of all (fictional) texts of which his own work is an example that fits the descriptions he gives excellently. Metafiction also is “a term given to fictional writing which self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artefact in order to pose questions about the relationship between fiction and reality”. It provides a structure in which “[t]he author and the reader communicate within fiction and have set up ‘mirrors’ to the writing process and the outer world”. Here we find another point that we shall look into in detail later: the reader gets involved strongly in metafiction: his usual expectations – generally assumed to be those of ‘realist’ fiction – are disappointed and challenged. The reader needs to deal with unfamiliar reading situations that are imposed upon him. “[T]he lowest common denominator of metafiction is simultaneously to create a fiction and to make a statement about the creation of that fiction”. This inevitably leads to the selection of specific aspects, which are generally “some aspects of the writing, reading, or structure of a work that the established canons of standard (realistic) practice could expect to be backgrounded”. With this we find a qualitative breach with the dogmatic literature of the 20th century, which is realism. Jasper Fforde utilises metafiction in grand scale with the creation of the BookWorld. This is the world of all texts in which the figures of our novels, plays and other texts – even washing manuals – live. Their life is not confined to their actual novels whose visible plot we know. Rather, the characters can jump into other books. The portrayal of this world allows Fforde the portrayal of literary clichés, of methods and devices prominent in fiction; of explanations how things (allegedly) work. Eventually, he presents a fantastic theory of the creation, construction, and working of literary works. The fantastic properties of the world are obvious: we find all our books there, even those that are not yet written or completely lost. All fiction encompasses a multitude of genres and some do not admit the ordinary laws of physics, which further ‘disturbs’ realist expectation, yet remains, in a way, familiar. But even the ‘real’ world of the novel is saturated with the fantastic: the world of Thursday Next is not our own and defamiliarised in various aspects; the BookWorld is inherently familiar and yet awkwardly weird – it is a work made solely of text, governed by pan-determinstic narrative laws and necessities. A blurring of the borders of those worlds starts in the first novel as the reader learns that Thursday Next (supposedly a ‘real’ character from the ‘real’ world) has accessed fiction physically: the border of those worlds is not as clear as we would generally assume. Thursday’s reality is close enough to ours to accept it as reality in general; we will deal with the problem of worlds last, as it provides a junction point for the other findings we shall make (cf. 2.4).

A world made of all the books we know already introduces the second big dimension: intertextuality. Intertextuality as a term has been coined by Julia Kristeva in 1966 and since seen lots of changes that mostly aim to make it applicable to the study of a specific text. Those changes narrow down intertextuality to a re-occurrence of a pretext inside a newly made posttext. Kristeva’s original idea linked closely to Bakhtin’s idea of dialogicity and realised the whole world as interchanges of different ‘texts’. If everything is text, though, and in the line of tradition every new text depends in some way on all the previous texts, the concept is inapplicable. On the other hand, intertextuality can be reduced to mere ‘source- influence’ studies as Kristeva and others complain: like many French terms it has become a vogue word with which to upclass one’s own writing. Even today there is a clash between three groups: “progressivists” try to reinterprete Kristeva’s statement; “traditionalists” try to maintain the original emphasis and “anti-intertextualists” accuse the first group of being not understandable and the second group of just doing what has always been done. The first group, the progressivists, so Plett, include those who call themelves “postmodernist”. This line of tradition rediscovered parody, pastiche and and similar techniques as intertextual devices and aims at “dislodge[ing] the academic teaching from its traditional moorings”. Intertextuality was already abounding in modernism – one needs only remember T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and similar poems – but it continues to be prominent in postmodernism as well. There must be a difference in degree, then. Manfred Pfister attempts an answer: “My thesis is: Postmodernist intertextuality is the intertextuality conceived and realized within the framework of a poststructuralist theory of intertextuality “. This means that postmodern intertextuality is “is not just used as one device among others, but is foregrounded, displayed, thematized and theorized as a central constructional principle”. Linda Hutcheon adds a similar view: intertextuality or parody does neither merge nor cancel but is “repetition with a critical difference”.
Fforde’s BookWorld seems to realise this concepts as “a literal form of intertextuality”, taking up tropes, clichés and practices of the literary circus that become physical reality in this fantastic world. It is a world of text – of all the texts – and its being text is never forgotten. In the creation of this world, Fforde merges metafiction and intertextuality; both operate on and by each others: through taking up prior texts, the intertextual dimension is present; furthering the stories of those narratives and even shedding light ‘behind the scenes’ at the same time involves metafiction. Nevertheless I opted to part the two dimensions below as they fulfil some distinct functions and have divergent effects on the reader, which then combine to an overarching effect. The fantastic has remained unmentioned so far. According to Todorov, the Fantastic relies on a state of hesitation: the reader is not completely sure if an event or object is real. In the end he has to decide whether it is of his world (delegating it to the uncanny) or if it belongs to another reality (delegating it to the marvellous). I specifically mentioned his world rather than this. Todorov poses our empirical reality as sole ground to meet the other. Durst already pointed out that this is too restrictive and that worlds that are clearly not our reality can very well encounter the other in yet another world. Martin Horstkotte even stays with Todorov’s model of the other’s intrusion in our world, but suggests that postmodernism turns the concept around by portraying us as the other’s other. The other’s position then becomes the prevailing one on postmodern writing. Fforde’s ‘real’ world employs devices that are empirically non-existent; they are perfectly normal in that ‘real’ other world and yet make them fantastic in the context of ours. The connection with the BookWorld finally establishes another other that borders on the marvellous. Rather than exhausting the problem of these worlds now, we shall wait until we are more familiar with the different worlds and their functioning, as problems will be a lot clearer then. For now, we will agree to call our world the empirical reality and to refer to the real world of the novel as the ‘real’ world while the BookWorld remains described as such. The status of these worlds is further complicated by their blending into each other: as with metafiction and intertextuality a total separation is simply not possible, which is, as we shall find, an essential part of the worlds’ interplay. The Fantastic furthermore forms a natural union with metafiction and in some ways is closely linked to the notions of playfulness that are again associated with postmodernism. This brief survey of the main attributes is by no means exhaustive. This is no basic study but one that focuses on a specific work. While we progress we will inevitably have to come back to some theories but we will do this as far as they are of importance to us only, rather than attempting a complete portrayal, which is doomed to fail in one if not all parts.

The interest for this text originates from a rather naïve point: they are good novels, have seen multiple print runs and rather fast translations. The immediate question, why?, does not yield a good point to go on, so we have to look at what is supposedly central to the book. At this point, we are in an academic vacuum of sorts: only the first two books of the Next series have been exempt to academic analysis. One was rather specialised focussing on the relation of The Eyre Affair to Jane Eyre. Its findings provide some thoughts that were unanswered by Erica Hateley and that we can attempt finding answers to with the background of four additional novels. Furthermore, some of the features Hateley mentions apply equally well to later novels. Above all, though, we have the opportunity to monitor changes and shifts of emphasis in the novels’ dealing with different topics which gives answer to some of Hateley’s speculations. Martin Horstkotte thematised The Eyre Affair in an article about the Fantastic Other and again in his work about the postmodern fantastic, together with Lost in a Good Book. He will provide us with some ideas and glimpses on the treatment of the fantastic and the fantastic other in Fforde in contrast to earlier writers. His focus is different, though, aiming to describe a complete mode’s appearance within a certain period, modernism. As such it also provides background information and comparison but does not offer much on the treatment of the specific features and what differentiates Fforde from other writers. The core thematics have been outlined above and follow the assertion that the novels present a rather “bookish” or “literarish” world we shall look at this first – what makes the world a literary world?

In order to analyse the work as whole, we shall proceed in four steps, each of them begun by another short introduction to the specific theme. We begin with intertextuality (2.1) and first look at which texts provide the basis for Fforde’s novel: do they belong to a specific period or group of authors? Do they address specific readers and are those the same readers Fforde aims it? Can the text be grouped in another specific manner? The dominant texts will prove to be canonical texts of Western society. There is, however, a slight shift in the portrayed texts across the series which we shall also monitor. This is closely linked with our next step, in which we ask how exactly those texts are treated, once for the works of the canon (2.1.2) and once for the ‘low’ cultural text, the other literature that does not belong to the canon and that seems at first conspicuously absent (2.1.3). In contrast to both these literatures we will deal with a world in which books are a forgotten medium, which is portrayed only in the fifth novel and hinted at slightly before (2.1.4). This will shed valuable information on how we can put ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture together: are they portrayed in antagonistic or rather symbiotic relation to each other? The title “Closing the Gap” – taken up from Leslie Fiedler – already suggests that the two kinds of literature will show a movement towards each other; indeed we will see two different movements here (2.1.5). Dealing with texts, we inevitably have to wonder about their authors: after all, we frequently refer to “in Shakespeare…” as I have before often done with Fforde. What importance does the author have in the world of the novel and what in the BookWorld? Some incidents go hand in hand with the treatment of the canon but we will find that authors are strangely absent except for their names on the title page (2.1.6).

Therefore, this point is advanced in a chapter of its own. It also forms part of the postmodernist movement to celebrate the author’s ‘death’ in various ways. We will first look more specifically at how author figures are treated. This can be stripped down to a very brief lists: names of authors are dropped consistently but we actually face only very few authors in person – two actual ones plus one of debatable status and a few that are in the background and must be writing the actual texts that exist in Thursday’s world (2.2.1). Having then seen that the authors of Fforde’s series are comparatively weak ones and hardly able to write, we need to wonder how literature is produced. Fforde here presents a fantastic theory of the production of literature that leads us into metafictional dimensions: he presents fiction to be constructed inside the BookWorld – inside fiction itself. This section is subdivided into two passages as two metaphors govern the creation process: we will look at the construction of world and plots (2.2.2) and of the creation of characters (2.2.3). Here we will also find out what happened to some of the author’s aspects. The ‘death’ of the author will prove to be incomplete, yet his position is weakened more and more the further the series progresses. Instead of eliminating the author, though, he is ultimately counter-weighted by a position of equal if not greater importance: the reader. Still inbound in the fantastic model of text and meaning generation we will look at this entity in the literary communication (2.2.4). The reader at this point also provides another cue: as he is thematised himself, the reader of the actual novels has to react in a certain way. On the premise that recipient reactions are anticipated we shall wonder what this favoured position does to the reader reading it. We will already have looked at the involvement of the reader and his likely reactions in the first section and he will never totally leave us.

In the thirds section, we will deal with the broad metafictional model of Fforde. Majorly this involves the model of the BookWorld, the laws of her working, the interior of fiction. This can be loosely described as working with and through gaps, which makes a further call to the reader who is the only one to fill those actual gaps in fiction. Fforde creates a double fictivity instilling the figures with a second life after the novels have run their course – or even between the pages. Logic dictates that, as a book, Fforde’s novels must be found in the BookWorld as well. This is the case as we learn in First Among Sequels. In the major scope of the BookWorld, though, Fforde’s books are just some among many and only implicitly hinted at and not thematised. We shall therefore look at the instances of explicit self-reflexivity separately. This section also includes direct reader addresses and awareness of fictionality in the ‘reality’ itself (2.3.2). We will then come back to the BookWorld and its laws briefly, pointing to its governing principles. Finally we make a jump to another kind of metafiction, which does not work on the diegetic level but on the linguistic. This kind of metafiction realises words on the page as actual text, words whose meaning is not at all clear. It thus works on a sub-level of diegetic metafiction which is concerned with proper narrative. Again, we will have to ask about the role of the reader here as he is the one filling narrative gaps, having expectations to ‘proper’ literature (and what is proper literature anyway?) and making sense of words (2.3.4).

Finally we will look at the different worlds portrayed in the series (2.4). There are a number of worlds hinted at but the above trias is of the most concern. Another model of alternative realities is already introduced at the first page of The Eyre Affair: time travel. The ChronoGuard constantly changes the past and the future and thereby reality. Ironically, Fforde abandons the plot in First Among Sequels as being impossible from the very beginning, providing a link back to self-referentiality and the laws of fiction. What concerns us here is the relation of those worlds to each others and to ours: as we shall see, Thursday’s world is a parallel world to ours which can indeed be accessed through the works of the ChronoGuard (2.4.1). In succession to this we shall examine the three main worlds, the empirical reality, the fictional ‘reality’ and the BookWorld, together. The boundaries between all three worlds, we shall argue, is very weak and actually poses the question of which of the worlds is the real reality and furthermore which world is the most important (2.4.2). For this we will draw to an extent on material outside the books as Fforde actively tries to blur the boundaries between the empirical world and the world of the novel, by providing websites of fictional companies, photos from mentioned locations and actual updates to his novels. This will also put us in the direction of FfanFficiton and Fan work in connection with Fforde, which proofs to be quite different to other fan communities and rather draws forth the playfulness of language (note the double-f’s) together with the author than writing unconnected stories of their own. This last chapter will also draw together the findings of the previous chapters to come to come to a final conclusion which will also offer an outlook on open questions.

All points implicitly include the fantastic mode of the writing, to which special properties will be alluded in its proper place. At the end of each section we shall also stop to examine the employed methods’ effects on the reader. Generally, we surmise there to be an incorporating effect: intertextuality needs to be recognised by the reader; he provides the counterweight to the author; he needs to fill the gaps presented in a narrative; and he is the one providing the empirical frame of reference that is necessary for the fantastic. Some of the points, we will find, have no proper conclusions. Some are outright contradictory and moreover perhaps meant to be. We shall conclude with a statement about which readers are aimed at and what methods are employed to attract these specific readers to the series.

User:Nico Zorn

2008-03-14T20:13:56Z

Nico Zorn:

Provisorische uralte Infos über mich:
http://www.grimoires.de/inhalt.php?art=team&nr=1

Currently researching for the Magisterarbeit:
=Jasper Fforde's 'Thursday Next' (2001-2007). Intertextuality, Metafiction, Postmodernism=

===Introduction pending ultimate revision===
[[Magisterarbeit:Nico Zorn]]

Talk:Literary and Cultural Studies:Style sheet

2008-03-13T22:59:21Z

Nico Zorn: -> special regulations for Magisterarbeit (layout/front page)

Ist da nicht ein Widerspruch zwischen Bibliography & Primary Literature? B. sagt, folgende Zitate in Klammern ([Name] [, Kurztitel] [Seite]), PL. sagt, man solle Sekundärliteratur NUR in Fußnoten schreiben? Ich zumindest verstehe momentan nicht so ganz, wie das zusammen funktionieren Soll. Intuitiv würde ich vermuten, dass beide gleich behandelt werden und die Primärtexte (bei Zitaten nach dem ersten) nur als ("[Titel]" [Seite]) angegeben werden sollen wie im Beispiel gezeigt. Könnte das einmal klarer und nicht widersprüchlich formuliert werden? Bei der Vielzahl an möglichen Belegformen weiß ich sonst nicht, wer-wie-wo-wann-was. Folgefrage: Auch bei Primärtiteln gehen vermutlich Kurztitel? Soll der Kurztitel beim ersten Zitieren vermerkt werden? (i.e.: "[...] furtheron quoted as: Literary Theory") --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 21:45, 6 December 2007 (CET)

2. Frage: Soll die Bibliographie nach den verschiedenen Quellenarten explizit aufgeteilt werden oder eine gesamt-alphabetische Ordnung (ohne Berücksichtigung der Quellenart, da diese durch die Zitationsform implizit ist) erfolgen? --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 21:47, 6 December 2007 (CET)
:B=Bibliography Sek.Lit und PL= Primary Lit. Bibliographiert werden beide nach selbem Muster (jedenfalls bei heutigen Büchern). Innerhalb des Textes muß ich nicht jedesmal Hamlet perfekt zitieren, das mache ich einmal und danach kann ich mich darauf beziehen. (''Hamlet'', IV.ii). Wenn man Sekundärliteratur häufig zitiert kann man das auch kürzen Ian Watt (1957), p.66. Das Setzt voraus, daß man in der Bibliographie am Ende des Werks die Publikation unter Name und Jahr wiederfindet. Meine eigenen Bibliographien trennen Sekundär und Primärliteratur, sie sind dabei fast immer chronologisch. Wenn sie lang werden setze ich nach Zehnjahres- oder Jahresblöcken Zwischüberschriften. Bedienbarkeit der Arbeit ist das oberste Ziel. Individuelle Lösungen sollte man dabei moderat verwenden, die können genial sein, aber die Bedienbarkeit erschweren, wenn man Wochen braucht, um sich auf die individuelle Lösung einzulassen. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 10:09, 7 December 2007 (CET)

You should add a note for "reprints". The treatment seems implicit in the Sterne volume: put the first publication date in square brackets behind the title, then list the publication date of the actually used edition as usual. This should probably be said explicitly, if so intended. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 23:53, 13 March 2008 (CET)

Next note: there is a specially regulated page on how the Magisterarbeit cover sheet HAS to be designed that contradicts the example on this page and is pretty exact on what has to be where. I will scan the page and add it next week together with th "Merkblatt für die Anfertigung der Magisterarbeit" which gives some definite lines on the layout which is largely identical with the style sheer, though. Weirdly, despite not having been updated since '04, the Merkblatt is not accessible online. Talk about modern media... --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 23:59, 13 March 2008 (CET)

Talk:Literary and Cultural Studies:Style sheet

2008-03-13T22:53:26Z

Nico Zorn:

MagisterprÃ¼fung MÃ¼ndlich Literaturwissenschaft:Nico Zorn

2008-03-12T20:27:15Z

Nico Zorn:

Topic 1: Middle English Arthurian Romance and Adaptation

<ol>
<li> Chaucer, Geoffrey: The Canterbury Tales (14th century)</li>
<ol type="a">
<li>The Knight’s Tale</li>
<li>The Wife of Bath’s Tale</li>
<li>Sir Thopaz</li>
</ol>
<li>(anonymous): Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (late 14th century)</li>
<li>Mallory, Sir Thomas: Le Morte D’Arthur (1485)</li>
<li>Spenser, Edmund: The Faerie Queene (1590)</li>
<ol type="a">
<li>Book I: Of Holinesse</li>
<li>Book II: Of Temperaunce</li>
</ol>
<li>Twain, Mark: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889)</li>
</ol>

Topic 2: Elizabethan to Restoration Drama

<ol>
<li>Shakespeare, William: Richard III (~1591)</li>
<li>Howard, Robert; John Dryden: The Indian Queen (1664)</li>
<li>Villiers, George: The Rehearsal (1672)</li>
<li>Wycherly, William: The Country-Wife (1675)</li>
<li>Etherege, George: The Man of Mode (1676)</li>
<li>Steele, Richard: The Conscious Lovers (1722)</li>
</ol>

Topic 3: Future Views

<ol>
<li>Madden, Samuel: Memoirs of the Twentieth Century (1733)</li>
<li>Mercier, Louis-Sébastien: Memories of the Year Two Thousand Five Hundred (1771)</li>
<li>Woolstonecraft-Shelly, Mary: The Last Man (1826)</li>
<li>Wells, H.G.: The Time Machine (1895)</li>
<li>Star Trek: TNG: First Contact (18/02/1991)</li>
</ol>

MagisterprÃ¼fung MÃ¼ndlich Literaturwissenschaft:Nico Zorn

2008-03-12T20:25:47Z

Nico Zorn:

Topic 1: Middle English Arthurian Romance and Adaptation

<ol>
<li> Chaucer, Geoffrey: The Canterbury Tales (14th century)</li>
<ol>
<li>The Knight’s Tale</li>
<li>The Wife of Bath’s Tale</li>
<li>Sir Thopaz</li>
</ol>
<li>(anonymous): Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (late 14th century)</li>
<li>Mallory, Sir Thomas: Le Morte D’Arthur (1485)</li>
<li>Spenser, Edmund: The Faerie Queene (1590)</li>
<ol>
<li>Book I: Of Holinesse</li>
<li>Book II: Of Temperaunce</li>
</ol>
<li>Twain, Mark: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889)</li>
</ol>

Topic 2: Elizabethan to Restoration Drama

<ol>
<li>Shakespeare, William: Richard III (~1591)</li>
<li>Howard, Robert; John Dryden: The Indian Queen (1664)</li>
<li>Villiers, George: The Rehearsal (1672)</li>
<li>Wycherly, William: The Country-Wife (1675)</li>
<li>Etherege, George: The Man of Mode (1676)</li>
<li>Steele, Richard: The Conscious Lovers (1722)</li>
</ol>

Topic 3: Future Views

<ol>
<li>Madden, Samuel: Memoirs of the Twentieth Century (1733)</li>
<li>Mercier, Louis-Sébastien: Memories of the Year Two Thousand Five Hundred (1771)</li>
<li>Woolstonecraft-Shelly, Mary: The Last Man (1826)</li>
<li>Wells, H.G.: The Time Machine (1895)</li>
<li>Star Trek: TNG: First Contact (18/02/1991)</li>
</ol>

User talk:Nico Zorn

2008-03-12T20:25:07Z

Nico Zorn: (typo)

Kurz von meiner Seite das Feedback unseres Gesprächs

* Wir legten den Titel fest und besprachen eine mögliche
* Ausrichtung auf die Frage nach der Funktion in der Interaktion mit dem Publikum, die das haben kann, sich dieser Schreiboptionen zu bedienen (evtl. mit einem Gedanken zu einer zu falsifizierenden und einer zu verifizierenden Antwort) (wobei da eben im Verlauf des Schreibens für Dich selbst der stillschweigende Vergleich mit anderen Autoren wie Borges, Coover, Barthelme, Rushdie mehr Klarheit verschaffen mag, was Fforde da ganz anderes und nicht minder modernes mit solchen Schreiboptionen im Blick auf sein eigenes zum Spiel bereites Publikum tut).

Gruß, --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 16:52, 13 September 2007 (CEST)

Vergleichsfolien wären etwa:
*Coover: Magic Poker, Babysitter
*Barthelme, Glass Mountain oder so
*Raymond Federman, ''Critifictions'' (erinnere mich kaum noch daran - der mann schrieb jedenfalls einen Aufsatz dazu daß jeder Text ein Gewebe aus Zitaten sei...
*Borges, Ficciones - Bibliothek von Babel, der Don Quixote des Pierre Menard... ich weiß gerade nicht, was man da an spannenden Geschichten findet, sollst sie alle nicht unbedingt zitieren, aber sie mögen den Blick schärfen auf das Besondere Deines eigenen Text-Konvoluts. Man sieht mitunter klarer, was der eigene Text da ganz anders macht, wenn man andere Texte vergleichen kann, während man eine Frage durchdenkt.
----

Deinen Star-Trek-Ordner hatte ich hier liegen, wollte ihn Dir noch in die Hand drücken. Soll ich ihn einpacken oder willst Du ihn morgen noch abholen? --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 17:47, 13 September 2007 (CEST)

Hole ich heute offensichtlich nicht mehr ab ;) Den kann ich irgendwann bei Gelegenheit mitnehmen. Die Barthelme "60 stories" habe ich schon bei mir. (Glass Mountain ist....sagen wir mal "interessant"), die anderen werde ich in nächster Zeit bestellen/in anderen Bibliotheken zusammensuchen
--[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 21:05, 14 September 2007 (CEST)

==Kleines Spielzeug==

{{Template:Malory 21 Books}}

In Wikis kann man mit diesen Dingern für gleiche Info auf verschiedenen Seiten sorgen... Gruß und Dank für die Hilfe bei der Organisation, --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 15:40, 1 December 2007 (CET)

:Ah, praktisch :) Gibt also doch so etwas wie include(document.name); im Wiki intern - Variablen kann es aber vermutlich nicht verwalten, oder?

==Evaporating Genres==
Hi Nico, vielen Dank! Ich lese mir deine Zusammenfassung gerade durch. Soll ich den Text vorsichtshalber von meiner Diskussionsseite löschen? Oder nicht?--[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 13:34, 17 January 2008 (CET)
Ist mir eigentlich relativ egal - ich denke, er passt inhaltlich nicht wirklich dahin, also lösch ihn bei Gelegenheit. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 14:24, 17 January 2008 (CET)
:auf der anderen Seite sind solche Statements ja interessant. Vielleicht macht man eine Seite zum Beitrag auf. Bücher und wichtige Artikel eben mal greifbar gemacht zu haben, hat ja auch was... --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 14:43, 17 January 2008 (CET)
::Das wäre natürlich auch eine Option. Wobei ich denke, dass dieser Artikel eben relativ seicht ist und nicht gerade enorm viel Neues bietet. Eine brauchbare erste Zusammenfassung der Genres schon. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 15:04, 17 January 2008 (CET)
:::Schau mal hier - nicht auf das, was da gemacht ist, das war für die Vorlesung etwas Beispielmaterial, denn auf die Kategorisierung und die Betitelung der Seite: [[Harry Blamires, A Short History of English Literature (1974)]]. Bei Autoren, die von viel größerem Interesse sind (wie eta [[Hippolyte Taine, Histoire de la littérature anglaise (1863)]], habe ich eine umfangreichere Kategorisierung, mit der das Buch dann noch in ein paar anderen Listen auftaucht. Bei regulärer, nicht sonderlich Sekundärliteratur wird die neue Kategorie [[:Category:On Literature|On Literature]] genügen (was uns die allgemeinen Listen wie [[:Category:By author|Texts by author]] etwas entrümpelt). --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 16:54, 17 January 2008 (CET)

Hi Nico, wie geht es dir. Könnte dich interessieren:
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/03/report-gary-gyg.html --[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 09:53, 5 March 2008 (CET)

:Moin Karsten. Mitten im Schreiben halt. Schrecklich wenn man was geschrieben hat und dann realisiert dass man es lieber doch nochmal auseinanderpflücken muss. Schlimmer als from-scratch schreiben, im(nsh)o. Habe es auch schon gelesen - per Eilnewsletter gestern Morgen. Sowas macht dann doch sehr schnell die Runde :( --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 16:21, 6 March 2008 (CET)
::Moin Karsten und Nico - mögt Ihr nicht als Studenten in der letzten studentischen Lebensphase mal über diese Seite sehen, die ich für die Afenger baute? [[Literary Studies:Writing academic texts]] - Gruß, --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 16:38, 6 March 2008 (CET)

Aloah, da schaue ich schon zwischendurch immer rein - Kommentare folgen :O Sieht generell ganz gut aus besonders das "häng dch nciht an die Experten". Davon wird man nie ganz immun :/. Es ist so schön "offiziell akzeptierte" Referenzen zu bringen, die den eigenen Text "objektiv" machen.
Nachtrag zu Gygax: Das Fandom ist schnell... http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0536.html --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 20:20, 6 March 2008 (CET)
::: Mehr Fandom: [http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/archive.asp?nextform=viewcomic&id=1347][http://www.exiern.com/index.php?strip_id=125][http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/ffn/index.php?date=2008-03-04][http://www.gucomics.com/comic/?cdate=20080305][http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/03/04]--[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 21:42, 7 March 2008 (CET)
:: Ich stimme Nico zu, was die Experten betrifft Die Seite habe ich mir heute morgen durchgelesen, bin aber gerade zu müde, um etwas sinnvolles zu schreiben (morgen dann). --[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 23:36, 6 March 2008 (CET)

==Textliste==

Setze doch Deine Textliste auf [[Magisterprüfung Mündlich Literaturwissenschaft:Nico Zorn]], dan hab ich mal festgehalten, wie das läuft... --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 17:27, 11 March 2008 (CET)

MagisterprÃ¼fung MÃ¼ndlich Literaturwissenschaft:Nico Zorn

2008-03-12T20:24:34Z

Nico Zorn:

Topic 1: Middle English Arthurian Romance and Adaptation

<ol>
<li> Chaucer, Geoffrey: The Canterbury Tales (14th century)</li>
<ol>
<li>The Knight’s Tale</li>
<li>The Wife of Bath’s Tale</li>
<li>Sir Thopaz</li>
</ol>
<li>(anonymous): Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (late 14th century)</li>
<li>Mallory, Sir Thomas: Le Morte D’Arthur (1485)</li>
<li>Spenser, Edmund: The Faerie Queene (1590)</li>
<ol>
<li>Book I: Of Holinesse</li>
<li>Book II: Of Temperaunce</li>
</ol>
<li>Twain, Mark: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889)</li>
</ol>

Topic 2: Elizabethan to Restoration Drama

<ol>
<li>Shakespeare, William: Richard III (~1591)</li>
<li>Howard, Robert; John Dryden: The Indian Queen (1664)</li>
<li>Villiers, George: The Rehearsal (1672)</li>
<li>Wycherly, William: The Country-Wife (1675)</li>
<li>Etherege, George: The Man of Mode (1676)</li>
<li>Steele, Richard: The Conscious Lovers (1722)</li>
</ol>

Topic 3: Future Views

<ol>
<li>Madden, Samuel: Memoirs of the Twentieth Century (1733)</li>
<li>Mercier, Louis-Sébastien: Memories of the Year Two Thousand Five Hundred (1771)</li>
<li>Woolstonecraft-Shelly, Mary: The Last Man (1826)</li>
<li>Wells, H.G.: The Time Machine (1895)</li>
<li>Star Trek: TNG: First Contact (18/02/1991)</li>
</ol>

User talk:Nico Zorn

2008-03-06T19:20:32Z

Nico Zorn:

User talk:Nico Zorn

2008-03-06T15:21:46Z

Nico Zorn:

Kurz von meiner Seite das Feedback unseres Gesprächs

* Wir legten den Titel fest und besprachen eine mögliche
* Ausrichtung auf die Frage nach der Funktion in der Interaktion mit dem Publikum, die das haben kann, sich dieser Schreiboptionen zu bedienen (evtl. mit einem Gedanken zu einer zu falsifizierenden und einer zu verifizierenden Antwort) (wobei da eben im Verlauf des Schreibens für Dich selbst der stillschweigende Vergleich mit anderen Autoren wie Borges, Coover, Barthelme, Rushdie mehr Klarheit verschaffen mag, was Fforde da ganz anderes und nicht minder modernes mit solchen Schreiboptionen im Blick auf sein eigenes zum Spiel bereites Publikum tut).

Gruß, --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 16:52, 13 September 2007 (CEST)

Vergleichsfolien wären etwa:
*Coover: Magic Poker, Babysitter
*Barthelme, Glass Mountain oder so
*Raymond Federman, ''Critifictions'' (erinnere mich kaum noch daran - der mann schrieb jedenfalls einen Aufsatz dazu daß jeder Text ein Gewebe aus Zitaten sei...
*Borges, Ficciones - Bibliothek von Babel, der Don Quixote des Pierre Menard... ich weiß gerade nicht, was man da an spannenden Geschichten findet, sollst sie alle nicht unbedingt zitieren, aber sie mögen den Blick schärfen auf das Besondere Deines eigenen Text-Konvoluts. Man sieht mitunter klarer, was der eigene Text da ganz anders macht, wenn man andere Texte vergleichen kann, während man eine Frage durchdenkt.
----

Deinen Star-Trek-Ordner hatte ich hier liegen, wollte ihn Dir noch in die Hand drücken. Soll ich ihn einpacken oder willst Du ihn morgen noch abholen? --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 17:47, 13 September 2007 (CEST)

Hole ich heute offensichtlich nicht mehr ab ;) Den kann ich irgendwann bei Gelegenheit mitnehmen. Die Barthelme "60 stories" habe ich schon bei mir. (Glass Mountain ist....sagen wir mal "interessant"), die anderen werde ich in nächster Zeit bestellen/in anderen Bibliotheken zusammensuchen
--[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 21:05, 14 September 2007 (CEST)

==Kleines Spielzeug==

{{Template:Malory 21 Books}}

In Wikis kann man mit diesen Dingern für gleiche Info auf verschiedenen Seiten sorgen... Gruß und Dank für die Hilfe bei der Organisation, --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 15:40, 1 December 2007 (CET)

:Ah, praktisch :) Gibt also doch so etwas wie include(document.name); im Wiki intern - Variablen kann es aber vermutlich nicht verwalten, oder?

==Evaporating Genres==
Hi Nico, vielen Dank! Ich lese mir deine Zusammenfassung gerade durch. Soll ich den Text vorsichtshalber von meiner Diskussionsseite löschen? Oder nicht?--[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 13:34, 17 January 2008 (CET)
Ist mir eigentlich relativ egal - ich denke, er passt inhaltlich nicht wirklich dahin, also lösch ihn bei Gelegenheit. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 14:24, 17 January 2008 (CET)
:auf der anderen Seite sind solche Statements ja interessant. Vielleicht macht man eine Seite zum Beitrag auf. Bücher und wichtige Artikel eben mal greifbar gemacht zu haben, hat ja auch was... --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 14:43, 17 January 2008 (CET)
::Das wäre natürlich auch eine Option. Wobei ich denke, dass dieser Artikel eben relativ seicht ist und nicht gerade enorm viel Neues bietet. Eine brauchbare erste Zusammenfassung der Genres schon. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 15:04, 17 January 2008 (CET)
:::Schau mal hier - nicht auf das, was da gemacht ist, das war für die Vorlesung etwas Beispielmaterial, denn auf die Kategorisierung und die Betitelung der Seite: [[Harry Blamires, A Short History of English Literature (1974)]]. Bei Autoren, die von viel größerem Interesse sind (wie eta [[Hippolyte Taine, Histoire de la littérature anglaise (1863)]], habe ich eine umfangreichere Kategorisierung, mit der das Buch dann noch in ein paar anderen Listen auftaucht. Bei regulärer, nicht sonderlich Sekundärliteratur wird die neue Kategorie [[:Category:On Literature|On Literature]] genügen (was uns die allgemeinen Listen wie [[:Category:By author|Texts by author]] etwas entrümpelt). --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 16:54, 17 January 2008 (CET)

Hi Nico, wie geht es dir. Könnte dich interessieren:
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/03/report-gary-gyg.html --[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 09:53, 5 March 2008 (CET)

Moin Karsten. Mitten im Schreiben halt. Schrecklich wenn man was geschrieben hat und dann realisiert dass man es lieber doch nochmal auseinanderpflücken muss. Schlimmer als from-scratch schreiben, im(nsh)o. Habe es auch schon gelesen - per Eilnewsletter gestern Morgen. Sowas macht dann doch sehr schnell die Runde :( --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 16:21, 6 March 2008 (CET)

User talk:Nico Zorn

2008-03-06T15:21:30Z

Nico Zorn:

Kurz von meiner Seite das Feedback unseres Gesprächs

* Wir legten den Titel fest und besprachen eine mögliche
* Ausrichtung auf die Frage nach der Funktion in der Interaktion mit dem Publikum, die das haben kann, sich dieser Schreiboptionen zu bedienen (evtl. mit einem Gedanken zu einer zu falsifizierenden und einer zu verifizierenden Antwort) (wobei da eben im Verlauf des Schreibens für Dich selbst der stillschweigende Vergleich mit anderen Autoren wie Borges, Coover, Barthelme, Rushdie mehr Klarheit verschaffen mag, was Fforde da ganz anderes und nicht minder modernes mit solchen Schreiboptionen im Blick auf sein eigenes zum Spiel bereites Publikum tut).

Gruß, --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 16:52, 13 September 2007 (CEST)

Vergleichsfolien wären etwa:
*Coover: Magic Poker, Babysitter
*Barthelme, Glass Mountain oder so
*Raymond Federman, ''Critifictions'' (erinnere mich kaum noch daran - der mann schrieb jedenfalls einen Aufsatz dazu daß jeder Text ein Gewebe aus Zitaten sei...
*Borges, Ficciones - Bibliothek von Babel, der Don Quixote des Pierre Menard... ich weiß gerade nicht, was man da an spannenden Geschichten findet, sollst sie alle nicht unbedingt zitieren, aber sie mögen den Blick schärfen auf das Besondere Deines eigenen Text-Konvoluts. Man sieht mitunter klarer, was der eigene Text da ganz anders macht, wenn man andere Texte vergleichen kann, während man eine Frage durchdenkt.
----

Deinen Star-Trek-Ordner hatte ich hier liegen, wollte ihn Dir noch in die Hand drücken. Soll ich ihn einpacken oder willst Du ihn morgen noch abholen? --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 17:47, 13 September 2007 (CEST)

Hole ich heute offensichtlich nicht mehr ab ;) Den kann ich irgendwann bei Gelegenheit mitnehmen. Die Barthelme "60 stories" habe ich schon bei mir. (Glass Mountain ist....sagen wir mal "interessant"), die anderen werde ich in nächster Zeit bestellen/in anderen Bibliotheken zusammensuchen
--[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 21:05, 14 September 2007 (CEST)

==Kleines Spielzeug==

{{Template:Malory 21 Books}}

In Wikis kann man mit diesen Dingern für gleiche Info auf verschiedenen Seiten sorgen... Gruß und Dank für die Hilfe bei der Organisation, --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 15:40, 1 December 2007 (CET)

:Ah, praktisch :) Gibt also doch so etwas wie include(document.name); im Wiki intern - Variablen kann es aber vermutlich nicht verwalten, oder?

==Evaporating Genres==
Hi Nico, vielen Dank! Ich lese mir deine Zusammenfassung gerade durch. Soll ich den Text vorsichtshalber von meiner Diskussionsseite löschen? Oder nicht?--[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 13:34, 17 January 2008 (CET)
Ist mir eigentlich relativ egal - ich denke, er passt inhaltlich nicht wirklich dahin, also lösch ihn bei Gelegenheit. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 14:24, 17 January 2008 (CET)
:auf der anderen Seite sind solche Statements ja interessant. Vielleicht macht man eine Seite zum Beitrag auf. Bücher und wichtige Artikel eben mal greifbar gemacht zu haben, hat ja auch was... --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 14:43, 17 January 2008 (CET)
::Das wäre natürlich auch eine Option. Wobei ich denke, dass dieser Artikel eben relativ seicht ist und nicht gerade enorm viel Neues bietet. Eine brauchbare erste Zusammenfassung der Genres schon. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 15:04, 17 January 2008 (CET)
:::Schau mal hier - nicht auf das, was da gemacht ist, das war für die Vorlesung etwas Beispielmaterial, denn auf die Kategorisierung und die Betitelung der Seite: [[Harry Blamires, A Short History of English Literature (1974)]]. Bei Autoren, die von viel größerem Interesse sind (wie eta [[Hippolyte Taine, Histoire de la littérature anglaise (1863)]], habe ich eine umfangreichere Kategorisierung, mit der das Buch dann noch in ein paar anderen Listen auftaucht. Bei regulärer, nicht sonderlich Sekundärliteratur wird die neue Kategorie [[:Category:On Literature|On Literature]] genügen (was uns die allgemeinen Listen wie [[:Category:By author|Texts by author]] etwas entrümpelt). --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 16:54, 17 January 2008 (CET)

Hi Nico, wie geht es dir. Könnte dich interessieren:
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/03/report-gary-gyg.html --[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 09:53, 5 March 2008 (CET)

Moin Karsten. Mitten im Schreiben halt. Schrecklich wenn man was geschrieben hat und dann realisiert dass man es lieber doch nochmal auseinanderpflücken muss. Schlimmer als from-scratch schreiben, im(nsh)o. Habe es auch schon gelesen - per Eilnewsletter gestern Morgen. Sowas macht dann doch sehr schnell die Runde :(

User:Nico Zorn

2008-02-12T15:41:48Z

Nico Zorn: cleanup

Talk:External Sources

2008-02-04T10:39:02Z

Nico Zorn: Kommentar zur Seite

Als ich grad mal wieder meine Bookmarks durchsah stellte ich fest, dass sich doch einiges an praktischen Quellen angesammelt hat, teilweise allgemein um schnell Begriffe nachzuschlagen, teilweise eher spezialisiert. Ich vermute mal, dass jeder einige Geheimtipps hat und denke es ist sinnvoll, diese zusammenzutragen, so dass auch andere von diesen Quellen profitieren können. (Und einige hatte ich selbst schon wieder vergessen, e.g.: Camelot Project.). Feel free to contribute :O. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 11:39, 4 February 2008 (CET)

Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889)

2008-02-01T15:51:33Z

Nico Zorn:

An electronic text can be found at [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/86/86-h/86-h.htm Project Gutenberg] - not too well to read online but worth a look for its illustrations. (This is an 1889 edition).

Whoseover feels like not reading but listening to the book might have a look at [http://librivox.org/a-connecticut-yankee-in-king-arthurs-court-by-mark-twain/ Libri Vox] which has a free legal audio of the book (downloadable either by chapter or in a complete zip-file). [[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]]

=Summary by Chapter=

===Chapter 1 – Camelot===
The Yankee is taken prisoner by a knight. He first supposes some circus or lunatics’ asylum but eventually gets told he is in Camelot (and later gets to know the year &c.)

===Chapter 2 – King Arthur’s Court===
A view at the town (well) of Camelot, finally getting to know day and year (and not believing it) – there will be an eclipse in some days, not again for some hundred, which will prove the date (only known by Yankee)

===Chapter 3 - Knights of the Table Round===
The Yankee sits while the knights of the round talk; description of the high dais and the king and his knights eating like pigs, telling the same stories all over again. There are dogs running around and fetching bits thrown to the ground – great spectacle; some knights yield to Arthur. Clarence tells the Yankee what is going on etc. Merlin tells a tale as well, all going to napping or sleeping…

===Chapter 4 - Sir Dinadan the Humorist===
Dinadan wakes first and laughs when others have stopped. The knights think about what to do with the Yankee and his magical protection clothes (as according to the story told by his captor)… Merlin finally tells them to simply undress him, it is done and all look at him naively interested. He is ushered to the dungeon

===Chapter 5 - An Inspiration===
The Yankee in the dungeon tells Clarence that he was a magician and will turn the sun dark if they do not let him out. Some rushing forth and back and the Yankee is believed by the king (not Merlin). He intends to use the eclipse at the time and date of his scheduled execution… but then he learns that he shall now be executed a day prior, due to Clarence telling them he would grow his full power only then (unknowingly dooming the Yankee…)

===Chapter 6 - The Eclipse===
When the execution is just going to start, the eclipse happens to begin (one day early – no explanation by the Yankee, who is startled). The Yankee quickly uses the momentum of the situation and demands time to think what he wants to make the sun come back (of course stretching time so it happens naturally) and eventually settles for being first man below the king and getting 1% of everything that he improves above the current state of economy (figuring he has 13 centuries’ knowledge). It is granted.

===Chapter 7 - Merlin’s Tower===
Merlin intrigues against the Yankee. He is eventually thrown into the dungeon by him. Many people come to see another wonder by the Yankee and he decides to give them another one. In a factory, some gunpowder has been made and eventually the Yankee blows up Merlin’s Tower before a mass of people… and Merlin who had been fetched and was unable to protect his lodging. He is allowed to stay as a “weather mage”, though.

===Chapter 8 - The Boss===
He then begins to enjoy his position and tries to start to establish modernity. He comments that people more regard him as a powerful animal and that only with a title one is respected – he could gain one easily but does not since it contradicts his education. After some years, the people, an authority (the only one) give a title to him which is equivalent of “The Boss”. The Yankee likes and respects the king but dislikes the hereditary system they gained power by.

===Chapter 9 - The Tournament===
A tournament is held and the Yankee starts the first newspaper. Sir Dinadan tells the Yankee a anecdote he has so often heard before and the Yankee falls to sleep. When Dinadan is unhorsed he exclaims that he hopes him dead – but unfortunately Sir Sagramor (le Desirous) is also unhorsed, takes him to be meant, and challenges the Yankee. Fortunately Segramor is going to seek the grail first (which is quite fashionable, may last years, and never return). The king starts to entice the Yankee to go questing himself to earn renown in order to meet Sagramor more worthily but the Yankee declines.

===Chapter 10 - Beginnings of Civilization===
The Yankee has now been training people in various crafts, established a school system and introduced some other faiths than the Roman Catholic. Mining has been improved and a “secret heaven” of 19th century-ness is established properly. There are especially vast progresses in military and navy – he has established academies (“my West Point”)
Clarence became his trusted (and bright) lieutenant and establishes telephone and telegraph lines all over the country; the country itself hardly changed although taxes went down and revenues still up. Sagramor is still questing.

===Chapter 11 - The Yankee in Search of Adventures===
A woman, Alisande/Sandy, arrives at the court stating that she escaped three ogres in a castle but there are more noblewomen left to be freed. The king gives this quest to the Yankee. He questions the woman learning really nothing about the whereabouts of the castle (could be everywhere, god changes its position, etc.). Clarence informs him that the woman will ride with him – he is put into armour, saddled, and departs

===Chapter 12 - Slow Torture===
The armour increasingly bothers the Yankee – esp. since he has no pockets and therefore no handkerchief. Also he has no food since the sandwich he wanted to smuggle into his helmet fell down and were eaten by dogs (and the other knights would not gave allowed it). The armour itself is hot and itchy and he cannot get off the horse since he would not be able to get back on. Sandy constantly chatters. In a storm they search refuge, the next day the Yankee has to walk. (Still annoyed: he realised the day before that he had not taken matches from one of his factories to light his pipe)

===Chapter 13 - Freemen===
The two meet some humble freeman. The Yankee asks them to have breakfast with them and they are very flattered. Sandy refuses to participate. The Yankee talks about taxes and the church and other matters with the king and tries to get to them the idea of democracy – unsuccessfully. Still, he sends the man to Clarence to be put into the “Man Factory” since there seems material for improvement

===Chapter 14 - “Defend Thee, Lord”===
Sandy and the Yankee meet seven knights. He scares them paralysed by lighting his pipe under the helmet and by the smoke appearing as a dragon. The Yankee thinks he has failed but Sandy says by their standing still the knights are defeated. She goes talk to them and tells them to go to Arthur’s court and subject themselves prisoners to the Yankee (as is common behaviour)

===Chapter 15 - Sandy’s Tale===
Being asked about the knights, Sandy tells a (long, long, long and blunt) story about Sir Gawain, Sir Uwaine and Sir Marhaut. The Yankee continually criticises the tale and gives hints for improvement (“and down went both, horse and men, smashed to the ground.” Or similar AGAIN and AGAIN). The Yankee and the woman approach a castle. By the way they meet one of the Yankee’s own men: Sir La Cote Male Taile who rides away – depressed, since he was unable to sell any soap there… the hermit he washed died and is considered a martyr now. The Yankee suggests a new advertising slogan: “Patronised by the Elect”.

===Chapter 16 – Morgan Le Fey & Ch 17 A Royal Banquet===
The Yankee learns the castle belongs to Morgan Le Fay, who is beautiful and quick-tempered. During with banquet an audience Morgan kills a boy because he has touched her. When the Yankee protests he is going to be thrown into the dungeon but Sandy steps in and tells all he is The Boss – he stays free and criticises Morgan a bit for various misgovernings (she stating she knew him but expected some magic)

===Chapter 18 – In the Queen’s Dungeon===
Still at Morgan’s castle. Trying to explain to Morgan that sudden passion is a mildening circumstance in murder and that killing the page was a crime. (Morgan does not see it as such: the Yankee makes “training” responsible). Morgan decides to pay for the page, though, which she would not really need to – the Yankee cannot bear to be nice to her, though. He asks her to examine her prisoners and she grants it eventually; visit to the dungeon; tale of some prisoner who has seen funerals and festivities at his beloved and wondered who was dead – all were alive, Morgan played all the funerals to torture this hated prisoner.

===Chapter 19 – Knight Errantry as a Trade===
Continuance of Sandy’s tale… musings about the uselessness of economics of knights’ fights - only piles of flesh and demolished armours left in the end. Telling Sandy to not think about it too much because argueing about business does not fit her.

===Chapter 20 - The Ogre’s Castle===
Sandy announces that they approach the ogres’ castle… which seems to be a pig-sty to the Yankee and the ogres to be farmers. Obviously he is under a spell since Sandy sees the pigs as nobility and the farmers as ogres. The Yankee says he can kill them as long as he knows how much higher he needs to aim. He talks with the “ogres”, buys the pigs and gets going with them which is a real hassle as one can imagine, esp. since he needs to treat them as royalty. Eventually coming to a hut which y. takes to be Sandy’s home but in fact is not. The “noblewomen” eventually being taken home by others…

===Chapter 21 - The Pilgrims===
Meeting pilgrims who want to go to the Valley of Holiness where a fountain flows as a miracle. 200 years ago it stopped flowing due to the being built of a heretic bath X_X. Shortly before arrival, they will learn that the fountain has stopped flowing again and that Merlin is on the job.

===Chapter 22 - The Holy Fountain===
The Yankee examines the fountain and sees the problem (some wall broken away). He tells the prior he can mend it but will not do so since magicians must not mingle in each other’s jobs and he will only try when Merlin has freely given up. In between he has some looks at the hermits and equips one who bows a lot with machinery so his movements benefit X_X. Merlin gives up eventually but laughs at the Yankee since a demon with unspeakable name cursed the fountain and one must know his name to lift the curse and die while doing so. Naturally, the Yankee stays unimpressed and promises to try to lift the curse the next day… only everybody should stay away half a mile. Meanwhile, some of his firework productions arrived

===Chapter 23 - Restoration of the Fountain===
The Yankee puts on a display of firework (4 coloured fountains) and utters names that really are unpronounceable… and makes a great show of it as well. Eventually the fountain bursts out again by great force. The Yankee is hailed and thanked. Wandering around he finds a phone office of his own and speaks with Clarence – the king is on his way to the valley and will soon arrive; also he has put up the standing army the Yankee suggested… unfortunately.

===Chapter 24 - A Rival Magician===
A humbug appears saying he can tell what everybody is doing right now. The Yankee feels the need to intervene as his own powers seem to fade. He eventually asks what his hand is doing. The other one says that is a useless trick and he only does things with the highest of the high. Yankee asks what Arthur does then and the other one answers he was sleeping. The Yankee says he was riding and would arrive soon after. Nobody believes him but he is eventually proven true, as he has learnt this fact via his phone.

===Chapter 25 - A Competitive Examination===
Examining officers for the standing army. The Yankee hopes to fill these ranks with his own westpointers but is shocked: they have the most magnificient strategy, can write and read as opposed to some noble competitors, and know strategy so well that the examining board does not understand them… but eventually nobility gets chosen since 4 generations of noble but is required. The Yankee proposes an elite regiment to the king, solely consisting of nobility and in which every noble can enter if he gives up the “royal grant”. Arthur likes the idea.

===Chapter 26 - The First Newspaper===
During an audience at which Arthur “cures” the ill and gives them money (which amount was greatly reduced by the Yankee by a coin reform), a newspaper boy arrives. The journalism is pretty crude and reminds of sports, is overly hailing The Boss. Nonetheless it is “a good start”. The monks are startled by the newly invented paper and the writing on it.

===Chapter 27 - The Yankee and the King Travel Incognito===
As the Yankee has stated before he wanted to go into the country incognito, he now does…accompanied by the king who thought this ingenious (and who was a bit desperate by the queen’s only interest in Sir Lancelot). The king only half the time keeps in his costume and the Yankee has to jump in to be hit by a whip instead of the king and so on. The king even buys a dirk to defend himself… but is convinced by the Yankee to throw it away since it is forbidden. The king does not really get cheered up. Eventually, the Yankee blows a bomb against some nobility who threaten the king and him (or was it next chapter?)

===Chapter 28 - Drilling the King===
The Yankee gives the king some drill, actor-like, how he shall move and stand and so on. The king does not really improve much but at least tries...

===Chapter 29 - The Small-Pox Hut===
The two enter a hut and discover the inhabitants are ill. The Yankee tries to send away the king since he might get infected but the king rejects – it would be cowardice. They learn that the hut is under church’s bane and the king is confronted with “his” own cruelty. He eventually weeps which is mistaken by the woman as knowing her fate himself. The children in the hut are dead or dying, nonetheless the king and the Yankee carry them to the woman so she has some relief in death – her husband died some hours before; she rejects water and food since death will be a mercy to her. (story before: her sons imprisoned, they forced to work on fields for all, no food of own, quarrels with nobles and church) Arthur and the Yankee leave shortly before one of the sons comes and reports they got free

===Chapter 30 - The Tragedy of the Manor-House===
The manor house has been burnt down (however) and one family got hanged for not really good reasons (they had some quarrels with the nobleman). The nobleman himself died in the flames and so did all prisoners, allegedly. Finding lodging, the king offers to buy the whole house since he had contact with infected ones (yeah, still cannot keep his role), the inhabitants decline but offer lodging. The king tells of the three sons who got away and urges the husband of the house to go after them. The Yankee leaves with the husband and tells him not to – he learns that they were cousins.

===Chapter 31 - Marco===
The king and Yankee live a while in the house of Marco, the Yankee looking around in the village, listening to various gossip and offering Marco and his wife new clothes, which they reject at first but eventually accept. He gets to know a rich (and somewhat arrogant) smithy and plans to do a big feast at his own cost which is eventually granted.

===Chapter 32 - Dowley’s Humiliation===
At the feast, the smithy boasts with his own good food and possessions and says he regards all as equal and offers his hand to the king who reluctantly shakes it. As the food and new furniture the Yankee bought are brought inside, all guests (and especially the smithy) get more and more startled. The bill is eventually presented: 39000 (pennies?). The Yankee pays $4 and tells the clerk to keep the change which again looks wasteful to the villagers. The smithy is totally humiliated and shaken down by this display of “wasteful” richness ;)

===Chapter 33 - Sixth Century Political Economy===
The Yankee argues about economy with smithy Dowley and the others at the table. They remain adamant that their wages are double as high and they certainly are so IN NUMBER. The Yankee repeatable proofs that they are so but are less than half in buying power. He uses workdays in spite of money to show that in his country, one gets things faster and therefore, pay is higher. He eventually gives up and deals a blow soon to be regretted: he goes back to a slight slip of the smithy that he had done sth. against the law. Eventually, the three become frightened and rise against Yankee and Arthur (who just woke and came in, being regarded as mad with his “unusual” ideas of agriculture)

===Chapter 34 - The Yankee and the King Sold as Slaves===
Yankee and King flee into the woods, escape the chase of an angry mob, gathered by Marco, only to be retrieved shortly after. They then seemingly get help by a nobleman who makes them ride on horses &c. Only later they discover, that they shall be sold as slaves and are so… for a price fairly low

===Chapter 35 - A Pitiful Incident===
While walking along (and the king always being to proud, unable to be broken in his pride and especially feeling wrong about his low price ($7) – „a real man“ acc. To the Yankee), the king becomes hater of slavery and wants to abolish it. Yankee now intends to get free now. A snowstorm sets in. There is a witch-hunt coming twds. The slave caravan and some already frozen to death. The slave master talks the witchhunters into burning the “witch” right there so his slaves can warm on the fire… the Yankee also witnesses a trial of a young woman which is eventually hanged. Here the clergyman took pity and recounted her story upon the gallows: her husband was shanghaied, she looked for him and eventually got into ruin, then stealing and being caught, being sentenced to death even against the will of the one she had stolen of (that one committed suicide before her hanging!)

===Chapter 36 - An Encounter in the Dark===
London, seeing knights they know but who do not look at them, even Sandy; in a barrack, the Yankee gets hold of some metal piece and gets free – but the slavemaster enters before he can free the rest. He gets out, the Yankee chases and attacks him outside. The guard shows up and takes him away – and it is revealed that it was a completely different man!

===Chapter 37 - An Awful Predicament===
Talking his way out of court, by stating he was a slave belonging to some noble who should fetch a doctor fort he allegedly ill, the Yankee wanders the town and learns that the slave master was slain. The slaves have been sentenced to death, only delayed by the search for one missing slave. The Yankee finds a telegraph line and contacts Camelot. Clarence sends out Sir Lancelot and his knights to London. Eventually, while slowly changing his clothing, the Yankee is caught (by one of the other slaves walking around with a guard) and the hanging shall commence before the knights can be there…

===Chapter 38 - Sir Launcelot and Knights to the Rescue===
The hanging begins. The people poke fun at Arthur and the Yankee who gave their true identities. Some slaves are already dead and the king is just about to be hanged, when Lancelot and other knights show up – recognising the Yankee by a cloth on his arm – and making the people bow down. They ride bicycles…

===Chapter 39 - The Yankee’s Fight with the Knights===
Being back at Camelot, the duel with the knight from before (Sir Seggemore?) is finally taking place. The Yankee unhorses him with a lasso, after evading three times. He had beforehand challenged all knights that wanted to deal with him and they come one after another, all falling down. When there is noone left, Sir Seggemore challenges him again, Merlin having stolen the only lasso and inventing some fake magic story about it disappearing after so many uses. The Yankee needs to fight armless, which is eventually granted. Before he is killed, he pulls out a revolver and shoots the other knight, then challenges all the knights there to come at him at once, together. The bluff almost fails, but when he shoots some more, the rest retreats. A plate is put up whereon he challenges all of England’s knights to get at him and 50 others… no bluff this time => The End of Knight Errantry

===Chapter 40 - Three Years Later===
All secret factories etc. were revealed and more put in. The round table was made into a stock company, a train was set up and the ticket controllers were totally made up from nobility (earl and higher)… but still cheating the company. And so on: short – modern age introduced in Britain.

===Chapter 41 - The Interdict===
the Yankee married Sandy and they have a child (named „Hallo Central“ due to a misunderstanding of Sandy’s…) now. The child grows ill and they travel to the shore and eventually to Gaulle.
When the Yankee looks outside, the navy and everything is gone. He (alone) travels back to England – trains gone – nothing around, all novelties vanished: sure signs of war

===Chapter 42 - War!===
Clarence tells the Yankee what happened. The story between Lancelot and Guinevere was finally discovered by the king after the round table poked fun at Lancelot and some of the king’s relatives were slain. Later, Mordred suggested to put attention of the king to L. and the queen. Lancelot is trapped but escapes, killing all but the king; the land divides into a party of Sir Lancelot and The King and all fight… Mordred is appointed king while Arthur fights but tries to fasten his power. Eventually, Arthur and Mordred kill each other during peace talks in which other knights killed the other army… the queen became a nun. The church now searches The Boss. He talks with Clarence about what they have: gatling lasers, wired electrical fences and some other things. They proclaim the republic, decided to strike and give the church its death-blow… but the people is not so enthusiastic.

===Chapter 43 - The Battle of the Sand-Belt===
At Merlin’s cave, the Yankee has his final fortress: the wired fences are charged with high voltage, the production centres are blown up, the gatling guns put in position. Around 25k knights – all that remain in England – are to come. First they send in cattle, which are simply blown away by explosives (same time as the production halls get destroyed.) The first ones sneak in at night and get electrocuted. When all charge, they get all roasted by full electric blow, then shot at by the gatlings and flowed away by a redirected stream. Against Clarence’s advice, the Yankee goes on the battlefield to help wounded and is wounded himself. About here, he stops writing, because of a mistake he cannot bear…

===Chapter 44 - A Postscript by Clarence===
Clarence takes on: The Boss’ wound was non-fatal and cured well, but although they had won, they were now „conquered“, sieged inside their cave and the corpses outside omit foul breath. There was a “woman” come in, Merlin disguised, who made signs over the Yankee for him to sleep 1300 years (=> taking Arthur’s place?!?)…and electrocuted when discovered and (accidentally?) touching one wire. Clarence concluded that they would put The Boss into a cave to be undisturbed and whoever escapes shall finish the story and put it with him.

===Postscript by Mark Twain===
Back in Warwick castle, he finishes the reading and goes to the stranger’s chamber. The door is ajar. The stranger lies in his bed and mutters, taking Twain for Sandy and talking about the days of yore, eyesight dim and fading. Eventually he sets out for a last talk but does not finish, as he dies. The book ends here.

[[Category:19th century|1889]]
[[Category:1880s|1889]]
[[Category:By author|Twain, Mark]]

Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889)

2008-02-01T15:38:07Z

Nico Zorn: summary

An electronic text can be found at [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/86/86-h/86-h.htm Project Gutenberg] - not too well to read online but worth a look for its illustrations. (This is an 1889 edition).

Whoseover feels like not reading but listening to the book might have a look at [http://librivox.org/a-connecticut-yankee-in-king-arthurs-court-by-mark-twain/ Libri Vox] which has a free legal audio of the book (downloadable either by chapter or in a complete zip-file). [[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]]

=Summary by Chapter=

===Ch 1 – Camelot===
The Yankee is taken prisoner by a knight. He first supposes some circus or lunatics’ asylum but eventually gets told he is in Camelot (and later gets to know the year &c.)

===Ch 2 – King Arthur’s Court===
A view at the town (well) of Camelot, finally getting to know day and year (and not believing it) – there will be an eclipse in some days, not again for some hundred, which will prove the date (only known by Yankee)

===Chapter 3: Knights of the Table Round===
The Yankee sits while the knights of the round talk; description of the high dais and the king and his knights eating like pigs, telling the same stories all over again. There are dogs running around and fetching bits thrown to the ground – great spectacle; some knights yield to Arthur. Clarence tells the Yankee what is going on etc. Merlin tells a tale as well, all going to napping or sleeping…

===Chapter 4: Sir Dinadan the Humorist===
Dinadan wakes first and laughs when others have stopped. The knights think about what to do with the Yankee and his magical protection clothes (as according to the story told by his captor)… Merlin finally tells them to simply undress him, it is done and all look at him naively interested. He is ushered to the dungeon

===Chapter 5: An Inspiration===
The Yankee in the dungeon tells Clarence that he was a magician and will turn the sun dark if they do not let him out. Some rushing forth and back and the Yankee is believed by the king (not Merlin). He intends to use the eclipse at the time and date of his scheduled execution… but then he learns that he shall now be executed a day prior, due to Clarence telling them he would grow his full power only then (unknowingly dooming the Yankee…)

===Chapter 6: The Eclipse===
When the execution is just going to start, the eclipse happens to begin (one day early – no explanation by the Yankee, who is startled). The Yankee quickly uses the momentum of the situation and demands time to think what he wants to make the sun come back (of course stretching time so it happens naturally) and eventually settles for being first man below the king and getting 1% of everything that he improves above the current state of economy (figuring he has 13 centuries’ knowledge). It is granted.

===Chapter 7: Merlin’s Tower===
Merlin intrigues against the Yankee. He is eventually thrown into the dungeon by him. Many people come to see another wonder by the Yankee and he decides to give them another one. In a factory, some gunpowder has been made and eventually the Yankee blows up Merlin’s Tower before a mass of people… and Merlin who had been fetched and was unable to protect his lodging. He is allowed to stay as a “weather mage”, though.

===Chapter 8: The Boss===
He then begins to enjoy his position and tries to start to establish modernity. He comments that people more regard him as a powerful animal and that only with a title one is respected – he could gain one easily but does not since it contradicts his education. After some years, the people, an authority (the only one) give a title to him which is equivalent of “The Boss”. The Yankee likes and respects the king but dislikes the hereditary system they gained power by.

===Chapter 9: The Tournament===
A tournament is held and the Yankee starts the first newspaper. Sir Dinadan tells the Yankee a anecdote he has so often heard before and the Yankee falls to sleep. When Dinadan is unhorsed he exclaims that he hopes him dead – but unfortunately Sir Sagramor (le Desirous) is also unhorsed, takes him to be meant, and challenges the Yankee. Fortunately Segramor is going to seek the grail first (which is quite fashionable, may last years, and never return). The king starts to entice the Yankee to go questing himself to earn renown in order to meet Sagramor more worthily but the Yankee declines.

===Chapter 10: Beginnings of Civilization===
The Yankee has now been training people in various crafts, established a school system and introduced some other faiths than the Roman Catholic. Mining has been improved and a “secret heaven” of 19th century-ness is established properly. There are especially vast progresses in military and navy – he has established academies (“my West Point”)
Clarence became his trusted (and bright) lieutenant and establishes telephone and telegraph lines all over the country; the country itself hardly changed although taxes went down and revenues still up. Sagramor is still questing.

===Chapter 11: The Yankee in Search of Adventures===
A woman, Alisande/Sandy, arrives at the court stating that she escaped three ogres in a castle but there are more noblewomen left to be freed. The king gives this quest to the Yankee. He questions the woman learning really nothing about the whereabouts of the castle (could be everywhere, god changes its position, etc.). Clarence informs him that the woman will ride with him – he is put into armour, saddled, and departs

===Chapter 12: Slow Torture===
The armour increasingly bothers the Yankee – esp. since he has no pockets and therefore no handkerchief. Also he has no food since the sandwich he wanted to smuggle into his helmet fell down and were eaten by dogs (and the other knights would not gave allowed it). The armour itself is hot and itchy and he cannot get off the horse since he would not be able to get back on. Sandy constantly chatters. In a storm they search refuge, the next day the Yankee has to walk. (Still annoyed: he realised the day before that he had not taken matches from one of his factories to light his pipe)

===Chapter 13: Freemen===
The two meet some humble freeman. The Yankee asks them to have breakfast with them and they are very flattered. Sandy refuses to participate. The Yankee talks about taxes and the church and other matters with the king and tries to get to them the idea of democracy – unsuccessfully. Still, he sends the man to Clarence to be put into the “Man Factory” since there seems material for improvement

===Chapter 14: “Defend Thee, Lord”===
Sandy and the Yankee meet seven knights. He scares them paralysed by lighting his pipe under the helmet and by the smoke appearing as a dragon. The Yankee thinks he has failed but Sandy says by their standing still the knights are defeated. She goes talk to them and tells them to go to Arthur’s court and subject themselves prisoners to the Yankee (as is common behaviour)

===Chapter 15: Sandy’s Tale===
Being asked about the knights, Sandy tells a (long, long, long and blunt) story about Sir Gawain, Sir Uwaine and Sir Marhaut. The Yankee continually criticises the tale and gives hints for improvement (“and down went both, horse and men, smashed to the ground.” Or similar AGAIN and AGAIN). The Yankee and the woman approach a castle. By the way they meet one of the Yankee’s own men: Sir La Cote Male Taile who rides away – depressed, since he was unable to sell any soap there… the hermit he washed died and is considered a martyr now. The Yankee suggests a new advertising slogan: “Patronised by the Elect”.

===Ch 16 – Morgan Le Fey & Ch 17 A Royal Banquet===
The Yankee learns the castle belongs to Morgan Le Fay, who is beautiful and quick-tempered. During with banquet an audience Morgan kills a boy because he has touched her. When the Yankee protests he is going to be thrown into the dungeon but Sandy steps in and tells all he is The Boss – he stays free and criticises Morgan a bit for various misgovernings (she stating she knew him but expected some magic)

===Ch 18 – In the Queen’s Dungeon===
Still at Morgan’s castle. Trying to explain to Morgan that sudden passion is a mildening circumstance in murder and that killing the page was a crime. (Morgan does not see it as such: the Yankee makes “training” responsible). Morgan decides to pay for the page, though, which she would not really need to – the Yankee cannot bear to be nice to her, though. He asks her to examine her prisoners and she grants it eventually; visit to the dungeon; tale of some prisoner who has seen funerals and festivities at his beloved and wondered who was dead – all were alive, Morgan played all the funerals to torture this hated prisoner.

===Ch 19 – Knight Errantry as a Trade===
Continuance of Sandy’s tale… musings about the uselessness of economics of knights’ fights - only piles of flesh and demolished armours left in the end. Telling Sandy to not think about it too much because argueing about business does not fit her.

===Ch 20 The Ogre’s Castle===
Sandy announces that they approach the ogres’ castle… which seems to be a pig-sty to the Yankee and the ogres to be farmers. Obviously he is under a spell since Sandy sees the pigs as nobility and the farmers as ogres. The Yankee says he can kill them as long as he knows how much higher he needs to aim. He talks with the “ogres”, buys the pigs and gets going with them which is a real hassle as one can imagine, esp. since he needs to treat them as royalty. Eventually coming to a hut which y. takes to be Sandy’s home but in fact is not. The “noblewomen” eventually being taken home by others…

===Ch 21 The Pilgrims===
Meeting pilgrims who want to go to the Valley of Holiness where a fountain flows as a miracle. 200 years ago it stopped flowing due to the being built of a heretic bath X_X. Shortly before arrival, they will learn that the fountain has stopped flowing again and that Merlin is on the job.

===Ch 22 the Holy Fountain===
The Yankee examines the fountain and sees the problem (some wall broken away). He tells the prior he can mend it but will not do so since magicians must not mingle in each other’s jobs and he will only try when Merlin has freely given up. In between he has some looks at the hermits and equips one who bows a lot with machinery so his movements benefit X_X. Merlin gives up eventually but laughs at the Yankee since a demon with unspeakable name cursed the fountain and one must know his name to lift the curse and die while doing so. Naturally, the Yankee stays unimpressed and promises to try to lift the curse the next day… only everybody should stay away half a mile. Meanwhile, some of his firework productions arrived

===Ch 23 Restoration of the Fountain===
The Yankee puts on a display of firework (4 coloured fountains) and utters names that really are unpronounceable… and makes a great show of it as well. Eventually the fountain bursts out again by great force. The Yankee is hailed and thanked. Wandering around he finds a phone office of his own and speaks with Clarence – the king is on his way to the valley and will soon arrive; also he has put up the standing army the Yankee suggested… unfortunately.

===Ch 24 A Rival Magician===
A humbug appears saying he can tell what everybody is doing right now. The Yankee feels the need to intervene as his own powers seem to fade. He eventually asks what his hand is doing. The other one says that is a useless trick and he only does things with the highest of the high. Yankee asks what Arthur does then and the other one answers he was sleeping. The Yankee says he was riding and would arrive soon after. Nobody believes him but he is eventually proven true, as he has learnt this fact via his phone.

===Ch 25 A Competitive Examination===
Examining officers for the standing army. The Yankee hopes to fill these ranks with his own westpointers but is shocked: they have the most magnificient strategy, can write and read as opposed to some noble competitors, and know strategy so well that the examining board does not understand them… but eventually nobility gets chosen since 4 generations of noble but is required. The Yankee proposes an elite regiment to the king, solely consisting of nobility and in which every noble can enter if he gives up the “royal grant”. Arthur likes the idea.

===Ch 26 The First Newspaper===
During an audience at which Arthur “cures” the ill and gives them money (which amount was greatly reduced by the Yankee by a coin reform), a newspaper boy arrives. The journalism is pretty crude and reminds of sports, is overly hailing The Boss. Nonetheless it is “a good start”. The monks are startled by the newly invented paper and the writing on it.

===Ch 27 The Yankee and the King Travel Incognito===
As the Yankee has stated before he wanted to go into the country incognito, he now does…accompanied by the king who thought this ingenious (and who was a bit desperate by the queen’s only interest in Sir Lancelot). The king only half the time keeps in his costume and the Yankee has to jump in to be hit by a whip instead of the king and so on. The king even buys a dirk to defend himself… but is convinced by the Yankee to throw it away since it is forbidden. The king does not really get cheered up. Eventually, the Yankee blows a bomb against some nobility who threaten the king and him (or was it next chapter?)

===Ch 28 Drilling the King===
The Yankee gives the king some drill, actor-like, how he shall move and stand and so on. The king does not really improve much but at least tries..

===Ch 29 The Small-Pox Hut===
The two enter a hut and discover the inhabitants are ill. The Yankee tries to send away the king since he might get infected but the king rejects – it would be cowardice. They learn that the hut is under church’s bane and the king is confronted with “his” own cruelty. He eventually weeps which is mistaken by the woman as knowing her fate himself. The children in the hut are dead or dying, nonetheless the king and the Yankee carry them to the woman so she has some relief in death – her husband died some hours before; she rejects water and food since death will be a mercy to her. (story before: her sons imprisoned, they forced to work on fields for all, no food of own, quarrels with nobles and church) Arthur and the Yankee leave shortly before one of the sons comes and reports they got free

===Ch 30 The Tragedy of the Manor-House===
The manor house has been burnt down (however) and one family got hanged for not really good reasons (they had some quarrels with the nobleman). The nobleman himself died in the flames and so did all prisoners, allegedly. Finding lodging, the king offers to buy the whole house since he had contact with infected ones (yeah, still cannot keep his role), the inhabitants decline but offer lodging. The king tells of the three sons who got away and urges the husband of the house to go after them. The Yankee leaves with the husband and tells him not to – he learns that they were cousins.

===Ch 31 Marco===
The king and Yankee live a while in the house of Marco, the Yankee looking around in the village, listening to various gossip and offering Marco and his wife new clothes, which they reject at first but eventually accept. He gets to know a rich (and somewhat arrogant) smithy and plans to do a big feast at his own cost which is eventually granted.

===Ch 32 Dowley’s Humiliation===
At the feast, the smithy boasts with his own good food and possessions and says he regards all as equal and offers his hand to the king who reluctantly shakes it. As the food and new furniture the Yankee bought are brought inside, all guests (and especially the smithy) get more and more startled. The bill is eventually presented: 39000 (pennies?). The Yankee pays $4 and tells the clerk to keep the change which again looks wasteful to the villagers. The smithy is totally humiliated and shaken down by this display of “wasteful” richness ;)

===Ch 33 Sixth Century Political Economy===
The Yankee argues about economy with smithy Dowley and the others at the table. They remain adamant that their wages are double as high and they certainly are so IN NUMBER. The Yankee repeatable proofs that they are so but are less than half in buying power. He uses workdays in spite of money to show that in his country, one gets things faster and therefore, pay is higher. He eventually gives up and deals a blow soon to be regretted: he goes back to a slight slip of the smithy that he had done sth. against the law. Eventually, the three become frightened and rise against Yankee and Arthur (who just woke and came in, being regarded as mad with his “unusual” ideas of agriculture)

===Chapter 34: The Yankee and the King Sold as Slaves===
Yankee and King flee into the woods, escape the chase of an angry mob, gathered by Marco, only to be retrieved shortly after. They then seemingly get help by a nobleman who makes them ride on horses &c. Only later they discover, that they shall be sold as slaves and are so… for a price fairly low

===Chapter 35: A Pitiful Incident===
While walking along (and the king always being to proud, unable to be broken in his pride and especially feeling wrong about his low price ($7) – „a real man“ acc. To the Yankee), the king becomes hater of slavery and wants to abolish it. Yankee now intends to get free now. A snowstorm sets in. There is a witch-hunt coming twds. The slave caravan and some already frozen to death. The slave master talks the witchhunters into burning the “witch” right there so his slaves can warm on the fire… the Yankee also witnesses a trial of a young woman which is eventually hanged. Here the clergyman took pity and recounted her story upon the gallows: her husband was shanghaied, she looked for him and eventually got into ruin, then stealing and being caught, being sentenced to death even against the will of the one she had stolen of (that one committed suicide before her hanging!)

===Chapter 36: An Encounter in the Dark===
London, seeing knights they know but who do not look at them, even Sandy; in a barrack, the Yankee gets hold of some metal piece and gets free – but the slavemaster enters before he can free the rest. He gets out, the Yankee chases and attacks him outside. The guard shows up and takes him away – and it is revealed that it was a completely different man!

===Chapter 37: An Awful Predicament===
Talking his way out of court, by stating he was a slave belonging to some noble who should fetch a doctor fort he allegedly ill, the Yankee wanders the town and learns that the slave master was slain. The slaves have been sentenced to death, only delayed by the search for one missing slave. The Yankee finds a telegraph line and contacts Camelot. Clarence sends out Sir Lancelot and his knights to London. Eventually, while slowly changing his clothing, the Yankee is caught (by one of the other slaves walking around with a guard) and the hanging shall commence before the knights can be there…

===Chapter 38: Sir Launcelot and Knights to the Rescue===
The hanging begins. The people poke fun at Arthur and the Yankee who gave their true identities. Some slaves are already dead and the king is just about to be hanged, when Lancelot and other knights show up – recognising the Yankee by a cloth on his arm – and making the people bow down. They ride bicycles…

===Chapter 39: The Yankee’s Fight with the Knights===
Being back at Camelot, the duel with the knight from before (Sir Seggemore?) is finally taking place. The Yankee unhorses him with a lasso, after evading three times. He had beforehand challenged all knights that wanted to deal with him and they come one after another, all falling down. When there is noone left, Sir Seggemore challenges him again, Merlin having stolen the only lasso and inventing some fake magic story about it disappearing after so many uses. The Yankee needs to fight armless, which is eventually granted. Before he is killed, he pulls out a revolver and shoots the other knight, then challenges all the knights there to come at him at once, together. The bluff almost fails, but when he shoots some more, the rest retreats. A plate is put up whereon he challenges all of England’s knights to get at him and 50 others… no bluff this time => The End of Knight Errantry

===Chapter 40: Three Years Later===
All secret factories etc. were revealed and more put in. The round table was made into a stock company, a train was set up and the ticket controllers were totally made up from nobility (earl and higher)… but still cheating the company. And so on: short – modern age introduced in Britain.

===Chapter 41: The Interdict===
the Yankee married Sandy and they have a child (named „Hallo Central“ due to a misunderstanding of Sandy’s…) now. The child grows ill and they travel to the shore and eventually to Gaulle.
When the Yankee looks outside, the navy and everything is gone. He (alone) travels back to England – trains gone – nothing around, all novelties vanished: sure signs of war

===Chapter 42: War!===
Clarence tells the Yankee what happened. The story between Lancelot and Guinevere was finally discovered by the king after the round table poked fun at Lancelot and some of the king’s relatives were slain. Later, Mordred suggested to put attention of the king to L. and the queen. Lancelot is trapped but escapes, killing all but the king; the land divides into a party of Sir Lancelot and The King and all fight… Mordred is appointed king while Arthur fights but tries to fasten his power. Eventually, Arthur and Mordred kill each other during peace talks in which other knights killed the other army… the queen became a nun. The church now searches The Boss. He talks with Clarence about what they have: gatling lasers, wired electrical fences and some other things. They proclaim the republic, decided to strike and give the church its death-blow… but the people is not so enthusiastic.

===Chapter 43: The Battle of the Sand-Belt===
At Merlin’s cave, the Yankee has his final fortress: the wired fences are charged with high voltage, the production centres are blown up, the gatling guns put in position. Around 25k knights – all that remain in England – are to come. First they send in cattle, which are simply blown away by explosives (same time as the production halls get destroyed.) The first ones sneak in at night and get electrocuted. When all charge, they get all roasted by full electric blow, then shot at by the gatlings and flowed away by a redirected stream. Against Clarence’s advice, the Yankee goes on the battlefield to help wounded and is wounded himself. About here, he stops writing, because of a mistake he cannot bear…

===Chapter 44: A Postscript by Clarence===
Clarence takes on: The Boss’ wound was non-fatal and cured well, but although they had won, they were now „conquered“, sieged inside their cave and the corpses outside omit foul breath. There was a “woman” come in, Merlin disguised, who made signs over the Yankee for him to sleep 1300 years (=> taking Arthur’s place?!?)…and electrocuted when discovered and (accidentally?) touching one wire. Clarence concluded that they would put The Boss into a cave to be undisturbed and whoever escapes shall finish the story and put it with him.

===Postscript by Mark Twain===
Back in Warwick castle, he finishes the reading and goes to the stranger’s chamber. The door is ajar. The stranger lies in his bed and mutters, taking Twain for Sandy and talking about the days of yore, eyesight dim and fading. Eventually he sets out for a last talk but does not finish, as he dies. The book ends here.

[[Category:19th century|1889]]
[[Category:1880s|1889]]
[[Category:By author|Twain, Mark]]

2007-08 AM Le Morte Darthur (1485)

2008-02-01T14:07:48Z

Nico Zorn: wrong date - 1+7!=6

{|align=right width=40%
!bgcolor=#FFFF80|Bitte macht Accounts mit Euren Klarnamen auf: Vorname, Leerstelle, Nachname. Wir sollten zudem hier listen, wer an Bord ist, so daß wir miteiander Kontakt im System aufnehmen könnnen. Drei Tilden <nowiki>~~~</nowiki> geben, wenn Ihr eigeloggt seid, beim Abspeichern Euren Namen, vier eine Unterschrift mit Datum).
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Teilnehmerliste (einloggen und mit drei Tilden unterschreiben): [[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]],
|}
* '''Time:''' Fridays 4-6 pm
* '''Place:''' A10 1-121a
* '''Contact:''' [[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]]

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===Excerpts/Summaries===
{{Template:Malory 21 Books}}
----

The legendary King Arthur, the mysteries around his sword Excalibur, the stories of his quasi democratic Round Table, Arthur's tragic struggle between love, treason and an all too powerful enemy invading the British Isles have inspired the European audience at least since the early 12th century. The wave of Provencal, Middle High German and Middle English versified Arthurian romances composed around 1200 merged into the production of the first modern European prose romances in the 15th century which culminated - another century later - in the ''Amadis'', the "arch romance" devoured by ''Don Quixote''. The 17th and 18th centuries distanced themselves both from the erroneous histories related here and from the genre of romances they had inspired. A new interest arose at the beginning of the 19th century with the new nationalism of the age, its self proclaimed "romanticism", its quest for lost identities one could hope to find in the "dark ages". A rediscovery of "medieval" texts followed in which the Arthurian world offered the most interesting mythical images; it is today omnipresent as a cultural phenomenon with a mass production of fantasy novels, video games and movies.

The course will focus on William Caxton's edition of Sir Thomas Malroy's ''Le Morte Darthur'' first published in 1485 - most certainly not the elegant, witty and beautiful reading earlier versified romances provided, yet the text which most effectively compiled the plots of the preceding romantic production.

Why was there an audience for this book at the "beginning" of the "Modern Period"? How did it relate to the preceding production of romances and histories? How does it compare to the fashionable ''Amadis'' the next century was to love so much? How does it read within the context of the 19th and 20th century renaissance of the Arthurian world? The course will offer a cultural history of the text and its fictional world.

==Oct 26 2007: Introduction==
Brainstorming. Who needs what? Who is going to conclude this course with a piece of written work? Introduction History of Malory's Book.

==Nov 2, 2007: Reading into the (peculiar) text ==
Discussion of seminar topics - and advice to claim and specify them in the section bellow. We read into ''Le Morte Darthur'', Caxton's preface and chapters 1-3. Concepts of history, aspects of fatalism. Also: Great vowel shift and Caxton's spelling.

==Nov 9, 2007: Caxton's Book 1==
'''Homework:''' Read Book one. Seminar discussion: Arthur's dubious birth, miracles, reading experiences. Also: comparison with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_the_Round_Table_%28film%29 ''Knights of the Round Table'' (1953)], the movie we eventually watched.

==Nov 16, 2007 ==
'''Homework:''' Three Groups read Books 2/3/4 .

'''Class:''' Discussion: Why have the Arthurian and Germanic mythological worlds become that attractive? - Fantasy, NS-Ideology, Lord of the Rings, Starwars. Simple option: We live in a complex time and need the simplified worlds.

Is it just about simplifications? Why has fate become such a topic?

Returning to ''Morte Darthur'' we wondered whether Malory's world is one of clear morality, open conflicts between good and evil. We read into the first books and tried to discuss passages to get a notion of good-evil options, and did not get a simple moralistic point at all.

==Nov 23, 2007: Book 5, Emperor of Rome==
'''Homework:''' Read Book 5.

'''Class:''' History vs. Epic. Is this a world of archaic dimensions?

==Nov 30, 2007: Up to Book 8 ==
We discussed how to take a fast way through the whole text and decided to divide p.250 ff (our edition) into sections of 20 pages - and to produce rather more detailed excerpts. If I remember correctly I have to read pp. 510-530 (and was the last to take my share). In Order to allow others to work with our excerpts we collected topics - on the basis of seminar work individual participants planned, that is they gave ideas of what kind of information they were interested in and wanted the others to look for.

[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] promised to give my table script of the individual questions into this wiki. If you want to quote interesting passages of Caxton's version so that others can work with them you will not have to type them from the page into the wiki. I provided an html version of Caxton's text at:

http://www.pierre-marteau.com/editions/1485-morte-darthur.html

You can quote with copy and paste from this website (use : to indent) as in the following passage:

:Hit befel in the dayes of Vther pendragon when he was kynge of all Englond / and ſo regned that there was a myჳty duke in Cornewaill that helde warre ageynſt hym long tyme / And the duke was called the duke of Tyntagil

I'll create links for the individual books above. When reading your 20 pages, think of what might be interesting in the passages you read, so that we can later refer to your textual observations. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 20:28, 30 November 2007 (CET)

===Blackboard Script (topics of individual research)===
* Aspect of cheap entertainment (Chapbooks)
* Prophecies, predictions of what is to come, moments of reflection when things happened as predicted
* Marriage & Fidelity
* Violence & second thoughts
* Christianity and the heathen world, supernatural incidents, miracles, moments where other mythologies interfere (Herodes who has all male newborns killed and the attempt to kill Mordred as an infant
* Family ties and what they mean
* Gender roles
* Is this text historical or fictional, do we get proofs, sources, doubts second thoughts on the status of the stories. Is it a romance or a book of histories?
* Modern adaptations: key scenes (which that are is yet to be determined)
* Concepts of honour and morality in general and individual
:* Movie adaptations - where they create their own concepts of morality - what is a hero? what is honour?
:* The exploitation of the whole book - note if you come across stories of personnel you found in other contexts
----
Not under all circumstances everything strange or noteworthy. Try to determine what importance the 20 pages you read might have for the whole.

--[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 21:30, 30 November 2007 (CET) / --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 15:10, 1 December 2007 (CET)

==Dec 7, 2007: Books 1-18==

==Dec 14, 2007: Books 1-18==

==Dec 21, 2007: The Grail's Queste==
I will offer a summary of Wolfram von Eschenbach's German ''Parzival'' (1200-1215) - we should try together to give a plot outline or rather an outline of the different plots of the grail quest in Malory's ''Morte Darthur''. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 18:56, 20 December 2007 (CET)

==Jan 11, 2007: Arthur's Death, Books 18-21==
Read books 18-21 over Christmas. Add Twain's ''Connetcut Yankee'' for the January 18th session if you find leisure for the relaxing reading.

==Jan 18, 2008: Mark Twain, ''A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' (1889)==
Mark Twain: A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court.

An electronic text can be found at [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/86/86-h/86-h.htm Project Gutenberg] - not too well to read online but worth a look for its illustrations. (This is an 1889 edition).

Whoseover feels like not reading but listening to the book might have a look at [http://librivox.org/a-connecticut-yankee-in-king-arthurs-court-by-mark-twain/ Libri Vox] which has a free legal audio of the book (downloadable either by chapter or in a complete zip-file). [[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]]

==Jan 25, 2008 ==

==Feb 1, 2008 ==

==Feb 8, 2008 ==

===Topics===

Those who are planning to join the seminar may contribute thoughts on what they'd like to do in the following list:

* Sources in Europe's mythology and history[[User:Katharina Debney|Katharina Debney]] 11:44, 23 November 2007 (CET)
* Foreshadowings - a world of predetermination [[User:Katharina K.|Katharina K.]] 21:31, 8 November 2007 (CET)
* Family ties [[User:BettinaKorte|BettinaKorte]] 22:26, 15 November 2007 (CET)
* Justice [[User:Johanna Ehrhardt|Johanna Ehrhardt]] 12:39, 9 November 2007 (CET) Johanna Ehrhardt
* The use of repetitive patterns
* Who has to solve the problem? - special and normal quests
* Love and gender relations [[User:Julia Mudder|Julia Mudder]] 18:05, 9 November 2007 (CET)
* Miracles and the Arthurian World
* Politics
* Marriage and fidelity[[User:Freya|Freya]] 09:06, 7 November 2007 (CET)
* The legitimation of violence [[User:Inga|Inga]] 13:34, 9 November 2007 (CET)
* The legitimation of power
* Christianity--What is its function in the stories? Christian Schultz-Brummer[[User:Nahl3372|Nahl3372]] 18:05, 7 November 2007 (CET)
*The Heroes at King Arthur's Court: Stereotypes or Individuals?--[[Annika Alberts]] 12:24, 21 December 2007 (CET)
*Battle Scenes
*Hidden and Lost Identities
* A Renaissance of Chivalry at the Beginning of the Modern Era
* Geography in Malory's ''Le More Darthur''
* The Public in Malory's ''Le More Darthur''
* ''Le More Darthur'' - History or Romance?
* The text which shaped our view of the medieval world: Malory's King Arthur and Mark Twain's ''Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court'' (1889)[[User:Ulrich K.|Ulrich K.]] 17:57, 29 November 2007 (CET)
* From Fantasy to video game Arthur's table round in modern culture (see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur_in_various_media en.wikipedia.org] for modern adaptations of the sujet) [[User:Jens|Jens]] 11:05, 16 November 2007 (CET)
* King Arthur and the Amadis (Commercializing of King Arthur) --[[User:Sebastian Henatsch|Sebastian Henatsch]] 17:47, 10 November 2007 (CET)
* The presence of the Arthurian world in the world of chap books
* Individual ideas on Malory's ''King Arthur'' and modern versions and adaptations - be creative, propose topics and we will think about them

===Texts===

First of all: Read a German translation if you feel lost - I began my life with Middle English texts with a reading of Chaucer in German, which I then, a week later, combined with a second reading of the original. I read the original Chaucer aloud to get into the funny language (fill in your Plattdeutsch that helps), with the German text still in my mind I had little problems with the original and soon realised that I could from now onwards read such stuff without reading a German text before.

As to the English texts:

Malory's original manuscript is lost. For more than 400 years the edition Caxton had published in 1485 was the authoritative source. In 1934 the Winchester manuscript was discovered - a text between Malory's and Caxton's text. Traces of Caxton's ink have been found on the manuscript's leafs, Caxton knew the Winchester volume, he did, however, base his own edition on another, lost manuscript.

Modern scholarship has focused on the Winchester manuscript as the better text. The Norton Critical edition - it cost me 16 Euro a couple of months ago - is based on the Winchester manuscript; it includes, however, passages from Caxton's wherever his version is more detailed. The aim is a reconstruction of what might have been Malory's text, a text without omissions. The Norton edition is well commented and equipped with an extensive dictionary as well as a choice of critical articles. It does finally offer the most important sources Malory exploited. The Norton edition is my recommendation for all of you who like to work with a fully commented scientific edition.

I myself am more interested in Caxton's fist edition as published in 1485 and offered by EEBO - the text is, however, difficult to read:

* [http://eebo.chadwyck.com/search/full_rec?SOURCE=pgimages.cfg&ACTION=ByID&ID=22102180&FILE=../session/1183624385_29976&SEARCHSCREEN=CITATIONS&SEARCHCONFIG=config.cfg&DISPLAY=ALPHA Sir Thomas Malory, ''Le Morte Darthur'' (London: William Caxton, 1485)]

To facilitate things I offer an html-edition of the same text (scroll down a bit to get beyond the reproduction of the first page):

*[http://www.pierre-marteau.com/editions/1485-morte-darthur.html Sir Thomas Malory, ''Le Morte Darthur'' (1485) html-text of Caxton's edition]

My impression is that Caxton's is the easier text to read. The publisher focused on the plot, he lost some of the descriptions and he omitted some of the author's self referential remarks. Yet he structured his text and produced a straight forward version. My html-edition (also available as a word-file) is a simple transcript to be read with an additional list of difficult words to be found at [[Le Morte Darthur (1485):Dictionary]] - expand this list, wherever you miss words. I have contacted the Druckzentrum and they promised to provide a print-version of my Caxton html-edition by September. Contact me if you want to start your reading earlier and if you want to read the Caxton text. I will try to provide provisional copies in that case. We should also open Wiki-space at [[Le Morte Darthur (1485): Protagonists]] - for a who is who?

===Literature===

*Eugéne Vinaver, ''Malory'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1929).

*Bennett, J. A. W. (ed.), ''Essays on Malory'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963).

*Moorman, Charles, ''The Book of King Arthur. The Unity of Malory’s Morte Darthur'' (University of Kentucky Press, 1965).

*Matthews, William, ''The Ill-Famed Knight. A sceptical inquiry into the Identity of Thomas Malory'' (Berkeley/ Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1966).

*Lambert, Mark, ''Malory. Style and Vision in Le Morte Darthur'' (New Haven/ London: Yale University Press, 1975).

*Benson, Larry D., ''Malory’s Morte Darthur'' (Cambridge, Mass./ London: Harvard University Press, 1976). 289 pp.

*Dillon, Bert, ''A Malory Handbook'' (Boston, Mass., G. K. Hall & Co., 1978).

*Ihle, Sandra Ness, ''Malory’s Grail Quest. Invention and Adaptation in Medieval Romance'' (The University of Wisconsin Press, 1983).

*Whitaker, Muriel, ''Arthur’s Kingdom of Adventure. The World of Malory’s Morte Darthur'' (Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer/ Barnes and Noble, 1984).

*Spisak, James W. (ed.), ''Studies in Malory'' (Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications western Michigan University, 1985).

*Jackson Parins, Marylyn, ''Malory the Cristical Heritage'' (London/ New York: Routledge, 1988).

*McCarthy, Terence, ''Reading the Morte Darthur'' [= ''Arthurian Studies'', XX] (Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer, 1988), 187 pp. third edition with new title: ''An Introduction to Malory'' [= ''Arthurian Studies'', XX] (Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer, 1996), 176 pp.

*Takamiya, Toshiyuki/ Brewer, Derek (eds.), ''Aspects of Malory'' (Woodbridge: D.S. Brewer/ Rowman & Littlefield, 1991).

*Field, P. J. C., ''The Life an Times of Sir Thomas Malory'' [= ''Arthurian Studies'', XXIX] (Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer, 1993), 218 pp.

*Archibald, Elizabeth/ Edwards A. S. G. (eds.), ''A Companion to Malory'' (Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer, 1996), 252 pp. + Appendix

*Kraemer, Alfred Robert, ''Mallory’s Grail Seekers and Fifteenth-Century English Hagiography'' (New York: Peter Lang, 1999). 105 pp. + Notes

*Field, P. J. C., ''Malory: Texts and Sources'' [= ''Arthurian Studies'', XL] (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1998), 313 pp.

==Films==
* ''Knights of the Round Table'' (1953), based on ''Le Morte d'Arthur'' by Thomas Malory, with Robert Taylor as Lancelot, Ava Gardner as Guinevere, and Mel Ferrer in the role of Arthur. '''bought'''
*''Sword of Lancelot'' a.k.a. ''Lancelot and Guinevere'' (1963), a film directed by Cornel Wilde and starring Mr. Wilde as Lancelot, Jean Wallace as Guinevere, and Brian Aherne as Arthur.
* ''The Sword in the Stone'', a 1963 Disney animated film about Arthur's childhood, loosely adapted from T.H. White's take on the legend.
* ''Camelot'', a 1967 film adaptation of the successful 1960 Broadway musical of the same name. It starred Richard Harris as Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave as Guenevere, and Franco Nero as Lancelot.
* ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' (1975), a comedic parody of the traditional King Arthur legend. It was later adapted into a successful Broadway musical called ''Spamalot''. Arthur was played by the late Graham Chapman in the film.
* John Boorman's ''Excalibur'' (1981), based largely on Malory and probably the highest rated serious Arthurian film. It features Nicol Williamson as Merlin and Helen Mirren as Morgan Le Fay.
* ''First Knight'' (1995), a movie based on the abduction of Guinevere by the knight Malagant. It featured Sean Connery as Arthur, Richard Gere as Lancelot, and Julia Ormond as Guinevere.
* ''Quest for Camelot'', an animated feature from Warner Bros. Animation, released in 1998, features King Arthur ruling over a besieged Camelot.
* ''King Arthur'', a motion picture released on July 7, 2004, claiming (despite being heavily criticised for its historical inaccuracies) to be more historically accurate about the legend of Arthur as a 5th century, British-born, Roman Commander, with respect to new archaeological findings; similar in story line to Jack Whyte's books. '''bought'''
*''The Last Legion'' (2007) - a film about the last Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus who survives his fall from power and finds a new life in Britain. The movie links Romulus to the legends of King Arthur. In this movie, Arthur's father Uther Pendragon is brought up by a Roman general and a Malayalee woman (Aishwarya Rai)
----
The list is incomplete as Percival, Tritram and Isolde (got one movie of that) and Lancelot-stuff will belong into the same field. We might skip animated movies. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 21:21, 11 November 2007 (CET)

===Links===
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Malory en.wikipedia.org: Thomas Malory]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Morte_d%27Arthur en.wikipedia.org: Le Morte d'Arthur]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur en.wikipedia.org: King Arthur]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur_in_various_media en.wikipedia.org: King Arthur in various media]
*[[King Arthur: Films]]
* [http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/med/lookup.html The electronic Middle English Dictionary]

[[Category:Winter 2007-2008]]
[[Category:Aufbaumodul]]

User:Sebastian Henatsch

2008-01-30T17:37:49Z

Nico Zorn:

Ahoy Sebastian,
for your topic (commercialisation of Arthur) you might also want to have a glimpse at Edmund Spenser: The Faerie Queene. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 18:37, 30 January 2008 (CET)

Talk:2007-08 ASM Star Trek (1965-2005)

2008-01-25T23:00:30Z

Nico Zorn:

__TOC__
==Comparison ST v SW==
I think there could be an interesting comparison between the "general mindset" in Star Trek and Star Wars. While I know I always denied that Star Wars is Fantasy it... certainly has VERY strong elements of it, in contrast to ST. As you said: The Starfleet is militarily drilled while Luke et al rely on single heroes channelling an ominous FORCE (taught by grammatically challenged elders). I do not know yet how much time I will have left besides by Magisterarbeit (outline following soon...) but with interest twds. Fantasy I'd like to do something here maybe, possibly more twds. the beginning than the end. Main ideas I had:
-[Main Point] Border of Fantasy and Science Fiction (Star Wars: Fantasy in a Science Fiction Disguise?)
=> What distinguishes ST from SF in this respect
- What exactly makes SF "pure" SF?
... so far only basic ideas.
--[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 20:27, 30 August 2007 (CEST)

Why should Star Wars be fantasy??? Lightsabers? Well, just stumbled over this page. --[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 20:05, 8 October 2007 (CEST)

Speaking partly for Olaf, swords are one instance. Then there is the plot: hero with 'supernatural powers' (the force==magic?), an evil black mage (Palpatine, Vader), unbeatable odds...and the success of the hero through... well.. I'd say a combination of faith and magic. Which is not a problem, if one regards it a kind of faith-magic.... I do not know if there are gods in the SW universe, though. Another perspective is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hidden_Fortress this] movie which has been acknowledged by G.L. to be of important influence on SW. I would still not classify it as Fantasy... but in the end one probably has to ask: how important is milieu as a criterium for the definition of "Fantasy"?
--[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 23:19, 8 October 2007 (CEST)

:Sounds interesting (Starwars no fantasy??? with princesses and monsters and swords, I repeat swords, in a technically superior future???)

Underline the "technical superior future" and you have the reason why I am still saying "at the very least no pure fantasy". And yes, yes I know that the definition is shaky. Unfortunately, they all are. Besides: even Klingons still fight with swordlike weapons. Well, something between sword and polearm and parade weapon - their Bathleths (sp?). --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 11:55, 31 August 2007 (CEST)

==Fragments of Mind==

'''"Economy"''': We never hear of an economic system and I remember Kirk telling the biologist in ST IV that all money has been abandoned. Yet, in ''Generations'' he tells Picard that he has SOLD his house... glitch? hidden Federation-internal trading system? (obviously there is some kind of trade between different races with different products &c

'''Nostalgia''': ST VI - even the title is a Shakespeare quote ("The Undiscovered Country", Hamlet, III.ii?)- "Klingon original" - and General Chang really likes quoting him. Also...

'''Contemporal Events''' ... the same Chang's name: pointing to an alleged "Chino-Asian [Communist] menace" [1991] within the allegory of the fall of Communism as en.wikipedia states. Enrony? The Federation seems pretty Communistic to me by now.--[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 00:36, 9 September 2007 (CEST)

Commercial Success: Just found the quotas for ST on Kabel 1 - apparently still a success, at least for a smaller channel: http://www.quotenmeter.de/?newsid=22328 --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 12:47, 16 September 2007 (CEST)

==Asteroid named for ST character - ongoing cultural presence of the ST universe==
http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20071007 , cf. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21106431/

Another testimony to the development of [http://www.physorg.com/news110727530.html a new, transparent 'steel'] are many responses in varying news comments dubbing it "Transparent Aluminium" (see Star Trek IV)

== Nov 10, 2007: The Star Trek Night - The Movies: 18:00 ==

I suggest to change the program of that meeting from

:"we'll try to see as many of the movies as possible, eat and drink wine"

to

:"we'll see the movies, eat and try to drink as much of the wine as possible"
--[[User:Christian Fiedler|Christian Fiedler]]

: :) --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 08:31, 25 October 2007 (CEST)

Just a rather stupid question. Is this event still taking place? Is there anything else to bring except the usual drinks? --[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 20:02, 6 November 2007 (CET)

Lassen wir ese um 18.00 anfangen - wer erst später dazukommt, kommt halt dazu während Filme bereits laufen. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 21:06, 6 November 2007 (CET)

==Oct 25, 2007: Seminar Plan - please comment and modify!==

Hi everyone: I just concluded a first draft of what might become our schedule. Commentary is welcome. If you have topics you feel interested in, throw them in. I'll try to fit them into the schedule or to modify the schedule accordingly. :PS - and please log in with your real names. See the main page to see how we did it. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 10:07, 25 October 2007 (CEST)

Hello,I suggest that we definitely watch Star Trek movie number nine, Insurrection, that night. This movie was entirely different from all the others and deals with things such as eternal life, morality and of what people would do to have an eternal life etc. And Picard FALLS IN LOVE .So that's definitely interesting.
Another MUST SEE is number eight, First Contact. The Enterprise "meets" a Borg Cube and some of their Crew are being assimilated. Data is given a piece of real skin by the Borg's leader, which is very important to him as he's always wanted to be as human as possible.

You know that in the future, the people drink Syntahol, don't you ;-). But sometimes Picard won't say no to a bottle of good French wine :-). Neither will I. What can I bring?

==Oct 31, 2007: The most important list==
Which are the important films we have to watch, your fovourites? If you can tell why, that is even better - 'cause we should make sure that we do not miss something important. Look at the Wikipedia links I provided to refer to titles

===TOS===

*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Mourns_for_Adonais%3F ''Who mourns for Adonais? (TOS)''] Kirk et al. meet a being demanding identifying himself as Apollon and apparently really being the Greek God. Kirk declines to worship him by stating that 'the one' god they have is enough; Apollon finally leaves as there is 'no place for gods any more'.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_V ''The Final Frontier (Star Trek V)''] Ok, no show... but with religion and Eden/Sha Ka Ree at the core. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 23:17, 31 October 2007 (CET)
: Imho Trek V is the weakest installment in the series. Maybe because of Shatner's direction or the weak script (or maybe because I have not yet seen ST Nemesis, from what I've heard it might be even worse). Special effects are not convincing, plot holes all over the story. I don't like it... . I think "Star Trek The Motion Picture" is a far better movie when it comes to discussing religion (V'ger, a machine created by man, in search of his maker).--[[User:David schuenemann|David schuenemann]] 10:22, 7 November 2007 (CET)
:: Fascinating, to quote a certain 'Spitzohr'. i found the first movie incredibly boring and long-stretched. But I would agree that ST V is definitely not the best one of the movies. Nemesis... well... as you said, prepare to be underwhelmed. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 19:51, 7 November 2007 (CET)

===Next Generation===

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_%28TNG_episode%29 ''Justice (TNG)''] How to deal with a benevolent, protective god of pacifist aliens with overly cruel punishments? (Can the allowance of a people's "God" legitimately override the Prime Directive?)

(moved some stuff to front page --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 18:36, 14 November 2007 (CET))

===Deep Space Nine===
'''Suggestions for topics:'''
* [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Prophets''Prophets'']; [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Pah-wraiths''Pah-Wraiths''] and [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Founders''Founders''] - Godlike Beings play a prominent role in DS9.
* [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Occupation_of_Bajor ''Bajor-Cardassia-conflict''] a central story arc in DS9. Conflict is comparable to Apartheid/colonialism/imperialism in the real world.
* [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Benjamin_Sisko ''Captain Sisko's''] development over the course of the series (note the change between seasons 3 and 4.). Possibly due to low ratings, Sisko's outward appearance was changed. At the same time the Dominion was introduced into DS9 story arc which paved the way for a lot of action (Dominion war). The Defiant (first ever federation WARship, heavily armed) made its first appearances in season 3 and became a means to travel to the gamma quadrant. The new story arc deviated from previous Star Trek series in several ways. It focused on action and war rather than discovery and research. Possibly due to low ratings and/or Roddenberrys death?

'''Suggestions for shows:'''
* [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Emissary_%28episode%29 ''Pilot''] Prophets story arc. The characters are introduced. Sisko is presented as emissary of the prophets.
* [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/The_Way_of_the_Warrior ''Way of the warrior''] Dominion war story arc. Worf enters the DS9 storyline. The episode is typical for the post-season-3 episodes of DS9. More action, less prophets.
--[[User:David schuenemann|David schuenemann]] 15:57, 6 November 2007 (CET)

DS9: no idea which show would be best featuring Sisko as "The Emissary"... lots of tidbits. [[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]]

(moved some stuff to front page session Nov. 14. 2007 --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 18:38, 14 November 2007 (CET))

===Voyager===
'''Suggestions for topics:'''
* [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Maquis ''The Maquis''] a paramilitary/terrorist organization. Show suggestion: Maybe [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Worst_Case_Scenario ''worst case scenario''] (also has malfunctioning holodeck, which is a recurring theme since holodecks were first introduced in TNG).
--[[User:David schuenemann|David schuenemann]] 16:01, 6 November 2007 (CET)

===Enterprise===
* In a mirror, darkly (see [http://www.wiki.uni-oldenburg.de/fk3/angl-am/index.php?title=Talk:2007-08_ASM_Star_Trek_%281965-2005%29#Mirror.2C_Mirror_etc. [below]])

Questions for the session on Star Trek: Enterprise

1. How would you describe the relationship between T'Pol and Cap. Archer?

2. How would you describe the teamwork among the crew?

3. How are conflicts solved?

4. What are your impressions concerning the trailer (e.g. theme song)?

5. Does the pilot reflect our time? If yes, in which way (please give examples)!

6. Do you have any ideas why the ratings were so low that the series was stopped earlier than originally planned?

by Petra & Alex

...some other questions to look at:

What is the role of Captain Archer? What is his mission?

How are women portrayed (aliens and humans,for example, T'Pol, Sarin, Hoshi)?

==Mirror, Mirror etc.==
After the original episode [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror%2C_Mirror_%28Star_Trek%29 Mirror, Mirror (TOS)] the SAME parallel universe (called the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_Universe_%28Star_Trek%29 Mirror Universe] was revisted several times in DS9. The first of those visits was equally involuntary and comments briefly on the effects of Mirror-Spock's decision: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossover_%28DS9_episode%29 Crossover (DS9)]. Further exchange between the universes now follows in intended but enforced manner in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Through_the_Looking_Glass_%28Star_Trek:_Deep_Space_Nine%29 Through the Looking Glass (DS9)] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shattered_Mirror_%28Star_Trek:_Deep_Space_Nine%29 Shattered Mirror (DS9)], both in direction towards the mirror universe, as well as in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_%28Star_Trek:_Deep_Space_Nine%29 Resurrection (DS9)] which brings back a "really" dead character in form pf its mirror entity. The exchange between the universes finally culminates in an awkward attempt of (who else?) Grand Nagus Zek to make profit from trade between them. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor%27s_New_Cloak The Emperor's New Cloak (DS9)]. Apparently there is also a double show of the Enterprise which I have never seen and which is apparently inconsistent with other mirror episodes and giving a version of the Terran Empire's founding: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_a_Mirror%2C_Darkly In a Mirror, Darkly]. The dramturgic use of the universe is drastically different. It now provides a showplace to help 'good' mankind in their struggle against 'evil' powerful empires as well as playing out "dead" characters and putting "real" characters in alternative situations. Plus, people are now AWARE of the mirror universe(s) and actively interconnect. Sidenote: The Prime Directive does not really apply here. (They DO have warp.) --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 20:28, 3 November 2007 (CET)
:The Mirror-universe has its intrinsic problems anyway: As we learn, these people - in the negative universe - annihilate each other quite easily, life is not that precious to them - the divergence of both universes should be immense after only a week. (Or it turns out, that both universes are equally stable - relying on each other... I do not know - in any case I found the project intriguing as it allowed us to think of a different organisation of everything. The negative universe tells us much about the positive. I'm thinking of a session on rebellions on board, power structures... Do take a look at the last TOS show [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnabout_Intruder_%28TOS_episode%29 Turnaboubout Intrudor, 1969], where they nearly have executions on board of the good Enterprise: A Kirk (changeling) commands the execution of Spock, Bones and Scotty - and the crew is hardly ready to believe that the real Kirk does now live in the body of a woman - all very weird and revealing. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 12:32, 4 November 2007 (CET)
:: "In a mirror, darkly" is one of the few episodes of "Enterprise" that I have seen. And I think it's highly entertaining (voted best episode of "Star Trek - Enterprise" by Star Trek Magazine readers). The title is a quotation from the bible: "For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:12 from the American Standard Version. Source: Memory Alpha.) This kind of blends in with the argument that the negative universe reveals a lot about the positive. Watch the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl5zw6fGjdA ''opening credits for this episode''] and compare them to the regular credits. It depicts history between our time and trek-time as a continuation of the war-ridden 20th cenntury. The opening scene of this episode is a scene from "First Contact" (Star Trek VIII) mixed with reshot material. Saphram Cochrane (sp?) shoots (!) the Vulcan and things develop in a completely different way than in our beloved trek-universe (might also be an episode to be looked at in our "star trek politics" sessions). Great stuff! A must see for every fan of Star Trek.--[[User:David schuenemann|David schuenemann]] 10:37, 7 November 2007 (CET)
:::You can find A LOT of ST episodes on Youtube. "In a mirror, darkly" can be found there as well as tons of others. Just search for "enterprise episodes" for example. You should also take a look at the user ENTepisodes.
:In defence of the "In a mirror, darkly" episode I want to say that I really enjoyed finally seeing Star Trek characters acting in a "badass" sort of way. It was entertaining and funny to see them - at once - not acting according to some flawless moral. It is indeed a mirror of standard Star Trek as characters behave absolutetly and often even ridiculously unethical as opposed to their often ridiculously ethical counterparts.--[[User:David schuenemann|David schuenemann]] 18:31, 16 January 2008 (CET)

===In a Mirror Darkly: Altered Intro===
For the Mirror Universe episode of Enterprise (which is in itself very bad plot-wise, imho, failing at several levels) the altererd intro is interesting.
cf. [http://youtube.com/watch?v=Dl5zw6fGjdA In a Mirror Darkly Intro] with [http://youtube.com/watch?v=LxRASpy8h78 Usual Enterprise Intro]. The two can be effectively watched in two windows beside each other and largely correspons. Start the Mirror one when the usual intro is running for 3 seconds. It gives a... basic idea of the differences. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 00:00, 26 January 2008 (CET)

== Prime Directive ==

*I just stumbled upon this episode that is related to the prime directive: [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Civilization ''Enterprise 1x09 Civilization''] The Enterprise encounters a pre-industrial society. "The ensuing investigation involves various matters of interest, including '''pre-Starfleet ethical dilemmas''' and matters surrounding the tenets of first contact." (Memory-Alpha)
--[[User:David schuenemann|David schuenemann]] 02:16, 10 November 2007 (CET)
:well, after I watched this episode I realized that the prime directive was not as central to the story as I expected from the outline. It boils down to this statement by T'Pol (Vulcan): T'Pol makes reference to a protocol which states that it is wise "...to wait until a society develops warp drive before initiating first contact...". She goes on to say that it would be wise for Starfleet to adopt these "Vulcan protocols." Starfleet would later adopt them as part of the Prime Directive, serving as a benchmark for measuring development of a civilization and admission to the Federation. (Memory Alpha)
::[http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Dear_Doctor ''1x13 Dear Doctor''] has more pre-prime-directive ethical discussions between Phlox and Captain Archer.
:::I'm not participating the seminar, but a fan of Star Trek: How about this one: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blink_of_an_Eye Voyager ''6x132 Blink of an Eye'']. It's not about the Prime Directive in that way that the rule is broken, but the Voyager still influences a culture (well, accidentally). [[User:Verena Engelhardt|Verena Engelhardt]] 22:24, 11 November 2007 (CET)
::::In the process of thinking about my provocative theory of the "prime directive" being nothing more than a writer`s blunder, which is somewhat unsatisfying, I came up with another explanation. If we consider that at least one writer thought that the concept of "Non-Interference" would come naturally to a supposedly extremely far developed society as the Federation that he made it their "prime directive", one should wonder why he thought so.
::::Humanity has a history of devastating and frustrating cultural contact. Take, for example, the European colonists in America who exploited and in the end practically wiped out several indigenous cultures (Indians, Maya, ...) that were (from a European perspective) underdeveloped. So this genocide might be the true reason, why there is a prime directive. Whenever "higher developed" cultures encountered "lower developed" cultures in human history, the former had a tendency to first exploit and in the end annihilate (or assimilate) the latter.
::::So by introducing the "prime directive" this could be prevented and so we perceive the federation as an extremely far developed society in which cultural conflict (between societies in different phases of their development) is no longer a problem.
::::oder so... --[[User:David schuenemann|David schuenemann]] 18:26, 16 January 2008 (CET)

== Star Trek XI Trailer ==

paramount has just released the first teaser trailer (HD) for the upcoming 11th movie installment directed by JJ Abrams. Let's hope it will turn out than Nemesis. Check it out:
[http://www.paramount.com/startrek/hd/index.html Trailer]
--[[User:David schuenemann|David schuenemann]] 18:16, 22 January 2008 (CET)

2007-08 ASM Star Trek (1965-2005)

2008-01-23T17:57:45Z

Nico Zorn: STNV

{|align=right width=500px
!bgcolor=#FFFF80|Open Accounts: First name, blank, second name
----
think of topics of your interest, put them under the headlines we have discussed, sign <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> and safe
----
note that we will have a guest on Dec. 12. See you, --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 20:01, 11 November 2007 (CET)
|}
* '''Time:''' We 4-6 pm
* '''Place:''' A10 1-121a
* '''Contact:''' [[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]]

----

''Star Trek'' is far more than a TV-series. It is a cultural phenomenon with enormous ramifications marked by substantial plot developments, and it is a powerful piece of fiction due to its wide range of cultural, philosophical, aesthetic and political allusions. The original series became a cult classic, the Star Trek universe it created does in retrospect bridge generations and political gaps such as the Cold War with its East/West-confrontation (mirrored within the series by disruptions of original interstellar confrontations).

The Seminar will deal with the following topics. If you have plans for seminar papers list them bellow. (Discuss the present course outline on the course's discussion page if you feel you cannot see under which heading your topic could appear).

Do mention individual episodes (refer to english wikipedia - you find links bellow) wherever you feel that this is a sequence we must deal with under the given headline (I am not so well informed about the later sequels):

__TOC__

==Oct 24 2007: Brainstorming==

==Oct 31 2007: The Star Trek Universe I: ''The Original Series'' (1966–1969)==
'''Preparation:'''
* Production background
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cage_%28TOS_episode%29 ''The Cage''], the unsuccessful pilot - filmed in November-December 1964, but not broadcast on television in its complete form until 1988.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Trap_%28TOS_episode%29 ''The Man Trap''], aired on Thursday, September 8, 1966.

'''Topics to discuss:'''
* Captain Kirk vs. Captain Pike - types, roles, heroism
* Women
* Spock I and Spock II

'''Possible topics of Seminar papers:'''
*Comparison of The Cage - the original pilot - and and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Menagerie_%28TOS_episode%29 ''The Menagerie''] pts. 1-2 aired November 17 and November 24, 1966.
*The composition of a successful team - a seminar paper which might take a special look at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror%2C_Mirror_%28TOS_episode%29 ''Mirror, Mirror''] broadcast on October 6, 1967 - where we get a positive and a negative Enterprise crew.

==Nov 10, 2007: The Star Trek Night - The Movies==
As I have to disappoint you on Wed 7: a night at my place (Tannenkampstr. 12) - we'll try to see as many of the movies as possible, eat and drink wine (you might provide the latter).
:We might begin around 6pm - those who will have to arrive later can do so and join us any time - it will probably be a long night. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 21:08, 6 November 2007 (CET)

==Nov 14, 2007: The Star Trek Universe II: ''Next Generation'' (1987–1994) and ''Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999)==
The Sequels ''The Next Generation'' (1987–1994) and ''Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). Where does the ongoing production reflect ongoing historical developments? A comparison of the different generations.
----

Next Generation

Hi everybody! Since we were not able to present all the information of our presentation in the session, here are some points that might be interesting.

'''Info about the series'''

• First episode: 1987 in the US

• 7 seasons, 176 episodes

• It was longer on screen than TOS (80 episodes – 176 episodes)

• Encounter at Farpoint (the pilot): received by 94 % of all households in the US

• Later still very successful, 1st place of the TV series (18-49 years)

=> Advertisement

=> 1 Mio $ per episode

=> Stars like Whoopi Goldberg, Steven Hawkins, Dwight Schulz (A-Team) etc. acted in some of the episodes

'''Content:'''

• Single episodes with an action which is self-explanatory

o But: some episodes refer to the content of other episodes, e.g. Season 3, “The best of both worlds”, season 7, “Bloodlines”

• 100 years later

• Different characters

• Some episodes (e.g. the second episode) have similar plots as episodes of TOS or refer directly to them

• Sometimes visits from characters of the old Enterprise

'''Introduction of the main characters'''

• '''Picard''': Captain of the new Enterprise, different to Kirk, strictly sticks to the Prime Directive, total loyalty to his crew, dislikes children, develops to a more sympathetic man during the series

• '''Riker''': 1st Commander, love affairs, attractive to female characters, sympathetic

• '''Data''': 2nd Commander, the only Android of the Starfleet, counterpart to Spock (e.g. does not understand any sarcasm), asks for definitions, tries to be human

• '''Troi''': Counsellor, Beta Zoid, feelings/emotions, very attractive, later she is the only woman on the bridge

• '''Dr. Crusher''': Doctor, family values, “mother” of the crew, together with Troi: more female power on the ship than in TOS

• '''Worf''': Lieutenant Commander, Klingon, high moral Klingon values, later chief security officer, integrated, sympathetic, represents action and strength on the Enterprise

• '''LaForge''': Lieutenant Commander, later chief engineer

'''Family'''

• families on board who are being evacuated (in the pilot)

• Wesley: child becomes a main character

• Picard dislikes children

• Throughout the series: the crew appears more and more like a family

=> Riker refuses to ship commands several times to stay with the crew of the enterprise

=> Crusher as mother

• Other family-topics in the series:

=> Worf + son

=> Data + daughter

=> Picard + son

In The Next Generation, which was produced at the end of the 1980s, and the beginning of the 1990s, the family as a topic has been used more often than in TOS of the 60s.

'''Other references to our reality:'''

They try to conserve the earthly culture, they drink Earl Grey tea, they read and cite James Joyce, Shakespeare, and Sherlock Holmes, they listen to classical music and talk of the 80s and 90s as the good old times.

''Question'': The crew of the Enterprise presents our reality in a positive way. What kind of message does the producer convey?

Hi folks,
it would be nice, if you watch the first two episodes ("The Emissary pt.1 &2") of DS9 as a preparation for the Wednesday session. They should be available at the Mediathek... If you want to see more episodes, feel free to watch some post-season-three stuff, because the plot dramatically changed then. Watch out for topics like Religion, Interpersonal conflicts and differences between DS9 and other Star Trek stuff...Manuel Saralidis 14:58, 12 November 2007 (CET)

Hello,
just to remind you... I put the Deep Space Nine Introduction slides and summary as a PDF on StudIP where you can download them... Cheers... [[User:Manuel Saralidis|Manuel Saralidis]] 22:05, 29 November 2007 (CET)

==Nov 21, 2007: The Star Trek Universe III: ''Voyager'' (1995–2001) and ''Enterprise'' (2001–2005)==
The Sequels ''Voyager'' (1995–2001) and ''Enterprise'' (2001–2005) same question: Where does the ongoing production reflect ongoing historical developments? A comparison of the different generations.
´

Voyager
Interesting subjects could be that of terrorism, fear of communism (as the Borg play an important role in voyager), Human values, the Prime Directive, a parallel Universe (Species 8472), Collaboration of species that are enemies but that become allies when a species more powerful than them appears,

Also: Female positions
- Voyager is the first of all Star Trek Series, that has a female Captain!
- Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres is the first Chief Engineer on board of a Star Trek Vessel

Also: The Maquis rebellion

Dear Participants.
I put the presentation on "Voyager" on Stud IP under "Dateien"

Ann-Kathrin Uden

==Nov 28, 2007: God in a World of Miracles - Star Trek and Religion==
Is there a God out there? What is the Federation's religion? None or that of a secular state granting religious freedom? Why don't we have Arabs on board of the Star Trek vessels? How do the Federation's travelers react when confronted with religions out there?

I would like to write a paper on Star Trek and Religion. As i haven't read any literature yet, my ideas are still pretty general. But mainly I think i will be dealing with questions like: what view on religion and belief is conveyed in Star Trek (pro or con religion, atheist?) and HOW is it conveyed? This could probably be based on DS 9 and the whole "wormhole aliens vs. phrophets (bajoranian belief)" issue. ([[User:Stephan Schmidt|Stephan Schmidt]] 14:16, 7 November 2007 (CET))

Hey. I just skipped through some webpages to find pieces of information about the religious content in Star Trek and its spin-offs. Here are some webpages that deal with religion. While the majority is fan-made, others document the topic from a more objective point of view.

*http://www.star-trek-religionen.de/index1.htm
*http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/religion.htm
*http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Human_religion
*http://www.newstrekker.com/archiv/startrek_02_03.htm
*http://www.ibka.org/node/603
** and here the speech: http://ibka.org/en/files/Braga.mp3

Just take a look [[User:Tobias Penski|Tobias Penski]] 22:10, 21 November 2007 (CET)

'''TOS on Religion'''
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Mourns_for_Adonais_%28TOS_episode%29 Who Mourns for Adonais, September 22, 1967]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apple_%28TOS_episode%29 The Apple, October 13, 1967]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_World_Is_Hollow_and_I_Have_Touched_the_Sky For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky, November 8, 1968]

'''Movies'''
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_V:_The_Final_Frontier The Final Frontier, 1989]

'''Literature'''
*Ros S. Kraemer, "Is there a God in the Universe?", in Kraemer, Ross S./ Cassidy, William/ Schwartz Susan L. (eds.), ''Religions of Star Trek''. Cambridge MA: Westview Press, 2001, p.15-56 [http://www.uni-oldenburg.de/anglistik/lit-wiss/intro-to-literature/d/2001_religions_of_star_trek_p15-57.pdf link]

==Dec 5, 2007: Technotopia==
Star Trek is (from warp-drives to beaming facilities) full of inventions we are still waiting for - and peculiarly lacking others we developed instead (like those mobile phones we use for normal conversations rather than short commands). It is said to have motivated research - yet it is too simple to see it as a simple glorification of technological progress...

*[http://www.uni-oldenburg.de/anglistik/lit-wiss/intro-to-literature/d/2004_shapiro__star_trek.pdf Alan Shapiro, ''Star Trek. Technoloies of Disappearance (2004)]
*[[http://www.uni-oldenburg.de/anglistik/lit-wiss/intro-to-literature/d/ds9-ep20.divx DS9 Special Episode on with religious emphasis]

*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Way_to_Eden_%28TOS_episode%29_TOS_#75 ''The Way to Eden''] Spock makes friends with a sect of hippies.

==Dec 12, 2007: Technologies of Disappearance — Fan Research and Criticism produced in the Humanities==

Debate with [[Alan N. Shapiro]]. Course reading: Shapiro, Alan N. Star Trek:'' Technologies of disappearance''. Berlin: Avinus-Verlag, 2004.

'''Summary: Chapter Two "THE LAST COMPUTER"''' (John Müller)

In chapter two, “The Last Computer“, Shapiro talks about computers and their functions/capabilities in the 23rd century. In a second step, he compares those future computers to our late 20th century computer technology and draws some interesting conclusions as far as own perception is concerned. In order to support his point, Shapiro takes a look at two episodes from TOS (“A Taste Of Armageddon” [Ep. 23] and “The Ultimate Computer” [Ep. 53]).

In “A Taste Of Armageddon” there are two computers which are war with one another, or, in other words, there are two neighboring planets which have been at war for centuries, but, instead of waging a real war with real weapons, they have chosen to let computers simulate their war for them. The computers on both worlds are linked and independently launch attacks on each other. But even though the fighting remains in the realms of virtual reality, the consequences do not: The perfection of this war is taken so far that both computers calculate damage and casualties on their home worlds and force the people who are registered as victims in the simulation to also become victims in real life. Once a citizen is “killed” in the simulation through a hostile attack, he/she has to report to a “disintegration machine” and then vanish in order to obey to the rules of the simulated computer-war.

Apart from the moral implications of this virtual war and the stance Kirk and his crew take towards it (needless to say the computers are dismantled in the end and the warring parties start real peace negotiations for the first time), Shapiro compares the computer-war with our late 20th century reality and the role computers play in it. He uses the example of the 1991 Gulf War and, citing philosopher Boudrillard and his works, Shapiro states that the allied actions taken against dictator Hussein are not too different from the computer-war displayed in “A Taste Of Armageddon”. Before even one missile was launched in the Gulf region, hundreds of military strategists were “endlessly analyzing scenarios” (p. 87) and the many casualties they foresaw in their simulated attacks became to be viewed as inescapable losses that served a greater cause. “Their deaths are pre-calculated. They are ‘collateral damage’” (p. 87). Besides this cold and “mechanical” view at the lives of innocent citizens, the Gulf War and the computer war in the TOS episode have one more thing in common: Like with the two computers in the episode there hardly was any “real” encounter between the two warring parties in the Gulf War: For the far more technologically advanced allied forces the war was won in advance in realm of simulations, for the far less advanced Iraqi soldiers the war had already been lost before it fully broke out at all.
In Shapiro’s opinion the same logic also works for the “war on terrorism”: The American idea of the preemptive strike against anyone who might support or become an ally to Al-Qaida or the even more elusive concept of the “axis of evil” show that, at the beginning of the 21st century, US military operations are more and more withdrawn into the realm of calculations and probability, where a “potential attacker and enemy [...] exists as informational entity or statistical propensity, endlessly speculated on and reported in the virtual realm of the media” (p. 88).

In the second episode, “The Ultimate Computer” the TOS crew is once again faced with a situation not unlike the one described above: An all-new computer, “M-5” designed to be capable of replacing an entire starship crew, is to be installed and tested aboard the Enterprise by its creator, the brilliant but arrogant Dr. Daystrom. During the test the “M-5” takes over for the humans and then performs a variety of standard procedures, including both scientific and strategic operations – which at first work well. During the strategic drill, however, the “M-5” mistakes an unarmed and unmanned freighter for a real enemy and destroys it. Due to the fact that, for some reason, the computer cannot be switched off at that point, things start to turn for the worst: The computer assumes complete control over all of the ship’s systems, displays an arrogant and superior “personality” (not unlike that of its creator) and then attacks the four sister ships of the Enterprise which had been gathered for the simulated drill. After the “M-5” has almost destroyed the ships and many lives have been lost, Captain Kirk finally has a talk with the resilient piece of machinery. Convinced that it is the “ultimate achievement in computer evolution” (p. 93) the “M-5” believes that it must survive by all means in order to be able to protect man. Kirk finally manages it to convince the “M-5” that it has already committed murder, and, by doing so, it has lost its rights to survive. The “M-5” eventually sees the logic in Kirk’s words and, in an act of self-punishment, destroys itself.

“The Ultimate Computer” deals with the human fear to one day be replaced and/or threatened by super-intelligent computers that exceed human capacities by far. Shapiro states that in TOS there generally was a rather negative attitude towards super-intelligent computers (be it false-god-computers like Vaal in “The Apple“ and the Oracle in “For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky” or be it the superior machines like M-5 in “The Ultimate Computer” and Nomad in “The Changeling”). He points out, however, that this fear of being outwitted and replaced one day only “deters us from the fact that we are already computerized (or deeply enmeshed with digital technology)” (p. 94). Despite the fact that his thesis makes sense to some extent (i.e. Internet, cell phones, computer games etc.) he fails to give the reader some clear cut examples to support his idea. I can only guess that it has something to do with the digital and computerized world we live in today. However, his point (if there is any) remains much more elusive than with the comparison between the Gulf War(s) and the computer war – which makes a lot of sense and, in my opinion, is a very interesting way of looking at post-modern (and western) warfare.

'''Summary: Chapter three “The Transporter” [How the Transporter “Really Works”]

Episode serving as an example: “The Enemy Within”'''

(written by Arne Poller)

On a routine geological survey on the planet Alpha 177 the landing party has discovered a doglike creature. A member of the crew gets injured and yellow stains from a magnetic ore are all over his clothes. Probably those are interrupting the beaming process when he tries to beam back up. After doubts whether the transporter machinery is safe Captain Kirk beams up and reappears with a weakened look. While Scotty helps the ‘weak’ Kirk he leaves the Transporter Room unattended. A second ‘savage looking’ Kirk appears in the Room. It turns out that an accident in the transporting process has caused the rematerialisation of a ‘Weak Kirk’ and an ‘Evil Kirk’.
While ‘Weak Kirk’ rests in his room ‘Evil Kirk’ walks around within the ship and is doing silly things (grabs Dr. McCoy by the scruff, seizes Yeoman Rand fiercely by the shoulder…).
At the same time Scotty has figured out that a ‘complete breakdown’ of the operational condition of the transporter has taken place. After Captain Kirk was beamed aboard they tried to beam up the doglike creature with the result of having nonidentical twins. One is gentle and timid, the other is widely agitated and violent. Afraid of the consequences they don’t dare to beam up the rest of the crew. That leaves the landing crew stranded on the planet with the life-threatening prospect of an oncoming freezing nightfall. After interviewing ‘Weak Kirk’ Spock realizes that there must be an imposter aboard the ship. Spock and McCoy hypothesize that ‘Weak Kirk’ is lacking his negative side, which, when ‘properly controlled and disciplined’, endow the Captain with his special ability to command a starship. They catch ‘Evil Kirk’ on one of the lower decks.
“I have to take him back inside myself” ‘Weak Kirk’ recognizes. “I can’t survive without him.”
As Scotty gets the system up and running they first try a test. The two duplicate doglike creatures are send through. Out of the two only one reappears which is dead. The creature was rejoint into a single being, it did not outlive the shock of reunification due to its fear. Finally the duplicate Kirk’s have to take the risk in order to safe the stranded crew. They hope that human intelligence disciplining his trepidation will make a difference. As they get ready to energize, ‘Weak Kirk’ smiles to Spock, Bones, and Scotty, signalling that he has no fear. Finally the ‘real Kirk’ reappears and the stranded crew will be rescued, too.

Shapiro argues that “the mishap of the transporter, the Holodeck, or warp speed is emphasized on Star Trek above the normal operation of the system. ‘Evil Kirk’ is the intrinsic accident that belongs by necessity to the transporter. Every technology has both a rational purpose and a build-in accident ‘waiting to happen’.”
Created by Roddenberry as a convenient way of saving money, Star Trek expresses its profound ambivalence towards the technology of the transporter.
Following Shapiro the trickery of technology rouses the principle of evil, of the vital necessity of evil for the survival of good. ‘Evil Kirk’ is a required and integral portion of Captain Kirk. “The deep-rooted accident of the duplicate Kirk turns a questioning spotlight on the ‘essence’ of the transporter, which is the absolutist phantasmagoria of total knowledge of a person captured in a digital pattern image or ‘quantum physics’ snapshot of their subatomic particles.”
Shapiro asks if techno-scientific enthusiasm truly is Star Trek’s worldview.

'''How the Transporter “Really works”'''

Over the decades there was a paradigm shift in Star Trek’s beaming technology and how it works.

The original notion: Dematerialization – rematerialization, matter-to-energy conversion and back to physical transporter.

Digital transporter: The concept of blueprint formula-like, cloning – or information-based digital transporter.

Quantum teleporter: The idea of ‘entangled photon pairs’ (already been built experimentally by physicists for light particle ‘passengers’.

[For exact function look at Shapiro p.102 l.5]

“The newer postmodernist digital transporter and hypermodernist quantum teleporter gesture towards a paradigm shift in the predominant definition of what it means to be human. Within this posthuman paradigm, it is conceded that a copy of myself, either created from the same model informational digital pattern or emanating from an initiatory quantum mechanical techno-scientific coupled entanglement, is identical to me.”

'''Summary: Chapter Six Wormholes'''

In chapter six Shapiro discusses wormholes in Star Trek and general SF as well as the scientific practicability of wormholes in reality. Firstly, he gives a broad overview on the DS9 pilot [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Emissary Emissary] that is the basis of his discussion. By doing so, he stresses Commander Sisko's encounter with the wormhole aliens that in Shapiro's words, ultimately leads to a ''“true symbolic exchange between Commander Sisko and the wormhole aliens […] (p. 200)”''.

Secondly, he begins his discussion on the physics of wormholes by commenting publications dealing with Star Trek technologies such as Lawrence M. Krauss' ''The Physics of Star Trek''. In opinion those publications endorse Star Trek's key technologies in order to satisfy the fanbase and at the same time they refer to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pataphysics pataphysical] praticability - that is, some sort of philisophical physics. Furthermore, Shapiro brings to light that in many papers on the subject wormholes are regarded as time travel devices (p. 202). Especially, in Voyager and DS9 beaming and wormholes are combined in order to travel in time as it is shown in the episodes [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Trials_and_Tribble-ations Trials and Tribble-ations] and [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Eye_of_the_Needle Eye of the Needle]. Technically, time travel scenarios are created with digital recomposition, set reconstruction, frame-by-frame shadow masking and the likes.

Looking at SF film in general Shapiro points out that many film makers and writers have been obsessed with time travel stories and parallel dimensions for decades (see Dr. Who, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, 12 Monkeys, Back to the Future etc.). And often they pursued the psychological goal to exterminate the ''"radical otherness of history and other cultures, to short-circuit the difficult course of mourning, to meet up with none other than myself (yourself ?) (p. 202)"''

Moreover, he explains this psychological goal by outlining the scientific works of so-called philosopher physicists like Richard Feynman who have dealt with wormholes and time travel on a scientific level refering to the frontier possibilities of the laws of physics (Einstein's theories of 1905 and 1915). As he further emphasizes the development of time travel pataphysics up to the 1970s and 80s, Shaphiro argues if these theories cannot be held up in a real world context, even if they seem plausible in generic SF settings (p. 211).

Lastly, leaving all scientific theories on time travel and wormholes behind, Shaphiro poses the question if time travel in Star Trek rather presupposes a specific human notion of time: ''One example of this is the idea implicit in the "block universe model" of spacetime that the future is already "out there" or already exists. This is the future-orientation of time in the statistical worldview, or the the future's simulation. It is opposed to the existential view that the future is yet to be decided. The whish for time travel to the past is another, complementary component of the human and hyper-real notion of time. (p. 213)'' --[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 15:42, 11 December 2007 (CET)

'''Summary: Chapter Eight " Android Data"''' (Hanno Jansen)

Chapter eight deals with android beings in movies and literature. Shapiro explains how the character of Data in TNG was developed and which purpose androids in general and especially Lt. Data serve on a meta level. He does so by refering to three chosen episodes of The Next Generation. The following links lead to the summaries of the mentioned episodes.

1.Datalore [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datalore] (p.250)
2.The Measure of a Man [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Measure_of_a_Man_%28TNG_episode%29] (p.268)
3.The Offspring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Offspring_%28TNG_episode%29] (p.278)

The idea of a humanoid android in search of his creator, striving to become human was first used by Gene Roddenberry in the TV-movie "The Questor Tapes" (1974).
It was planned as the pilot of a television series but due to differences between Roddenberry and both Universal and NBC canceled before an episode was produced.
After the original show was canceled, Roddenberry planed to bring back Star Trek as a prime time TV show with fresh episodes. Star Trek Phase II should reunite the old cast exept Nimoy who refused to partake. His character was replaced by the "full Vulcan" Lt. Xon. Xon, having no human emotions, should always struggle to simulate human traits. The pilot of this series was never made but contentwise resumed in the first Star Trek movie. Lt. Data is the readoption and mixture of Xon and the Questor.

Shapiro compares different Science Fiction stories to show two main categories of androids. ''"Either it is a question of androids attaining human-like characteristics, and therefore accepting to have as their goal to become equivalent to humans. Or it is about androids exceeding human intelligence and skillfulness, and therefore becoming an ominous menace to humanity as they seek to dominate us. Never is it about humans and androids co-existing in difference or otherness"'' (p. 255)

Using "Blade Runner" as well as "The Measure of a Man" as examples, Shapiro shows the difficulty of categorizing androids that closely resemble us. The question is raised what defines a lifeform as such. Is it self awareness, autopoiesis or the coupling of perception and action?
In Blade Runner the comparison of android and human even goes as far as seeing a human as a "meat machine" replicating itself by replicating everything around him over and over again with just minor changes.

According to Shapiro, androids like Data therefore serve as a mirror to explore ourselves. ''"Human nature and the definition of the human are never fixed. This is why the android can be an anamorphic mirror to us, in the sense of enabling the maker to see elements of his true appearance of which he was not aware, and in the sense of inducing an actual transformation in us."'' (p. 261)

In "Android Data" Shapiro picks up a subject that is dealt with in many Star Trek episodes throughout all series. What is the reality of existence? or What makes us human? To do so he touches many different subjects, from sociological and philosophical approaches (J.Baudrillard p.259/ R. Hanley p.274) to android epistemology dealing with the creation of A.I..(p. 261)

Interestingly, Shapiro gives us information on why he thinks Star Trek is so successful.
''"The discourse of "hyper-rational skepticism" is one pole of the operational duality- between modernist orthodox scientific model and postmodernist fandom hyper-reality - that the Star Trek gravy train rides on."'' (p.267)

He ends this chapter by telling us how to evaluate Star Trek.
''"Star Trek is a movement of the real that has actively changed the world and knowledge. It has already destabilized and transformed all of these sciences. To grasp this shaking of the ground beneath our feet, we must commit ourselves to internal readings of stories, characters and technologies. We must search for their inner logic and ask how they operate in their original context."'' ( p. 286)

==Dec 19, 2007: The Politics of Star Trek I: From the United States of America to the Federation==
*What happened between 1966 and the year 2300?
*A culture that does not (want to) rely on imperialism, technical superiority or the strength of its capitalism - and a winner even though.

==Jan 9, 2007: The Politics of Star Trek II: Power on Board==
* Power on board: Collisions of interests, personal loyalty and professional obedience
* Power on a universal scale: Star ship vs. Federation
* Different races
* Gender politics

Show suggestions:
*TOS: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror%2C_Mirror_%28TOS_episode%29 Mirror Mirror, October 6, 1967]
*TOS: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnabout_Intruder_%28TOS_episode%29 Turnabout Intruder, June 3, 1969]
*TNG: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pen_Pals_%28Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation%29 Pen Pals, May 1, 1989]
*Voyager: [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Worst_Case_Scenario Worst Case scenario] A holodeck program simulates a maquis mutiny.

==Jan 16, 2008: Is the "Prime Directive" the prime directive?==
What are the real ideals of the Start Trek Universe?

==Jan 23, 2008: Genres: What can happen in the Star Trek universe and what cannot?==
*The original shows were not really free when it came to the way of how stories had to be told. The episode had to be over within 45 minutes, it had to offer a problem and a solution. We shall look at generic questions and narratology: What kinds of episodes existed (from comedy to drama), what perspectives do we get on the plotlines? How did the art of story telling evolve from TOS to DS9?
*Is Star Trek a Utopian series? What is Science Fiction compared to Fantasy? What otions within the genre does the Star Trek universe realise?

Show suggestions:
*TOS [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Shore_Leave Shore Leave (1x17)], 29th, Dec 1966
*TNG [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/The_Big_Goodbye The Big Goodbye (1x12)], 11th, Jan 1988
*(TOS [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Bread_and_Circuses Bread and Circuses (2x14)], 15th, March 1968)

*we will focus on ''The Big Goodbye'' and ''Shore Leave'' in terms of virtual realities (holodeck etc.) and episodes that may scratch generic boundaries
*for the second part of the discussion please concentrated on the episodes from the various episodes and try to think about the differences between the series (TOS, TNG... etc.)

For more information on the topic and my presentation take a look at my user page --[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 11:37, 14 January 2008 (CET)

==Jan 30, 2008: The Fan World==
*On the interaction between the Star Trek Universe and its fan community.
*Startrek and kids - a special look on children and adolescents in the Star Trek universe

*Star Trek: New Voyages. A "sequel" to TOS with the same characters (albeit new actors) - how do fans continue the universe in movie? [http://www.startreknewvoyages.com Star Trek: New Voyages]
:[http://www.startreknewvoyages.com/episode_weat.html DOWNLOADS of the shows can be found here] which links to multiple sites with the shows in multiple formats, whatever fits. I would suggest watching into the pilot, show 1, and/or show 2.
*For other movie projects cf. [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Fan_film Fan Film at Memory Alpha] or [http://stexpanded.wikia.com/wiki Extended Star Trek Wiki] for more FanFiction projects - sadly without the interconnectivity of episodes of "canonical" shows and movies.

==Feb 5, 2008: A Look Back on our Seminar==
===Topics===
* Concepts of Evolution and Progress

===Literature===

*Engel, Joel. ''Gene Roddenberry: The Myth and the Man Behind'' Star Trek. New York: Hyperion, 1994.
::One of the first critical biographies that appeared after Roddenberry's death.

* Shatner, William/ Kreshi, Chris. ''Star Trek Memories''. New York: Harper & Collins, 1993.
:: Offers insight into the production.

* Tulloch, John/ Jenkins, Henry. ''Science Giction Audiences: Watching'' Doctor Who'' and ''Star Trek. London: Routledge, 1995.
:: On the fan community and interaction.

*Solow, Herb and Justman, Robert H. ''Inside'' Star Trek: ''The Real Story''. New York: Pocket, 1996.
::One of the critical revisoions which appeared after Roddenbery's death.

* Gentejohan, Volker, ''Narratives from the'' Final Frontier: ''A Postcolonial Reading of the Original Star Trek Series''. Frankfurt a. M./ Berlin: Peter Lang, 2000. 161 pp.
:: Dissertation, German in its structure: What is postcolonialism? Then apply the theory an see it works. The readings create a congruity where there might be not so much of it. Character analysis and special questions revealing the basically American cultural centre, the phalLogocentrism of the series.

* Gregory, Chris. Star Trek: ''Parallel Narratives'' Houndsmills/ Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2000.
:: Good Bibliography. Central idea: Star Trek evolving into a mythological system. Written with the awareness of immense changes within the Star Trek universe – changes due to changing options under which TV-shows and movies could be produced over the years. Analysis of interaction and differences between main producers of TOS Roddenberry Coon (he produced much of the Federation’s political framework) and Frieberger (third season with its many recycled shows).

* Kraemer, Ross S./ Cassidy, William/ Schwartz Susan L. ''Religions of Star Trek''. Cambridge MA: Westview Press, 2001. 246 pp.
:: Multi facetted and extremely inspiring.

*Kanzler, Katja. ''"Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations", The Multicultural Evolution of STAR TREK''. Heidelberg, Winter, 2004.
:: Explores the multiculturalism of the Star Trek universe – as a popular and commercial concept. Written with a good deal of fascination.

* Shapiro, Alan N. Star Trek:'' Technologies of disappearance''. Berlin: Avinus-Verlag, 2004. 369 pp. ISBN 3-930064-16-2.
:: Technologies of the Star Trek universe from "beaming" to ''warp'' spead. Question what they betray if read by a cultural historian.

* Broderick, James F. ''The literary galaxy of'' Star Trek: ''An analysis of references and themes in the television series and films''. Jefferson, N.C. [etc.]: McFarland & Co., 2006. vi, 233 pp. ISBN 0-7864-2571-7
:: Intertextuality and literary motives from quest to vampirism.

* Relke, Diana M. A. ''Drones, Clones, and Alpha Babes: Retrofitting'' Star Trek's ''humanism, post-9/11''. Calgary: Univ. of Calgary Press, 2006. xx, 168 pp. ISBN 1-552-38164-1, ISBN 978-1-552-38164-9
:: What does ''Star Trek'' tell us about the US?

* Geraghty, Lincoln. ''Living with'' Star Trek: American culture and the Star Trek universe (London [etc.]: Tauris, 2007), VIII, 232 pp.
::Esp. on fandom.

* Geraghty, Lincoln (ed.). ''The influence of'' Star Trek ''on television, film, and culture''. [=''Critical explorations in science fiction and fantasy'', 4]. Jefferson, N.C. [etc.]: McFarland & Co., 2007. ISBN 978-0-7864-3034-5
:: "Examining Star Trek from various critical angles, the essays in this collection provide vital new insights into the myriad ways that the franchise has affected the culture it represents, the people who watch the series, and the industry that created it" (Publisher).

===Links===
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek Star Trek on en.wikipedia.org]
:*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series_episodes The Original Series episodes]
:*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation_episodes The Next Generation episodes]
:*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek:_Deep_Space_Nine_episodes Deep Space Nine episodes]
:*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek:_Voyager_episodes Voyager episodes]
:*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek:_Enterprise_episodes Enterprise episodes]
*[http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/TOS Memory Alpha, Star Trek Wiki]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5285732.stm Which is the definitive Star Trek?]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/st/ BBC Star Trek Cult Page]
*[http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?q=star+trek&tab=all&recipe=all More BBC Star Trek Results]
*[http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2069660,00.html Guardian Article: Beam me up Scotty: Star Trek actor's ashes sent into space]

[[Category:Abschlussmodul]]
[[Category:Winter 2007-2008|2008-1]]

User talk:Karsten Sill

2008-01-20T14:23:55Z

Nico Zorn:

Gary K. Wolfe, Evaporating Genres: Strategies of Dissoution in the Postmodern Fantastic (2002)

2008-01-20T14:22:46Z

Nico Zorn:

=Evaporating Genres=
Wolfe, Gary K.: “Evaporating Genres. Strategies of Dissoution in the Postmodern Fantastic“. In: Edging into the future: science fiction and contemporary cultural trasnforation. Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press 2002. pp. 11-29.

(11) [Chapter front page]

(12) In the 1940s American publishers started to number paperbacks (Pocket Books). Within this series, first American SF mass-market anthology came into being with that term (science fiction). Still, pocketbooks turned to different readerships: fantasy (as first book Lost Horizons), mystery, westerns. SF was relegated to special topics (like vegetable gardening), covered in one-shot publications. It “barely existed in book form at all. It was viewed by publishers as a sort of fringe genre that they knew or cared little about” (K. C. Davis 166)

(13) But SF developed a clear identity and readership. In the 1930s special interest niche-genres developed; Fantastic narratives usually were in the same magazines, e.g. Weird Tales, having much horror; The digest fiction magazines dominated the 1950s only but why not earlier? Literary elitism seems insufficient reason. AVAILABLE BOOKS= books that are candidates for publishing; VISIBLE BOOKS different

(14) directly tied to genre identity. SF in the 1940s usually were put as thrillers or pulp stories, while detective stories and western became distinct traditions within popular novel. SF failed to cohere as a genre, a similar pattern arose for horror and fantasy – a canon emerged only well into the 20th century despite fantasy being “arguably the oldest narrative tradition of all”. The “supergenre” of the fantastic was still locked inside the pulp magazines

(15) 1940ies and 50s SF books arrived in libraries. Mid-1950s SF was a recognisable genre, well identified – and then began to disassemble itself. Mysteries and horror appealed to readers basically the same way – SF had very diverse authors and narratives; in the Fantastic generally, there was much diversity while “the genre markers remained radically unstable” in a formal sense. This uncertainty is the seed of dissolution.

(16) Other popular genres had distinct conventional narrative formulas (e.g. detective novel), identified by Cawleti 1976 – C. disregarded all 3 major fantastic genres (SF, F, Horror). To describe those one might invoke Jean Bodel’s “matters” analogue – SF is geography of reason, H is geography of anxiety; F is geography of desire. BUT: formulas never sufficiently described each genre. Horror named itself after the emotion it wanted to create, not after some formula. F, “the oldest genre of all” developed an identity mainly after LotR and was confined to Sword and Sorcery before. Still, Tolkien’s quest formula was ONE expression of the genre. Populist canons by and by developed from magazines

(17) Each genre thereby identified one ideological linchpin: Heinlein (SF), Tolkien (F), Lovecraft (H). Each field had 2 routes: expansion, or collapsing the genre, ie. Over the edges or into itself (self-reflexive).
H was built upon Gothic tradition; F was always the dominant mode of narrative; SF was mainly a designed genre, which made expansion difficult. The consensus core of this genre more and more evaporated.

(18) There were multiple ways of response by writers to circumvent writing SF without the genre of SF: I) colonize another genre a) time travel easily moves into historic novel and uses its protocols; b) suspense thriller poses a more subtle change – conventions of SF stay intact while melodrama etc. is added. Biggest difference: ideologies of power (technofriendly v. technophobic/technoparanoid?, NZ) not in narrative conventions

(19) Gregory Benford tried to expand most prominently [lots more on him]

(20) He is more sophisticated than mainstream like Independence Day etc; he is often diluted by echoes of other genres – thriller, epic disaster novel, academic novel, mainstream science novel. II) F as candidate for “imperialist impulses.

(21) Unkown magazine featured fantastic stories. SF authors like Heinlein et. al treated F as “a kind of alternative science” with minimal mythological supernaturalism. “Rationalised Fantasy” was common and has 3 definitions in Grant’s Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997): 1. works in which magic etc are given quasi-scientific rules, 2. works in which fantasy elements are completely explained away; 3. works in which fantasy elements translated into SF tropes. This was also used to rationalise supernatural horror, e.g. I am Legend (1954). Worlds in a F landscape that are SF are common => “science fantasy”

(22) e.g. Jack Vance’s Dying Earth, a romantic epic very distant to our world. Fiction that does not follow either protocol is less common. Piers Anthony’s Apprentice Adept series jumped between SF and F worlds with most blatant clichés. Sheri S. Tepper made a career of conflating genres, introducing F elements into SF – and also fairy tale, hist fiction, genre fantasy… she played deliberately with expectations. A Plague of Angels also calls attention to its own textuality.

(23) => the characters know that they live in an archetypical village and refer to it as such. Setting is first assumed to be SF (plot: attempted dominance via space station) but then conflated (plot: talking animals). The Talisman borrowed its base structure from the fantasy quest romance.

(24) Horror fiction was largely self-referential to its own tradition, often citing authors and incidents – Straub told King that in Ghost Story (1979) he wanted to be literary yet include every ghost situation he could think of. Beyond genre conventions he introduced doppelganger tale in Mr X (1999).

(25) allusions to Lovecraft are frequent in the novel. The 2nd narrative voice knows it is in a horror story, largely self-created – “[h]e is, in effect, a creature made of genre”. All the time, Mr. X engages in an active and witty critique of the genre and still claims to be part of it. In Fantasy, Was b Geoff Ryman questions genre identity – it contained a realist version of the Midwest.

(26) It put Dorothy from Baum’s Oz into real life where she explained her “vision” as idealised past during an illness. This mingle the narrative of Judy Garland (actress) and a contemporary doctor dying of AIDS who becomes obsessed with the idea that Dorothy was real. In a key scene, a mental hospital inmate claims that the movie stole her life. The novel can be seen as an “extended meditation on the spiritual power of fantasy” but is “very nearly an antifantasy”.

(27) The secondary world is consistently undercut by intrusions of realism. By “Fantasy is Evaporating” (self-quote from The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror) Wolfe meant not that it is collapsing but that it is a sign of contemporary culture – undermining expectations revitalises the genre; boundaries grow uncertain. On the other hand there are writers who do not “liberate” genre but use it as the very reference point.

(28) Wolfe sees this as a kind of “literary karaoke”, recycling familiar tropes. In Fantasy we see endless repetitions of Tolkien; in SF we see the novelisation of ST, SW and X-Files. There is limited evidence that commercialism has halted the development of these genres. A greater concern is increased self-referentiality to the genre which leads to a kind of “genre implosion or collapse”. This does not necessarily lead to disappearance as happened with westerns but can, as western, lead to a self-absorbed group of readers, strongly limited in numbers.

(29) Genre as term has become slippery. It refers to market conventions AND to literary and narrative conventions AND perceived commonalities of affect and world-view… This affects all genres but it is most clear in the fantastic genres: they need to shift to reflect reality science (SF), accommodate shifting sources of anxiety (H), and adapt dreams no more consisting of pastoral idealism (F). This transcending of genre shows the genres at their very best.

[[Category:On Literature]]

Evaporating Genre

2008-01-20T14:22:34Z

Nico Zorn: Evaporating Genre moved to Evaporating Genres

#REDIRECT [[Evaporating Genres]]

Gary K. Wolfe, Evaporating Genres: Strategies of Dissoution in the Postmodern Fantastic (2002)

2008-01-20T14:22:34Z

Nico Zorn: Evaporating Genre moved to Evaporating Genres

=Evaporating Genre=
Wolfe, Gary K.: “Evaporating Genres. Strategies of Dissoution in the Postmodern Fantastic“. In: Edging into the future: science fiction and contemporary cultural trasnforation. Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press 2002. pp. 11-29.

(11) [Chapter front page]

(12) In the 1940s American publishers started to number paperbacks (Pocket Books). Within this series, first American SF mass-market anthology came into being with that term (science fiction). Still, pocketbooks turned to different readerships: fantasy (as first book Lost Horizons), mystery, westerns. SF was relegated to special topics (like vegetable gardening), covered in one-shot publications. It “barely existed in book form at all. It was viewed by publishers as a sort of fringe genre that they knew or cared little about” (K. C. Davis 166)

(13) But SF developed a clear identity and readership. In the 1930s special interest niche-genres developed; Fantastic narratives usually were in the same magazines, e.g. Weird Tales, having much horror; The digest fiction magazines dominated the 1950s only but why not earlier? Literary elitism seems insufficient reason. AVAILABLE BOOKS= books that are candidates for publishing; VISIBLE BOOKS different

(14) directly tied to genre identity. SF in the 1940s usually were put as thrillers or pulp stories, while detective stories and western became distinct traditions within popular novel. SF failed to cohere as a genre, a similar pattern arose for horror and fantasy – a canon emerged only well into the 20th century despite fantasy being “arguably the oldest narrative tradition of all”. The “supergenre” of the fantastic was still locked inside the pulp magazines

(15) 1940ies and 50s SF books arrived in libraries. Mid-1950s SF was a recognisable genre, well identified – and then began to disassemble itself. Mysteries and horror appealed to readers basically the same way – SF had very diverse authors and narratives; in the Fantastic generally, there was much diversity while “the genre markers remained radically unstable” in a formal sense. This uncertainty is the seed of dissolution.

(16) Other popular genres had distinct conventional narrative formulas (e.g. detective novel), identified by Cawleti 1976 – C. disregarded all 3 major fantastic genres (SF, F, Horror). To describe those one might invoke Jean Bodel’s “matters” analogue – SF is geography of reason, H is geography of anxiety; F is geography of desire. BUT: formulas never sufficiently described each genre. Horror named itself after the emotion it wanted to create, not after some formula. F, “the oldest genre of all” developed an identity mainly after LotR and was confined to Sword and Sorcery before. Still, Tolkien’s quest formula was ONE expression of the genre. Populist canons by and by developed from magazines

(17) Each genre thereby identified one ideological linchpin: Heinlein (SF), Tolkien (F), Lovecraft (H). Each field had 2 routes: expansion, or collapsing the genre, ie. Over the edges or into itself (self-reflexive).
H was built upon Gothic tradition; F was always the dominant mode of narrative; SF was mainly a designed genre, which made expansion difficult. The consensus core of this genre more and more evaporated.

(18) There were multiple ways of response by writers to circumvent writing SF without the genre of SF: I) colonize another genre a) time travel easily moves into historic novel and uses its protocols; b) suspense thriller poses a more subtle change – conventions of SF stay intact while melodrama etc. is added. Biggest difference: ideologies of power (technofriendly v. technophobic/technoparanoid?, NZ) not in narrative conventions

(19) Gregory Benford tried to expand most prominently [lots more on him]

(20) He is more sophisticated than mainstream like Independence Day etc; he is often diluted by echoes of other genres – thriller, epic disaster novel, academic novel, mainstream science novel. II) F as candidate for “imperialist impulses.

(21) Unkown magazine featured fantastic stories. SF authors like Heinlein et. al treated F as “a kind of alternative science” with minimal mythological supernaturalism. “Rationalised Fantasy” was common and has 3 definitions in Grant’s Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997): 1. works in which magic etc are given quasi-scientific rules, 2. works in which fantasy elements are completely explained away; 3. works in which fantasy elements translated into SF tropes. This was also used to rationalise supernatural horror, e.g. I am Legend (1954). Worlds in a F landscape that are SF are common => “science fantasy”

(22) e.g. Jack Vance’s Dying Earth, a romantic epic very distant to our world. Fiction that does not follow either protocol is less common. Piers Anthony’s Apprentice Adept series jumped between SF and F worlds with most blatant clichés. Sheri S. Tepper made a career of conflating genres, introducing F elements into SF – and also fairy tale, hist fiction, genre fantasy… she played deliberately with expectations. A Plague of Angels also calls attention to its own textuality.

(23) => the characters know that they live in an archetypical village and refer to it as such. Setting is first assumed to be SF (plot: attempted dominance via space station) but then conflated (plot: talking animals). The Talisman borrowed its base structure from the fantasy quest romance.

(24) Horror fiction was largely self-referential to its own tradition, often citing authors and incidents – Straub told King that in Ghost Story (1979) he wanted to be literary yet include every ghost situation he could think of. Beyond genre conventions he introduced doppelganger tale in Mr X (1999).

(25) allusions to Lovecraft are frequent in the novel. The 2nd narrative voice knows it is in a horror story, largely self-created – “[h]e is, in effect, a creature made of genre”. All the time, Mr. X engages in an active and witty critique of the genre and still claims to be part of it. In Fantasy, Was b Geoff Ryman questions genre identity – it contained a realist version of the Midwest.

(26) It put Dorothy from Baum’s Oz into real life where she explained her “vision” as idealised past during an illness. This mingle the narrative of Judy Garland (actress) and a contemporary doctor dying of AIDS who becomes obsessed with the idea that Dorothy was real. In a key scene, a mental hospital inmate claims that the movie stole her life. The novel can be seen as an “extended meditation on the spiritual power of fantasy” but is “very nearly an antifantasy”.

(27) The secondary world is consistently undercut by intrusions of realism. By “Fantasy is Evaporating” (self-quote from The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror) Wolfe meant not that it is collapsing but that it is a sign of contemporary culture – undermining expectations revitalises the genre; boundaries grow uncertain. On the other hand there are writers who do not “liberate” genre but use it as the very reference point.

(28) Wolfe sees this as a kind of “literary karaoke”, recycling familiar tropes. In Fantasy we see endless repetitions of Tolkien; in SF we see the novelisation of ST, SW and X-Files. There is limited evidence that commercialism has halted the development of these genres. A greater concern is increased self-referentiality to the genre which leads to a kind of “genre implosion or collapse”. This does not necessarily lead to disappearance as happened with westerns but can, as western, lead to a self-absorbed group of readers, strongly limited in numbers.

(29) Genre as term has become slippery. It refers to market conventions AND to literary and narrative conventions AND perceived commonalities of affect and world-view… This affects all genres but it is most clear in the fantastic genres: they need to shift to reflect reality science (SF), accommodate shifting sources of anxiety (H), and adapt dreams no more consisting of pastoral idealism (F). This transcending of genre shows the genres at their very best.

[[Category:On Literature]]

User talk:Karsten Sill

2008-01-20T14:21:17Z

Nico Zorn:

Gary K. Wolfe, Evaporating Genres: Strategies of Dissoution in the Postmodern Fantastic (2002)

2008-01-20T14:18:44Z

Nico Zorn: SF/F

Medienanschaffungen

2008-01-18T14:11:16Z

Nico Zorn: C&P correct.

__NOTOC__
*Diese Seite bietet eine direkte Verbindung zu [[User:Ralph Gätke|Ralph Gätke]], der für uns in der Uni Bibliothek Anschaffungen vornimmt. Jeder von uns - das schließt Studenten ein - kann in der linken Spalte Bücher, Filme und vergleichbare Medien notieren, von der er/sie denkt, daß wir sie in der Universitätsbibliothek haben sollten. Das muß noch nicht heißen, daß sie angeschafft werden - hier kann durchaus diskutiert werden.

*Setzen Sie eine Überschrift zum Themengebiet darüber und signieren Sie sie mit vier Tilden <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>, damit wir wissen, wer den Tip gab (das System macht daraus eine Unterschrift). Von Seiten des Seminars beobachtet [[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] die vorliegende Seite, er informiert [[User:Ralph Gätke|Ralph Gätke]] in regelmäßigen Abständen über hier eingehende Wünsche.

*Prüfen Sie Ihre Medienwünsche bitte zuerst im Katalog der Universitätsbibliothek: http://katalog.bis.uni-oldenburg.de/

----

:*Artikel bis heute gab ich per e-mail weiter. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 11:04, 4 December 2007 (CET)

{|width="100%" cellpadding="10"
|bgcolor=#E8FFFF width=50% align="left" valign="top"|
==Medienwünsche==

bitte dringend kaufen:

*John Storey. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. ISBN 0131970682 oder 0820328391
*John Storey. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader. ISBN 0131970690 oder 0820328499
*John Storey. Inventing Popular Culture: From Folklore to Globalization (Blackwell Manifestos), 2003. 0631234608

[[User:Anton Kirchhofer|Anton Kirchhofer]] 09:53, 26 November 2007 (CET)

*''Journalism, Literature and Modernity. From Hazlitt to Modernism.'' Edited by Kate Campbell. Columbia UP, Edinburgh UP, ISBN: 0-7486-2102-4
[[User:Anton Kirchhofer|Anton Kirchhofer]] 06:24, 4 December 2007 (CET)

===History of Fiction 1500-1750===
*Michael McKeon, ''The Secret History of Domesticity: Public, Private, and the Division of Knowledge'' (Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2005).
===Star Trek, 1965-2005===
*Silvio, Carl (ed. and introd.) and Vinci, Tony M. (ed. and introd.). Culture, Identities and Technology in the Star Wars Films: Essays on the Two Trilogies. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2007. --[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 15:46, 20 November 2007 (CET)
===Contemporary Literature===
*Arana, R. Victoria (ed. and introd.). ''"Black" British Aesthetics Today''. Newcastle upon Tyne, England: Cambridge Scholars, 2007. --[[User:Anna Auguscik|Anna Auguscik]]
===Literary Theory===
*Weinreich, Frank: Fantasy. Einführung. Essen: Oldib 2007. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 15:09, 18 January 2008 (CET)


|bgcolor=#D5FFFF width=50% align="left" valign="top"|

==In Arbeit==

*''Authorial divinity in the twentieth cent ... Olson, Barbara K. Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University Press, c1997, ISBN: 0-8387-5316-7
:Der von Ihnen gewünschte Titel ist z.Zt. vergriffen, wird aber neu aufgelegt. Die Vormerkung ist eingetragen. Der gemeldete Erscheinungstermin ist voraussichtlich ca. 4. Quartal 2007!

==Angeschafft==


|}

==Provisorische Sammlung==

hier können Titel abgelegt werden, die noch nicht sofort in den Anschaffungsprozeß gehen sollen - eine Art laufender Notizzettel

==Handapparate==

===Olaf Simons===

Medienanschaffungen

2008-01-18T14:09:46Z

Nico Zorn:

__NOTOC__
*Diese Seite bietet eine direkte Verbindung zu [[User:Ralph Gätke|Ralph Gätke]], der für uns in der Uni Bibliothek Anschaffungen vornimmt. Jeder von uns - das schließt Studenten ein - kann in der linken Spalte Bücher, Filme und vergleichbare Medien notieren, von der er/sie denkt, daß wir sie in der Universitätsbibliothek haben sollten. Das muß noch nicht heißen, daß sie angeschafft werden - hier kann durchaus diskutiert werden.

*Setzen Sie eine Überschrift zum Themengebiet darüber und signieren Sie sie mit vier Tilden <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>, damit wir wissen, wer den Tip gab (das System macht daraus eine Unterschrift). Von Seiten des Seminars beobachtet [[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] die vorliegende Seite, er informiert [[User:Ralph Gätke|Ralph Gätke]] in regelmäßigen Abständen über hier eingehende Wünsche.

*Prüfen Sie Ihre Medienwünsche bitte zuerst im Katalog der Universitätsbibliothek: http://katalog.bis.uni-oldenburg.de/

----

:*Artikel bis heute gab ich per e-mail weiter. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 11:04, 4 December 2007 (CET)

{|width="100%" cellpadding="10"
|bgcolor=#E8FFFF width=50% align="left" valign="top"|
==Medienwünsche==

bitte dringend kaufen:

*John Storey. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. ISBN 0131970682 oder 0820328391
*John Storey. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader. ISBN 0131970690 oder 0820328499
*John Storey. Inventing Popular Culture: From Folklore to Globalization (Blackwell Manifestos), 2003. 0631234608

[[User:Anton Kirchhofer|Anton Kirchhofer]] 09:53, 26 November 2007 (CET)

*''Journalism, Literature and Modernity. From Hazlitt to Modernism.'' Edited by Kate Campbell. Columbia UP, Edinburgh UP, ISBN: 0-7486-2102-4
[[User:Anton Kirchhofer|Anton Kirchhofer]] 06:24, 4 December 2007 (CET)

===History of Fiction 1500-1750===
*Michael McKeon, ''The Secret History of Domesticity: Public, Private, and the Division of Knowledge'' (Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2005).
===Star Trek, 1965-2005===
*Silvio, Carl (ed. and introd.) and Vinci, Tony M. (ed. and introd.). Culture, Identities and Technology in the Star Wars Films: Essays on the Two Trilogies. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2007. --[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 15:46, 20 November 2007 (CET)
===Contemporary Literature===
*Arana, R. Victoria (ed. and introd.). ''"Black" British Aesthetics Today''. Newcastle upon Tyne, England: Cambridge Scholars, 2007. --[[User:Anna Auguscik|Anna Auguscik]]
===Literary Theory===
*Weinreich, Frank: Fantasy. Einführung. Oldib Verlag, Essen 2007. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 15:09, 18 January 2008 (CET)


|bgcolor=#D5FFFF width=50% align="left" valign="top"|

==In Arbeit==

*''Authorial divinity in the twentieth cent ... Olson, Barbara K. Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University Press, c1997, ISBN: 0-8387-5316-7
:Der von Ihnen gewünschte Titel ist z.Zt. vergriffen, wird aber neu aufgelegt. Die Vormerkung ist eingetragen. Der gemeldete Erscheinungstermin ist voraussichtlich ca. 4. Quartal 2007!

==Angeschafft==


|}

==Provisorische Sammlung==

hier können Titel abgelegt werden, die noch nicht sofort in den Anschaffungsprozeß gehen sollen - eine Art laufender Notizzettel

==Handapparate==

===Olaf Simons===

User talk:Nico Zorn

2008-01-17T14:04:36Z

Nico Zorn:

User talk:Nico Zorn

2008-01-17T13:24:33Z

Nico Zorn:

User talk:Karsten Sill

2008-01-17T11:00:23Z

Nico Zorn:

Moin Karsten,

willkommen an Bord,

ahoy [[User:Joern Esch|Joern Esch]] 11:13, 30 April 2007 (CEST)

==Kleines Nachdenken über Deine Genre-Diskussion==

verhake Dich nicht bei der Frage nach SF als Genre. Überhaupt sind Versuche, eine Stabile Genredefinition zu kriegen unsinn - die Dinger leben.

Die wichtigere Frage ist: warum formen Debatten die Genres. Warum bildet sich ein Genre? Einfach nur weil da zufällig gleiches zeig zusammenkommt - bis man sagt: das sieht sich ähnlich, ist ein Genre?

Alternativoption: das Genre funktioniert im Umgang mit dem Kunden und dem Markt und den Kritikern. Versuche nachzudenken, welche genre-Entscheidungen Star Trek trifft. Sie bauen eine Welt in der bestimmtes möglich ist - anderes überlassen sie anderen Genres. Sie können viele Plots integrieren - aber nicht alle. Kommt hinzu, daß sich die Serie verändert und damit das Genre auch. Ich habe den Eindruck, daß bis Voager die alte Crew noch überall auftauchen könnte. Ob sich Spock mit Partnerin einseift (erste Folge "Enterprise"...)??? Da geht irgendwo eine Genre-Grenze, vielleicht - ich habe darüber nicht nachgedacht.

Liefere mir nicht tausend Stimmen aus der Sekundärliteratur. Ich will eher ein Nachdenken am Gegenstand. Wozu dienen den Enterprisemachern die Genre-Grenzen, auf die sie sich einlassen, die sie selbst bauen, die sie verändern. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 11:26, 23 November 2007 (CET)

Hallo Olaf, vielen Dank erst einmal für deine Hinweise/Kommentare. Die Genrediskussion, wie sie in der Literatur dargestellt wird, wollte ich vorerst als Einstieg verwenden. Vielleicht war meine Liste da ein wenig überflüssig.
Dein erster Vorschlag würde auf die gekürzte Genrediskussion folgen, um dann anhand von Beispielen (Episoden, Szenen) zu kennzeichen/diskutieren inwiefern, welche Elemente bei Star Trek zusammenkommen und welche sich im Laufe der Zeit geändert wurden. Ob ein Vergleich mit Star Wars dann noch sinnvolle wäre wage ich zu bezweifeln bzw. vielleicht würde er den Rahmen der Arbeit sprengen. Parallelen und Unterschiede sind dennoch gegeben.

Was die Vulkanier/Menschen Duschszene betrifft, vermute ich mal, dass sich die Macher von 'Enterprise' an aktuellen amerikanischen Serien orientiert haben. Ob da jetzt auch in regelmäßigen Abständen Haut gezeigt wird, kann ich nicht beurteilen. Parallelen finde ich jedoch bei [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_%28TV_series%29 Firefly] und [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlestar_Galactica_%28re-imagining%29 Battlestar]. Was mir zudem bei 'Enterprise' auffiel, sind die relativ jungen, durchtrainierten(?) Schauspieler, die ebenso ausschlaggebend für ein Genrewechsel sein könnten.

Fernab davon bin ich mit meiner Recherche wesentlich weiter als vor drei Wochen. Nur fühle ich mich von Sekundärliteratur und Star Trek Serien noch recht erschlagen, aber das werde ich die nächsten Wochen ändern. Wann könnte ich die in der Woche außerhalb deiner Sprechstunde im Büro besuchen? Oder bist du am Di länger als 18Uhr in deinem Büro? Viele Grüße --[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 20:20, 23 November 2007 (CET)

:Hab da Deine Links korrigiert. Montag Vormittag geht bei mir meist, Mittwoch nach dem Seminar ist noch besser. Gruß, --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 15:14, 1 December 2007 (CET)

::Hallo Olaf, danke für die Korrekturen. Falls du diesen Kommentar liest, ich wäre morgen früh vorbeigekommen, bin aber ein wenig angeschlagen und muss deshalb morgen einen Arzt aufsuchen. Meine neuen Ideen werde ich im Laufe der Woche hier "bloggen" und dann am nächsten Montag bei dir auftauchen.--[[User:Karsten Sill|Karsten Sill]] 17:11, 2 December 2007 (CET)

===Evaporating Genre===
Moin Karsten, hier die Zusammenfassung des Artikels (recht seicht imho):
Wolfe, Gary K.: “Evaporating Genres. Strategies of Dissoution in the Postmodern Fantastic“. In: Edging into the future: science fiction and contemporary cultural trasnforation. Ed by ???. Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press 2002. pp. 11-29

Fernleihe, Kopie.

(11) [Chapter front page]
(12) In the 1940s American publishers started to number paperbacks (Pocket Books). Within this series, first American SF mass-market anthology came into being with that term (science fiction). Still, pocketbooks turned to different readerships: fantasy (as first book Lost Horizons), mystery, westerns. SF was relegated to special topics (like vegetale gardening), covered in one-shot publications. It “barely existed in book form at all. It was viewed by publishers as a sort of fringe genre that they knew or cared little about” (K. C. Davis 166)
(13) But SF developed a clear identity and readership. In the 1930s special interest niche-genres developed; Fantastic narratives usually were in the same magazines, e.g. Weird Tales, having much horror; The digest fiction magazines dominated the 1950s only but why not earlier? Literary elitism seems insufficient reason. AVAILABLE BOOKS= books that are candidates for publishing; VISIBLE BOOKS different
(14) directly tied to genre identity. SF in the 1940s usually were put as thrillers or pulp stories, while detective stories and western became distinct traditions within popular novel. SF failed to cohere as a genre, a similar pattern arose for horror and fantasy – a canon emerged only well into the 20th century despite fantasy being “arguably the oldest narrative tradition of all”. The “supergenre” of the fantastic was still locked inside the pulp magazines
(15) 1940ies and 50s SF books arrived in libraries. Mid-1950s SF was a recognisable genre, well identified – and then began to disassemble itself. Mysteries and horror appealed to readers basically the same way – SF had very diverse authors and narratives; in the Fantastic generally, there was much diversity while “the genre markers remained radically unstable” in a formal sense. This uncertainty is the seed of dissolution.
(16) Other popular genres had distinct conventional narrative formulas (e.g. detective novel), identified by Cawleti 1976 – C. disregarded all 3 major fantastic genres (SF, F, Horror). To describe those one might invoke Jean Bodel’s “matters” analogue – SF is geography of reason, H is geography of anxiety; F is geography of desire. BUT: formulas never sufficiently described each genre. Horror named itself after the emotion it wanted to create, not after some formula. F, “the oldest genre of all” developed an identity mainly after LotR and was confined to Sword and Sorcery before. Still, Tolkien’s quest formula was ONE expression of the genre. Populist canons by and by developed from magazines
(17) Each genre thereby identified one ideological linchpin: Heinlein (SF), Tolkien (F), Lovecraft (H). Each field had 2 routes: expansion, or collapsing the genre, ie. Over the edges or into itself (self-reflexive).
H was built upon Gothic tradition; F was always the dominant mode of narrative; SF was mainly a designed genre, which made expansion difficult. The consensus core of this genre more and more evaporated.
(18) There were multiple ways of response by writers to circumvent writing SF without the genre of SF: I) colonize another genre a) time travel easily moves into historic novel and uses its protocols; b) suspense thriller poses a more subtle change – conventions of SF stay intact while melodrama etc. is added. Biggest difference: ideologies of power (technofriendly v. technophobic/technoparanoid?, NZ) not in narrative conventions
(19) Gregory Benford tried to expand most prominently [lots more on him]
(20) He is more sophisticated than mainstream like Independence Day etc; he is often diluted by echoes of other genres – thriller, epic disaster novel, academic novel, mainstream science novel. II) F as candidate for “imperialist impulses.
(21) Unkown magazine featured fantastic stories. SF authors like Heinlein et. al treated F as “a kind of alternative science” with minimal mythological supernaturalism. “Rationalised Fantasy” was common and has 3 definitions in Grant’s Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997): 1. works in which magic etc are given quasi-scientific rules, 2. works in which fantasy elements are completely explained away; 3. works in which fantasy elements translated into SF tropes. This was also used to rationalise supernatural horror, e.g. I am Legend (1954). Worlds in a F landscape that are SF are common => “science fantasy”
(22) e.g. Jack Vance’s Dying Earth, a romantic epic very distant to our world. Fiction that does not follow either protocol is less common. Piers Anthony’s Apprentice Adept series jumped between SF and F worlds with most blatant clichés. Sheri S. Tepper made a career of conflating genres, introducing F elements into SF – and also fairy tale, hist fiction, genre fantasy… she played deliberately with expectations. A Plague of Angels also calls attention to its own textuality.
(23) => the characters know that they live in an archetypical village and refer to it as such. Setting is first assumed to be SF (plot: attempted dominance via space station) but then conflated (plot: talking animals). The Talisman borrowed its base structure from the fantasy quest romance.
(24) Horror fiction was largely self-referential to its own tradition, often citing authors and incidents – Straub told King that in Ghost Story (1979) he wanted to be literary yet include every ghost situation he could think of. Beyond genre conventions he introduced doppelganger tale in Mr X (1999).
(25) allusions to Lovecraft are frequent in the novel. The 2nd narrative voice knows it is in a horror story, largely self-created – “[h]e is, in effect, a creature made of genre”. All the time, Mr. X engages in an active and witty critique of the genre and still claims to be part of it. In Fantasy, Was b Geoff Ryman questions genre identity – it contained a realist version of the Midwest.
(26) It put Dorothy from Baum’s Oz into real life where she explained her “vision” as idealised past during an illness. This mingle the narrative of Judy Garland (actress) and a contemporary doctor dying of AIDS who becomes obsessed with the idea that Dorothy was real. In a key scene, a mental hospital inmate claims that the movie stole her life. The novel can be seen as an “extended meditation on the spiritual power of fantasy” but is “very nearly an antifantasy”.
(27) The secondary world is consistently undercut by intrusions of realism. By “Fantasy is Evaporating” (self-quote from The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror) Wolfe meant not that it is collapsing but that it is a sign of contemporary culture – undermining expectations revitalises the genre; boundaries grow uncertain. On the other hand there are writers who do not “liberate” genre but use it as the very reference point
(28) Wolfe sees this as a kind of “literary karaoke”, recycling familiar tropes. In Fantasy we see endless repetitions of Tolkien; in SF we see the novelisation of ST, SW and X-Files. There is limited evidence that commercialism has halted the development of these genres. A greater concern is increased self-referentiality to the genre which leads to a kind of “genre implosion or collapse”. This does not necessarily lead to disappearance as happened with westerns but can, as western, lead to a self-absorbed group of readers, strongly limited in numbers
(29) Genre as term has become slippery. It refers to market conventions AND to literary and narrative conventions AND perceived commonalities of affect and world-view… This affects all genres but it is most clear in the fantastic genres: they need to shift to reflect reality science (SF), accommodate shifting sources of anxiety (H), and adapt dreams no more consisting of pastoral idealism (F). This transcending of genre shows the genres at their very best. --[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 12:00, 17 January 2008 (CET)

User talk:Karsten Sill

2008-01-17T11:00:06Z

Nico Zorn:

Le Morte Darthur Book 21

2008-01-11T11:21:59Z

Nico Zorn:

{{Template:Malory 21 Books}}

===Capitulum i===
Mordred has proclaimed Arthur dead and many lords sided with him. He intended to marry Guenever but she fled to the Tower of London where she is sieged. The bishop of Canterbury tried to talk with Mordred and reveals his lies but is threatened and turns hermit. Many barons see peace in Mordred and only war in Arthur. Mordred musters a host and goes to Dover. Most of England holds with him.

===Capitulum ii===
At Dover, many die. Gawain is seriously hurt and faints three times. He is finally writing to Lancelot requesting him to help Arthur as he, Gawain, is now dead. He also asks Lancelot to pray for him. [Weirdly he writes that his letter is written 2 ½ hours before his death… -> huh?]. He then dies and is buried in a chapel in Dover castel. Mordred prepares another field at Baramdoune. Arthur wins again. Mordred flees to Canterbury.

===Capitulum iii===
Many people join Arthur. Monday after Trinity Sunday. Arthur has a dream of him riding in a chair and falling down among serpents. Gawain appear with a number of ladies – all whom he helped in his life – to give him a warning with the allowance of god: if he does battle the next day, many will die and Arthur himself as well. If he waits, Lancelot will arrive. Arthur listens to the advice tells his men to make treaty with whatever they can. Mordred (who has 100.000 men) agrees to get Cornwall and Kent now and all England after his Arthur’s death.

===Capitulum iv===
They meet in the middle of the hosts. Both tell their men to attack if anybody draws a sword; nobody trusts the other. A serpent bites one knight and he slays it with his sword. A battle ensues. 100k die. Arthur sees his army devastated and espies Mordred alone. He attacks him and deals him a deadly blow. Dying, Mordred wounds Arthur who is taken into a chapel by Lucas the Butler and Bedewere. From outside, scavengers can be heard.

===Capitulum v===
Sir Lucas dies of his wounds while caring for Arthur. Arthur requests Bedewere to take his sword and throw it into the sea and to tell him what he saw. Bedewere fails twice, hiding the sword instead of throwing it in and reporting to have seen only waves. The third time he succeeds and sees an arm caching the sword and vanishing. Then Bedewere helps Artur to the shore where a barge waits for him with many fair queens in black robes. Three queens receive Arthur and row away with him. Arthur tells Bedewere that he goes “to the vale of Avylyon” where they might heal him.

===Capitulum vi===
Bedewere meets the hermit who was the bishop of Canterbury. The ladies brought Arthur’s corpse there before and buried him. Bedewere stays. Malory says he found nothing more secured of Arthur in any book. The three queens are identified as Morgan le Fay, the Queen of North Galis, and the Queen of the Waste Lands; Ninive (who wedded Pellas etc.) the chief lady of the lake was also there. The hermit did not know for sure if it was really Arthur’s corpse, though.

===Capitulum vii===
Some say, Arthur shall come again and win the holy cross. On his tomb is inscribed: “Hic iacet Arthurus Rex quandoam Rex que futurus” (loosely but mostly translated like this: Here lies Arthur, once and future King; OR even more loosely: Here lies Arthur who was king and shall always be king). The queen learns of this and becomes a nun and later abbess.

===Capitulum viii===
Lancelot comes too late and learns of the events. He visits Gawain’s tomb and learns of Arthur’s death. He and his men give much money or masses for Gawain’s soul. Lancelot departs in search for Guenever.

===Capitulum ix===
Bors warns him that this country is hostile to them. Lancelot gets to the abbey of the Queen. She gives him a last command: to leave her so she can get her soul heal. Lancelot says he will also turn abbot; Guenever cannot believe this. Lancelot remembers the quest for the holy Grail and that he could have died there and passed all the other knights if he had not been rooted in worldly things too much: “I have had myn erthly Ioye”.

===Capitulum x===
They agree to not kiss any more. Lancelot comes to the hermitage with Bedewere and the bishop. He sings mass with them and joins as a brother. In search for Lancelot, Lionel and many of his men get slain. Sir Bors searches Lancelot and finds him, joins as a brother as do some other knights afterwards They stay for 6 years. Lancelot then has a vision that the queen is dead and that he shall search her corpse – the vision appears three times in one night.

===Capitulum xi===
Lancelot departs for the abbey and arrives half an hour after the queen died. She said that Lancelot would come to get her body. Lancelot looks upon her face and sighs, he sins mass, wraps her in clothes and faints when they bury here. The bishop scolds him but he says he did not faint for being in sin still but because he remembered all the goodness of Guenevere and Arthur etc.

===Capitulum xii===
Lancelot slowly dwindles away. He always lies grovelling on the tomb of Arthur and Guenever. Within six weeks he asks for the last rites a he has “warning more than I will say”. He asks for his body to be taken to Ioyous Gard as he once vowed. One night the bishop is awakened by the knights and tells of a vision: angels (more than ever he saw) elevating Lancelot to heaven. Consequently, Lancelot is found dead, smiling. They take the body to IG. Ector de Maris meets them; he fought 7 years in England and Scotland seeking his brother Lancelot.

===Capitulum xiii===
Ector proclaims that Lancelot was head of all Christian kings an unmathed by earthly man. Sir Constantine, son of Cador of Cornwall, is chosen as king of England and rules wise. The knights leave the country to their homes, even though Constantine would have liked them to stay. Mallory discredits English books saying otherwise – “that was but favours of makers”. Bors, Ector, Blamour, and Bleoberis went into the Holy Land as Lancelot requested before. The four of them died one Good Friday “for goddess sake”. Mallory closes by en-numbering the Knights of the Round Table in the high time to 150 and by a request to pray for him and given the composue of the book as under the reign of Edward IV. (Finished 1485, July, Westminster).

Le Morte Darthur Book 20

2008-01-11T11:19:11Z

Nico Zorn:

{{Template:Malory 21 Books}}

===Capitulum i===
May (again). Agravain’s and Mordred’s hate grows and they plan an open speech that Lancelot lies day and night by the queen. Gawain asks them to not do the like and reminds of Lancelot’s deeds and that the three of them were rescued by Lancelot before (Dolorus Tower => ??.?; Sir Turquin => ?.??). Arthur comes in. Gareth, Gaheris and Gawain won’t participate in A & M’s doings.

===Capitulum ii===
Aggrevain and Mordred accuse Guenever and Lancelot before Arthur (privately) and suppose a trap to prove it. The king shall go hunting and some knights shall wait in the castle and see if Lancelot visits the queen. It is done so and 12 knights wait with Agrevaine, all from Scotland or of A’s kin. Bors warns Lance of a trap (he is Lance’s nephew [?!]) Lance goes nevertheless.

===Capitulum iii===
He takes is sword to the queen’s chamber [um… pretty suggestive, innit?]. When inside, Mordred calls him a traitor and to come out. The queen tells him to escape and to recue her if they try to burn her. Lancelot makes sure that he “never fayled [her] in ryghte nor in wrong” [!]. He is sure that all his kin will support him. He prays for Jesus to be his shield.

===Capitulum iv===
The knights outside have taken a provisiorical battering-ram and run against the doors. Lancelot opens them after talk. A knight storms in (Colegrevance of Gore) and is killed by Lancelot who takes his armour. Lancelot offers to fight all that challenge him the next day but the knights decline and Lancelot fights his way out through them, slaying Agrevaine and twelve of his knights (but not Mordred) and flees after changing rings with Guenever.

===Capitulum v===
Bors et al. get armed due to dreams they had. Lancelot tells them to look for friend and foe (list of friends…) and Lancelot tells of the events. He is determined to fight for the queene and “that she is a true lady unto her lord”.

===Capitulum vi===
Bors, too, advises him to hold with the queen and to recue her when they try to burn her. He compares Lancelot to Tristram and Isould – but Arthur and King Mark do not match the roles since Arthur was never untrue of any promise.

===Capitulum vii===
Mordred informs Arthur of the events and Arthur now is sure that the TR is broken. He proclaims death to be the punishment for his queen if she is found guilty. Gawain counsels him to not be hasty and that it might all be without evil. But Arthur is determined to have her burnt. Arthur reminds Gawain that Lancelot slew his brother Agrevain and two sons of Gawain (Florencel, Lovel) but Gawain answers that he warned them all to not strive with Lancelot

===Capitulum viii===
Gawain declines to take Guenever to the stack. Arthur then orders Gareth and Gaheris to do so; they accept the command only as they go there unarmed. Guenever makes her confessions. As she is to be brunt, Lancelot and his men attack, many knights get slain (names here) and Lancelot also accidentally and unnoticing slays Gareth and Gaheris (whom he both loves). The queen is rescued and Lancelot treats her “as a noble knight should do”. Many are glad of this and many are not.

===Capitulum ix===
Arthur is informed of the events and decides to not tell Gawain. Arthur himself is more sorry about the dead knights than about the loss of the queen. Gawain asks a servant about his brethren and learns of their death. Gawain cannot believe it as Gaheris would have joined Lancelot in any cause if he had been asked.

===Capitulum x===
Gawain faints. He wants to see his brother, then, but both are already entombed. Gawain is told the whole story and makes a pledge of vengeance upon Lancelot to hunt him until either of them is dead. Launcelot withdraws to Joyous Gard (a castle), Arthur musters his host, a siege ensues.

===Capitulum xi===
Arthur and Lancelot talk a lot. Arthur is willing to make peace but Gawain burns with hatred and accuses Lancelot of killing his brothers which he does not deny but state that he had not seen them an that he regrets their death

===Capitulum xii===
Gawain thus prevents a peace. Bors suggests an excursion to fight on the field. Lancelot does not want this and warns Arthur and Gawain that he is required by his men to do so. They attack but Lancelot commands to avoid Arthur and Gawain

===Capitulum xiii===
They battle. Arthur is wounded. Lancelot re-horses him and tells him to stop the fighting. Both parties withdraw. Gawain encounters Bors (draw). Lancelot re-joins the fight after his men tell him to. Arthur withdraws, Lancelot withdraws. A Popish bull is given out requiring Arthur to accept back the queen and to make peace.

===Capitulum xiiii===
Arthur consents to take back the Queen and Lancelot consents to hand her over. Lancelot once more makes his point to only protect the queen – from anything. “The pope must be obeyed.” Lancelot comes out with an olive branch as sign of peace; he and Guenever are clothed in white and gold. They kneel before Arthur.

===Capitulum xv===
Lancelot once more states that Guenever did not do treason and gives his reasons for protecting her. He invokes God who could be the only one making him victorious so long and his cause thereby right. He hails the (“evil”) knights he had defeated as full noble knight and reminds Gawain of what he did for him
===Capitulum xvi===
Gawain renews his pledge of vengeance. Lancelot offers a pilgrimage for repentance. Gawain declines – the king may do as he pleases but only death can solve matters between himself and Lancelot. Gawain accepts no more explanations – that time has gone. He threatens Lancelot to fight him wherever he is

===Capitulum xvii===
Lancelot weeps for this. The Queen is handed over. Lancelot kisses her and all knights, dukes etc. are touched by the scene. The Joyous Gard is renamed the Dolorous Gard. Lancelot decides to leave the realm. His men decide to follow him; he parts his lands and possessions among them. His men once more want to follow him

===Capitulum xviii===
Lancelot fears that Mordred will make trouble. He and his men sail to his lands, Benwick; Lancelot is king of all France [!] and now gives parts of the land to his followers

===Capitulum xix===
Arthur prepares a great host. He leaves England under Mordred’s governance and also the queen. They burn through France because of Gawain’s thirst for vengeance. Lancelot’ men request to battle them and Lancelot finally agrees. (His father is given as King Ban; King Bors is his uncle. [cf. contradiction XX.2? Am I reading wrong? That says the exact opposite but this is more likely…]. A damsel is sent to Arthur to require peace. Arthur weeps but cannot agree for Gawain’s sake.

===Capitulum xx===
Gawain sends word that it is too late. Benwick is besieged. Gawain encounters Bors; then Lionel and other knights, one each day for half a year. Finally Lancelot comes out

===Capitulum xxi===
Gawain fights Lancelot. Gawin has a hidden blessing: he grows stronger three times from underne to high noon each day. Lancelot defends while Gawain grows stronger and stronger, then he attacks and defeats him but declines to kill him.

===Capitulum xxii===
Siege lasts. Gawain cures his wounds and challenges Lancelot again. The same battle ensues to the same end. Later a third fight takes place. News from England arrive and Arthur departs with the host

Le Morte Darthur Book 19

2008-01-11T11:14:15Z

Nico Zorn:

{{Template:Malory 21 Books}}

===Capitulum i===
In may Queen Guenever invites ten knights of the Round Table to go out riding (maying) near Westminster. They have to be dressed in green and each will have a Lady to ride with them.

These were the knights; Sir Kay le Seneschal, Sir Sagramore le Desirous, Sir Dodinas le Savage, Sir Ozanna le Cure Hardy, Sir Ladinas of the Forest Savage, Sir Persant of Inde, Sir Ironside the Knight of the Red Launds and Sir Pelleas the Lover.
The knights dress themselves to the occasion and they set of early as Queen Guenever wants to Arthur at ten.
Sir Meliagrance, a son of King Bagdemagus, lives in a castle which was given to him by Arthur which is also seven miles from Westminster. He has been in love with Guenever for a long time and has wanted to steal her away but was always afraid of Lancelot.
The Queen usually rides with several knights that protect her. Knights with white shields, called the Queen’s Knights. These were some of the most noblest men.

But this time the Queen does not have Lancelot with her and so Meliagrance lies in wait to steal her.

===Capitulum ii===
They talk. Then they fight. Eventually, Guenever yields so that none of her knights get slain. They go as prisoners upon her request

===Capitulum iii===
Mellyagraunce dreads Sir Lancelot above all. A knight is sent away to get rescue. M. notices it and places archers. Lancelot is informed and leaves a note for Lavaine thet he goes to rescue the queen.

===Capitulum iv===
The archers stop Lancelot on the road, kill his horse. He is unable to reach them due to hedges. Lancelot instead captures a chariot of wood, bludgeoning one driver. He drives to the gate of M’s castle – one of Guenever’s ladies spies him and supposes him a defeated knight being taken to the gallows. Geunever recognises Lancelot. Lancelot challenges M. and slays the porter

===Capitulum v===
M. immediately yields. Launcelot will only accept if Guenever accepts it which she does to avoid any noise. Sir Lancelot henceforth was called ‘Le Chaleur de Cahriot’. Lancelot promises to meet the queen at a window this night. Lavaine appears.

===Capitulum vi===
They supper. In the night, Lancelot goes to the window, does not allow Lavaine to accompany him. After some talk he breaks the iron bars and enters the queen’s chamber. [hints on intercourse] Since he has a bleeding wound from the bars, the blood is spilled in the clothes. He leaves. The nect day Guenever sleeps long. M. discovers the blood and accuses her of adultery with one wounded knight. All 10 of her knights deny the accusation – but the blood is some proof.

===Capitulum vii===
Lancelot comes in. M. plans to accuse before Arthur. Lancelot challenges him to ordeal in 8 days that none of the 10 knights lay by her [tricky…]. They dine. Afterwards, Lancelot falls into a trapdoor and is left there intentionally by M. The others suppose he departed and the Queen and her company leave for Westminster.

===Capitulum viii===
Lancelot is met by a lady. Lancelot does not want to have quarrel with her. In the end he is released (plus armour) for a kiss and departs to the ordeal

===Capitulum ix===
There, Mellygraunce asks for Lancelot. Lavaine is sure he will show up since he never missed any battle unless imprisoned or the like. He offers to stand in. Arthur accepts and supposes some treason. Lancelot then shows up and accuses M of his deeds. Lance wins the following battle. M. yields and does not want to continue fighting. Upon a sign of Guenever, Lance tries to force him to fight to death, in the end handicapping himself but still managing to kill M.

===Capitulum x===
In the land of Hogre (Hungary) there was a Sir Urre who got cursed so that his wounds only heal if he is searched by the worthiest knight. He comes to Arthur’s court, all knights shall try, and Arthur shall start, by his own command

===Capitulum xi===
[Many stories are rehearsed here when the knights trying the task are listed (almost 2 full pages!)]. Arthur fails. A long list of knights is given (with their respective deeds) – all 110 knights fail (40 are abroad).

===Capitulum xii===
Lancelot is yet missing and arrives. Arthur orders him to try it – not because he is the noblest but to be of company to the rest of the Table Round. Lancelot prays and the wounds of Urre heal. Urre agrees to participate in some jousts.

===Capitulum xiii===
Urre and Lavaine win the jousting (100 on 100) for a diamond. Lavaine falls in love with Urre’s sister Felelolle and marries her after he and Urre are made knights of the table round. Agravain plans to damage Guenever and Lancelot for old hate; Lancelot drives around in a Chariot due to his ‘title’

Le Morte Darthur Characters

2008-01-01T20:00:36Z

Nico Zorn:

This shall become a list of all characters in the Caxton Morte D’Arthur. A division is (provisorically) made between MAIN Characters (on top) and minor characters (further below), each within ordered alphabetically (use common sense: (King) Arthur under A, Duke of Tyntagil under T, etc..
Since there are often lots of variants of spellings, alternatives should be given in brackets behind the name. Generally, a spelling with i has been chosen as main spelling, e's at the end were omitted, i.e. the "standard" name follows a somewhat modernised spelling.

(Important) Appearances should be abbreviated in the Book.Chapter format (e.g. I.1). If there are earlier mentions of a special relation to sb., please replace with the earlier mention. If there are contradictions, state both.

Current distinctions are made between kings, knights and others. Special groupings are listed in the end. Crosslinking is currently missing.
Suggestion for genealogy: List only the closest relations (i.e.: Gawain: Son of Lot of Lothien and Morgause). Note proper reference as above. Do not list further relations that can be easily deduced, i.e. Gawain being nephew to Arthur due to Morgause being Arthur's half-sister (on the mother's side); UNLESS it is especially important at one point.
These suggestions are free to debate.
Feel also free to move characters around...especially from unimportant to important. Importance is to be seen not in the whole book but also for high importance in smaller parts.

Characters added for Books: 1 (complete); 13 (complete), 18-end (main characters and plot, ignored extensive lists)

=Main Characters=
Main Characters take a prominent role in at least one part of the book. Generally, replacing their name would screw up the narrative and/or relation at whole. They are notable for certain feats or deeds (often in other Romaunces of their own) or their genealogical relations. Omitting them or changing their name would create confusion/irritation.

==Kings==

===Arthur===
Son of Uther Pendragon and Igraine. Declines allegiance to Rome twice (I.23, V.1) and consequently becomes Roman Emperor, conquering the empire (V). Lets slay all children born on May Day due to a prophecy of Merlin (I.27). Always trusting in Lancelot. Wants to burn his queen in haste after treason (adulery) seems somewhat likely (XX.7) but is open to make peace with Lancelot later. Takes back Guenever (XX.14f). Due to Gawain's hatred the war continues and is taken to France; Arthur gives governance of England to Mordred (XX.19). He withdraws when he learns of Mordred's treason (XX.22) and is after some battles slain by him, killing Mordrd as well (XXI.4). He orders Bedevere to throw Excalibur into the sea, which is eventually done (XXI.5). He is then taken away by ladies to "the vale of Avylyon" where he might be healed (Ib.). Bedevere the next day finds a tomb wherein he allegedly rests, having died (XI.6). His tomb bears the inscription "Hic iacet Arthurus Rex quandoam Rex que futurus" (most conventional translation: Here lies Arthur, the once and future king) and some say he will return (XI.7)

===Bans of Benwic===
Ally to Arthur by advice of Merlin (I.10ff.); at war with King Claudas.

===Bors of Gaule===
Ally to Arthur by advice of Merlin (I.10ff.); at war with King Claudas. He is lead to the magic ship and send on a journey by God (meeting Galahad and Percival) (XVII.1-11); As fortold by Percival's sister he is the only knight that returns to Arthur's court and brings news about Percival and Galahad (VII.18)
Bors is the father of Helyn le Blank (illegitimate son of King Brandgore´s daughter) who is taken to king Arthur's court and made knight (XII.9). He is also called Sir Bors de Ganys.

===King Claudas===
At war with Bans of Benwic and Bors of Gaule (I.10).

===The King with the Hundred Knights===
Wages war against Arthur (I.8ff). Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Lot of Lothien and Orkney (Lott)===
Husband to Morgause (I.2), father to Gawain (I.2), Gaheris, Aggrevain and Gareth (I.19). Wages war against Arthur (I.8ff). Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Pellinore of the Isles (Pellynore)===
Hunts the Questing Beast (Beast Glatisant) (I.19). Fights and defeats Arthur who is saved only by Merlin. Prophecied to be father of Parcival and Lamorake of Wales; also prophecied to tell Arthur Mordred's name and thus herald the end of his realm (I.23f)

===Royns of North Wales (Ryens, Ryons)===
Wages war against Lodegreaunce (I.17), enemy to Arthur. Eventually overcomes the 11 kings and challenges Arthur to accept him as overlord - Arthur declines (I.26) and Royns musters a great host (I.27)

===Uriens of Gore (Uryens)===
Husband to Morgan le Fey. Father to Ewayns le Blanche Mayn (I.2). Wages war against Arthur (I.8ff); Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12); Father of Sir Uwain (I.12)

===Uther Pendragon===
Father to Artus, married to Igraine after begetting Arthur on her without her knowledge. Is assisted by Merlin. Goes into battle a last time before he dies of illness (I.1-I.5).

==Knights==

===Aggrevain===
Son of Morgause and King Lot of Lothien (I.19). Hates Lancelot and Guenever. Killed by Lancelot (XX.4).

===Ector===
Foster-father of Arthur, selected by Merlin; father of Kay (I.3). Asks for his son to be made seneschall (I.6).
[Is this the same one as (H)Ector de Maris, a follower of Lancelot? Unlikely. Which one is the one below?]
Is defeated by Galahad (XVII.1) and (magically) denied entrance to castle "Carbonek" as he has fallen from the service of the Lord and is not a knight of the Quest. He claims to be Lancelot's brother as well. (XVII.16)

===Gaheris===
Son of Morgause and King Lot of Lothien (I.19). Accidentally slain by Lancelot (XX.8). According to Gawain he would have followed Lancelot in anything he asked (XX.9).

===Galahad===
Son of Lancelot du Lake. Knighted by his father (XII.1), destined to draw Balyn's sword out of the stone, which he does (XII.3-5). Therewith he follows his father as most powerful knight in the world. Is resembling Lancelot greatly and stems in the ninth degree from Christ (XII.7). Takes a lance from Arthur's knights but acquires a shield later, which comes from Ioseph of Armathye (XII.9-10). Defeats a fiend assisted by angels (XII.12) Is without sin and therefore defeats their embodiments (XII.13-16) but without slaying them. He duels with Lancelot and Parcival (nobody recognising the other) and is victorious, then flees (XII.17)

He successfully fights Sirs Hector and Gawayn, almost killing the later. (XVII.1) Receives the magic "Sword of the Strange Girdles" (Sword of David) from King Solomons magic ship (XVII. 7). Is a virgin and has therefore special powers (VXIII.18). Is fortold, by Percival's sister, to be buried near the city of Sarras(XVII. 1). Receives visons and is said to be destined to end the Quest for the Grail and to learn secrets from God (XVII.9). Furthermore he is deeply devout. (e.g. several mentions of attending mass, praying etc. throughout XVII - .12 for instance)

===Gareth===
Son of Morgause and King Lot of Lothien (I.19). Called himself Beaumains some time, incognito (VII.1-13), and was made knight by Lancelot as he desired (VII.3). Always loyal to Lancelot. Accidentally slain by Lancelot (XX.8).

===Gawain===
Son of Morgause and King Lot of Lothien (I.2). Is told to never achieved the grail since he is wicked but refuses to repent (XIII.16). Favourite(?) nepew of Arthur. Loves Lancelot and loves his brohters, Gareth and Gaheris; does not like his brohter Agrevain and his intrigues (...). Eventually gets mad at Lancelot after the latter accidentally kills Gareth and Gaheris (XX.8). He forces Arthur to keep up warring against Lancelot and duels him three times, being defeated every time (XX.20-22). He has an enchantment about himself growing stronger for three hours each day up to noon (Ib.). He is killed at the Battle of Dover (XXI.2) and at last asks Lancelot's forgivance and help for the king (Ib.) which is granted albeit too late.

===Sir Kay (Kaynus, Kaynes)===
Son of Sir Ector (I.3), foster-brother of Arthur. Asks Arthur to fetch hsi sword upo which occasion Arthur pulls the sword in the stone out of the stone (I.3). Kay himself is claiming to have done it but tells the truth upon oath. He is made seneschall by Arthur and at various occasions portraied as arrogant and condescending, esp. on Gareth.

===Lamorake of Wales===
Son of King Pellinore (I.24).

===Lancelot du Lake===
Long time most powerful knight in the world (even if he does not say so himself) until he is followed in this by his son Galahad (XII.5) by whom he is eventually defeated (without first knowing it) (XIII.17). Sinful in his love to Guinevere (adultery). He repents and confesses and swears to avoid her whenever possible after being unable to reach the Grail (XII.17-20). Was led to the grail on Solomon's ship, saw it and was punished (as he sees it) for 25 sinful years with 25 days of "coma" after trying to go nearer (XVII.15-16).
Son of King Ban (XII.8), other name: Chevalier Malfet – the knight that has trespassed (XII).
After the quest of the grail he forgets his promise to stay away from the queen (XVIII.1) and is banished by her due to fighting for other ladies (XVIII.2). He later returns to save her from wrongly alleged treason (XVIII.7). Incognito he jousts against King Arthur's men and is fatally wounded by Bors (XVIII.9ff) but recovers later. During this he takes Lavaine, a knight, with him (Ib.). Lavaine's sister Elaine falls in love with Lancelot and eventually dies. Lancelot bears a token of her which he had never done before but only to disguise himself (Ib.). By bad luck shot in the buttocks and riding in a joust sarazen-style, now avoided by his relatives as he bears a token of Queen Guenever. (XVIII.21-24). He rescues Guenever from Sir Mellyagraunce whom he kills at last after more treason (XIX.3-9). He acquires the title of "Le Chaleur de Chariot" (XIX.5). He heals Sir Urre (XIX.13). Mordred and Agrevain set a trap for him and catch him in the queen's quarters. Lancelot fights his way out, killing Agrevain (XX.4) and a war of his followers and Arthur's starts (XX.3ff). Lancelot is open to peace offers but wants to protect the queen. He resuces her from the stake, accidentally slaying Gareth and Gaheris, which drives Gawain mad (XX.8). Makes various offers of peace to Arthur and finally retreats to France, which he rules (XX.18), after handing over the queen and stating the reasons for his actions, always proclaiming her innocence of all accusations. The war continues due to Gawain. Lancelot encounters him three times one-on-one but refuses to slay him (XX.20-22). When Gawain later sends a letter, Lancelot goes to save Arthur and holds masses for Gawain (XXI.8). He seeks Guenever and is sent away by her (XXI.9). He joins the Bishop of Caunterbury as a hermit (and other knights do as well) at Arthur's (alleged) tomb and eventually buries Guenever there (XXI.11) after which he quickly dwindles away and is buried at Ioyous Gard. According to the bishop of Caunterbury, angels elevated him to heaven (XXI.12). Ector de Maris proclaims him head of all Christian kings and unmatched by earthly man (XXI.13)

===Mordred===
Bastard-son of Arthur and Morgause (I.19). Survives the May Day Massacre intended to kill him, is taken up by a foster father and later brought to Arthur's court [a story which Mallory says he will tell later but in fact never tells] (I.27). Intrigues against Lancelot and Guenever (XX). Given rulership over England when Arthur goes to fight in France (XX.19). He makes himself king, pronouncing Arthur's death (falsely) and loses three great battles (XXI.1-3). He is killed by Arthur in an accidentally started battle and fatally wounds him in return (XXI.4).

===Parcival (Percyvall) de Galis ===
Son of King Pellinore (I.24). Eventually defeated by Galahad (XIII.17) Has an unknown ,deeply spiritual, sister, who seeks him out in the company of Galahad and aids him in his quest. (XVII.4-11)
Brother to Sir Lamorak(†) and Sir Agloual (XII.7).

==Others==

===Gwenhyvere (Guenevere)===
Daughter of King Lodegreaunce of Camylerde (I.17), later wife to Arthur (???). Has some strange relationship with Lancelot who is her knight - pretty suggestive but nothing 100% clear (esp. XIX, XX). Accused (wrongly) of treason with poison (XVIII.3) and cleared by Lancelot in ordeal (XVIII.6). Almost burnt due to (alleged?) treason (XX.?) and rescued by Lancelot. Handed back to Arthur on behalf of the Pope (XX.?). Flees to the Tower of London when Arthur is in France and Mordred tries to marry her (XXI.1). Becomes a nun and abbess after Arthur dies (XXI.7). Sends Lancelot away and is later buried by him (XXI.9-11).

===Igraine (Igrayne)===
Wife to the Duke of Tyntagil (I.1), who is said to be wise and evades a seduction by Uther. Later wife of Uther Pendragon (I.2), and mother of Arthur by said Uther through a plot furthered by Merlin (I.2)

===Merlin (Merlyn, Merlyon)===
Eminence Grise, prophet, magician, generally not liked too much by friends and foes alike; prophecies the end of Arthur's court as well as various events. Reveals Arthur's descent (I.7). Advises Arthur to call for King Ban of Benwic and Bors of Gaule (I.10). Advises Arthur further in his battles against the 11 kings (I.12ff). Explains Arthur's origin (I.21). Advises Arthur to kill all May Day children (I.27). [list them!]; ultimately falls in love with Nineve, a lady of the lake, and becomes trapped by her under a stone (IV.1) where he remains.

===Morgan le Fey===
Third sister, daughter of Igraine and the duke of Tyntagil (and thus half-sister to Arthur). (I.2). Sister to Elayne and Morgause. Learns Necromancy in a nunnery. Later marries Kyng Uriens of Gore whi is father of Sir Ewain the blanche Mains (I.2). Is among the queens taking away Arthur on the barge (XXXI.6)

===Morgause (Margeuse, Margawse)===
Wife to King Lot of Lothien, mother to Gawain; daughter of Igraine and the duke of Tyntagil (and thus half-sister to Arthur). Siter to Elayne and Morgan le Fey (I.2). Mother of Gaheris, Agrevain and Gareth (I.19). Visits King Arthur's court and begets Mordred on him (I.19)

===Ninive===
Beloved of Merlin, traps him in a stone (IV?). Later marries Sir Pellas. Makes various appearances clearing things with her enchantments [ADD!]. Friendly to Arthur's court. Reveals the poisoner of Sir Pinel (XVIII.8). She is among the women carrying Arthur away on his barge. She is chief lady of the lake at this time (XXI.6).

==Groupings==

===The 11 Kings===
The 11 Kings swear an oath to destory Arthur: Duke of Candebenet, Brandegoris of Strangore, Clarihaus of Northuberland, The King with the Hundred Knights, Lot of Lothien, Uriens of Gore, Idres of cornwall, Cradilmans, Anguisshauns, Nentres of Garlot, Carados. (I.12) Eventually subdued by King Royns.

===The Knights of the Round Table===
150 in number, usually. Frequently some get slain and replaced. Most notable characters (except villains) are members at some point. The fellowship finally breaks up in the quarrel between Arthur and Lancelot, incited by Agrevain and Mordred (XIXff.)

=Minor Characters=
These characters are often only names without further porminence. They are knights that get defeated, participate in jousts, quests, and battles or ladies offering a quest. Generally they could easily be replaced by any other name and nobody would ever notice.

==Kings==

===Anguisshauns of Ireland (Anwysshauns)===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Brandeforis of Strangore===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Carados===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Duke of Candebenet===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Clarihaus of Northumberland===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Cradilmans (Cradilmente, Cradilmasse)===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Idres of Conrwall===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Lodegreaunce of Camylarde===
Is attacked by Royns; Arthur asists Lodegreanunce (I.17). Father to Gwenhyvere.

===Morganore (Morganoure)===
Seneschall of the King with the Hundred Knights (I.14). Killed by Ban (I.16).

===Nentres of Garlot===
Husband to Elayne (I.2); Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

==Knights==

===Annecians===
Godson of King Bors, noble knight. (I.17)

===Bagdemagus===
Contemplates taking on the adventure of the shield of Ioseph of Armathye (XII.9).

===Barcias (Barsias, Brascias, Brastias)===
A knight of the Duke's of Tyntagil (I.3). Escorts Arthur later (I.6). Made warden upon the North (I.7), messenger to Ban and Bors (I.10).

===Bawdewyn of Britain===
Escorts Arthur (I.6). Is made Constable (I.7).

===Bedeware===
Throws Excalibur into the sea at the third attempt, on behalf of Arthur (XXI.5), turns hermit after discovering Arthur's tomb (XXI.6)

===Bloyas de Flaundres===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.15).

===Borre===
Son of Arthur and Lyonors (I.17)

===Bors===
Cousin to Lancelot (XII.1)

===Bryaunte===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.15).

===Clarinaus de la Forest Savage===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.14).

===Colegrevance of Gore===
Killed by Lancelot (XX.4).

===Egglamore (Egglame)===
Flees from Pellinore (I.25)

===Ewayns le Blaunche Mayn===
Son of King Uriens of Gore (I.2)

===Galahad the Haut Prince===
Not identical with Galahad as he appears after the famous one has died. In friendly tournaments he fights against Arthur (XVIII.10, 13).

===Gracian===
A lord of France. Sent back to hold his castle (I.11)

===Gryfflet (Gryflett, Gryflette)===
Son of God[!] of Cardal (I.10).

===Gwenhaus===
Brother to Ban and Bors, a wise clerk (I.11).

===Gwynas===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.15).

===Gwyniarte de Bloy===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.14).

===Jordans===
A knight of the Duke's of Tyntagil (I.3).

===Ioſeph of Armathye===
Took the blood of Christ Ioſeph of Armathye (XIII.10) and bore a shield which is passed on to Galahad by prophecy (XIII.11). His legend is told in (XIII.10-1).

===La Cote Male Tayle===
A stranger who comes to Arthur's court, wearing the damaged coat in which his father was murdered. He becomes one of Arthur's knights. (IX.1)

===Ladynas===
Duels with Gryfflet in a joust between Arthur's knights and Bors and Bans(I.11).

===Lardans===
Knight fighting against Arthur (I.14).

===Lavaine===
A knight from Asfolat, accompanies Lancelot (XVIII.9ff), wins some jousts and is made knight of the Table Round and marries the sister of Sir Urre, Felelolle (IX.13).

===Lionel===
Cousin to Lancelot (XII.1).

===Lucas the Butler===
Son of Duke Corneus (I.10). Dies in Arthur's last battle while caring for his king (XXI.5)

===Lyonses (Lionse)===
Lord of Bayarne, servant(?) of Bans and Bors (I.10).

===Marys de la Roche===
Fights for Arthur (I.15).

===Melias de Lille===
First squire to Galahad, then knighted by him (XIII.12). Shortly thereafter falling prey to pride and greed and almost mortally wounded but rescued by Galahad and taken care of by a hermit (XIII.13-4).

===Mellyagraunce===
Desires Guenever, fears Lancelot. Eventually ambushes Guenever (XIX.2ff) and is in forthcoming events slain by Lancelot during ordeal (XIX.9).

===Naram===
Knows King Royns (I.26).

===Palomydes===
Follows King Pellinore in hunting the Questing Beast later (I.19).

===Patye=
Cousin of Mador de La Porte. Accidentally poisoned by an apple intended for Gawain by Pinel. (VIII.3)

===Pinel===
Intends to poison Gawain for his killing of his brother Lamorak. (XVIII.3) The plot fails and he kills Patye. He is revealed as the causer by Ninive and flees (XVIII.8)

===Placidas===
A knight of France (I.10). Sent back to hold his castle.

===Pharyaunce (Pheriaunce)===
Lord of Bayarne, servant(?) of Bans and Bors (I.10).

===Duke of Tyntagil===
Husband to Igrayne and commander of the castles of Tyntagil and Terrabil. Is in war with Uther Pendragon and eventually defeated and killed in the siege of Terrabil. (I.1-I.2)

===Tirre===
A knight from Astolat, brother of Elaine le blank and Lavaine, hurt the day he was knighted. Lancelot borrows his shield to be incognito (XVIII.9).

===Ulfyus (Vlfyus)===
A knight in Uther Penragon's service. Helps him to get to Igraine (I.1-I.2) and in battle (I.3). He later serves as guard for Arthur (I.6) and is made Chamberlain (I.7); is messager to Bors and Ban together with Brastias (I.10). He later fights for Arthur, good on foot (I.14) but rescued by Arthur who regards him an 'old friend'; Among the eleven assaulting the three kings (I.17); accuses Igraine to be cause of Arthur's problems but then shifts blame to Merlin (I.21).

===Urre===
A knight from Hungary whose wounds are cured only by the best knight. Brother of Felelolle. (XIX.10-13).

===Uwain (Uwayne)===
Son of King Uriens (I.12). Wounded critically when bearing the shield of Ioseph of Armathye (XII.9)

==Others==

===Archbishop of Canterbury===
Does some rites. Eventually becomes a hermt after threatened by Mordred (XXI.1) and lives at the later tomb of Arthur and Guenever (XXI.6ff). He sees Lancelot elevated to heaven by angels (XXI.12).

===Elayne (Elaine)===
Wife to King Nentres of Garlot (I.2), daughter of Igraine and the duke of Tyntagil (and thus half-sister to Arthur). Sister to Morgause and Morgan le Fey.
Dame Elayne: Daughter of King Pelles, mother of Galahalt, consort to Launcelot (l.12)

===Elaine le blank===
Called the Fair Maiden of Astolat, sister of Lavaine and Tirre. Falls in love with Lancelot and eventually dies as he does not marry her. He buries her (XVIII.9-20).

===Felelolle===
Sister of Sir Urre. Marries Lavaine (XIX.13).

===Lady of the Lake===
Gives Caliburn (Excalibur) to Arthur (I.25) in exchange for a later request. She later requests the head of Balyn who kills her for former deeds against his kin (II.3). She had killed his mother and Balyn is said to have killed her brother.

===Lyonors===
Daughter of the Earl of Sanam, gets a child with Arthur: Borre (I.17)

===Queen of North Galis===
One of the ladies/queens taking away Arthur on a Barge (XXI.6).

===Queen of the Waste Lands===
One of the ladies/queens taking away Arthur on a Barge (XXI.6).

==Groupings==

===40 knights===
40 knights side with Arthzragainst the three kings in I.17: Lyonses, Pheriaunce, Ulfius, Brascias, Ector, Kay, Lucas the Butler, Gryfflet la Fyse de Deu, Marrys de La Roche, Gwynas de Bloy, Bryaunte de la Forest Saveage, Bellaus, Morians of the Castle Maydyns, Flaundres of the Castle of Ladies, Annecians, Ladinas de la Rouse, Emerause, Caulas, Graciens la Castilion, Bloyse de la Case, Colgrevance de Goore [and presumably 20 more].

===12 nuns===
(nameless) Bring Galahad to Lancelot to be knighted (incognito) (XII.1).

===7 Brothers of the Castle of Maidens===
Allegories of the seven sins. Driven away by Galahad; slain by Gawain, Gareth and Uwain (XIII.15; explanation in XIII.16)

Note: Wikipedia has a file of [Arthurian Characters http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Arthurian_characters]. These are, however, drastically reduced in number compared to the high number of characters in the Morte d'Arthure. They are, of course, the most well known. (As has been said in the seminar: who woul generally assume the Round Table to consist of 150 knights, some of them eventually deceased and replaced by new ones?) This article does NOT look at the Morte exclusively but at the big Arthurian Tales more in general.

Le Morte Darthur Characters

2008-01-01T19:58:11Z

Nico Zorn: more

This shall become a list of all characters in the Caxton Morte D’Arthur. A division is (provisorically) made between MAIN Characters (on top) and minor characters (further below), each within ordered alphabetically (use common sense: (King) Arthur under A, Duke of Tyntagil under T, etc..
Since there are often lots of variants of spellings, alternatives should be given in brackets behind the name. Generally, a spelling with i has been chosen as main spelling, e's at the end were omitted, i.e. the "standard" name follows a somewhat modernised spelling.

(Important) Appearances should be abbreviated in the Book.Chapter format (e.g. I.1). If there are earlier mentions of a special relation to sb., please replace with the earlier mention. If there are contradictions, state both.

Current distinctions are made between kings, knights and others. Special groupings are listed in the end. Crosslinking is currently missing.
Suggestion for genealogy: List only the closest relations (i.e.: Gawain: Son of Lot of Lothien and Morgause). Note proper reference as above. Do not list further relations that can be easily deduced, i.e. Gawain being nephew to Arthur due to Morgause being Arthur's half-sister (on the mother's side); UNLESS it is especially important at one point.
These suggestions are free to debate.
Feel also free to move characters around...especially from unimportant to important. Importance is to be seen not in the whole book but also for high importance in smaller parts.

Characters added for Books: 1 (complete); 13 (complete), 18-end (main characters and plot, ignored extensive lists)

=Main Characters=
Main Characters take a prominent role in at least one part of the book. Generally, replacing their name would screw up the narrative and/or relation at whole. They are notable for certain feats or deeds (often in other Romaunces of their own) or their genealogical relations. Omitting them or changing their name would create confusion/irritation.

==Kings==

===Arthur===
Son of Uther Pendragon and Igraine. Declines allegiance to Rome twice (I.23, V.1) and consequently becomes Roman Emperor, conquering the empire (V). Lets slay all children born on May Day due to a prophecy of Merlin (I.27). Always trusting in Lancelot. Wants to burn his queen in haste after treason (adulery) seems somewhat likely (XX.7) but is open to make peace with Lancelot later. Takes back Guenever (XX.14f). Due to Gawain's hatred the war continues and is taken to France; Arthur gives governance of England to Mordred (XX.19). He withdraws when he learns of Mordred's treason (XX.22) and is after some battles slain by him, killing Mordrd as well (XXI.4). He orders Bedevere to throw Excalibur into the sea, which is eventually done (XXI.5). He is then taken away by ladies to "the vale of Avylyon" where he might be healed (Ib.). Bedevere the next day finds a tomb wherein he allegedly rests, having died (XI.6). His tomb bears the inscription "Hic iacet Arthurus Rex quandoam Rex que futurus" (most conventional translation: Here lies Arthur, the once and future king) and some say he will return (XI.7)

===Bans of Benwic===
Ally to Arthur by advice of Merlin (I.10ff.); at war with King Claudas.

===Bors of Gaule===
Ally to Arthur by advice of Merlin (I.10ff.); at war with King Claudas. He is lead to the magic ship and send on a journey by God (meeting Galahad and Percival) (XVII.1-11); As fortold by Percival's sister he is the only knight that returns to Arthur's court and brings news about Percival and Galahad (VII.18)
Bors is the father of Helyn le Blank (illegitimate son of King Brandgore´s daughter) who is taken to king Arthur's court and made knight (XII.9). He is also called Sir Bors de Ganys.

===King Claudas===
At war with Bans of Benwic and Bors of Gaule (I.10).

===The King with the Hundred Knights===
Wages war against Arthur (I.8ff). Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Lot of Lothien and Orkney (Lott)===
Husband to Morgause (I.2), father to Gawain (I.2), Gaheris, Aggrevain and Gareth (I.19). Wages war against Arthur (I.8ff). Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Pellinore of the Isles (Pellynore)===
Hunts the Questing Beast (Beast Glatisant) (I.19). Fights and defeats Arthur who is saved only by Merlin. Prophecied to be father of Parcival and Lamorake of Wales; also prophecied to tell Arthur Mordred's name and thus herald the end of his realm (I.23f)

===Royns of North Wales (Ryens, Ryons)===
Wages war against Lodegreaunce (I.17), enemy to Arthur. Eventually overcomes the 11 kings and challenges Arthur to accept him as overlord - Arthur declines (I.26) and Royns musters a great host (I.27)

===Uriens of Gore (Uryens)===
Husband to Morgan le Fey. Father to Ewayns le Blanche Mayn (I.2). Wages war against Arthur (I.8ff); Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12); Father of Sir Uwain (I.12)

===Uther Pendragon===
Father to Artus, married to Igraine after begetting Arthur on her without her knowledge. Is assisted by Merlin. Goes into battle a last time before he dies of illness (I.1-I.5).

==Knights==

===Aggrevain===
Son of Morgause and King Lot of Lothien (I.19). Hates Lancelot and Guenever. Killed by Lancelot (XX.4).

===Ector===
Foster-father of Arthur, selected by Merlin; father of Kay (I.3). Asks for his son to be made seneschall (I.6).
[Is this the same one as (H)Ector de Maris, a follower of Lancelot? Unlikely. Which one is the one below?]
Is defeated by Galahad (XVII.1) and (magically) denied entrance to castle "Carbonek" as he has fallen from the service of the Lord and is not a knight of the Quest. He claims to be Lancelot's brother as well. (XVII.16)

===Gaheris===
Son of Morgause and King Lot of Lothien (I.19). Accidentally slain by Lancelot (XX.8). According to Gawain he would have followed Lancelot in anything he asked (XX.9).

===Galahad===
Son of Lancelot du Lake. Knighted by his father (XII.1), destined to draw Balyn's sword out of the stone, which he does (XII.3-5). Therewith he follows his father as most powerful knight in the world. Is resembling Lancelot greatly and stems in the ninth degree from Christ (XII.7). Takes a lance from Arthur's knights but acquires a shield later, which comes from Ioseph of Armathye (XII.9-10). Defeats a fiend assisted by angels (XII.12) Is without sin and therefore defeats their embodiments (XII.13-16) but without slaying them. He duels with Lancelot and Parcival (nobody recognising the other) and is victorious, then flees (XII.17)

He successfully fights Sirs Hector and Gawayn, almost killing the later. (XVII.1) Receives the magic "Sword of the Strange Girdles" (Sword of David) from King Solomons magic ship (XVII. 7). Is a virgin and has therefore special powers (VXIII.18). Is fortold, by Percival's sister, to be buried near the city of Sarras(XVII. 1). Receives visons and is said to be destined to end the Quest for the Grail and to learn secrets from God (XVII.9). Furthermore he is deeply devout. (e.g. several mentions of attending mass, praying etc. throughout XVII - .12 for instance)

===Gareth===
Son of Morgause and King Lot of Lothien (I.19). Called himself Beaumains some time, incognito (VII.1-13), and was made knight by Lancelot as he desired (VII.3). Always loyal to Lancelot. Accidentally slain by Lancelot (XX.8).

===Gawain===
Son of Morgause and King Lot of Lothien (I.2). Is told to never achieved the grail since he is wicked but refuses to repent (XIII.16). Favourite(?) nepew of Arthur. Loves Lancelot and loves his brohters, Gareth and Gaheris; does not like his brohter Agrevain and his intrigues (...). Eventually gets mad at Lancelot after the latter accidentally kills Gareth and Gaheris (XX.8). He forces Arthur to keep up warring against Lancelot and duels him three times, being defeated every time (XX.20-22). He has an enchantment about himself growing stronger for three hours each day up to noon (Ib.). He is killed at the Battle of Dover (XXI.2) and at last asks Lancelot's forgivance and help for the king (Ib.) which is granted albeit too late.

===Sir Kay (Kaynus, Kaynes)===
Son of Sir Ector (I.3), foster-brother of Arthur. Asks Arthur to fetch hsi sword upo which occasion Arthur pulls the sword in the stone out of the stone (I.3). Kay himself is claiming to have done it but tells the truth upon oath. He is made seneschall by Arthur and at various occasions portraied as arrogant and condescending, esp. on Gareth.

===Lamorake of Wales===
Son of King Pellinore (I.24).

===Lancelot du Lake===
Long time most powerful knight in the world (even if he does not say so himself) until he is followed in this by his son Galahad (XII.5) by whom he is eventually defeated (without first knowing it) (XIII.17). Sinful in his love to Guinevere (adultery). He repents and confesses and swears to avoid her whenever possible after being unable to reach the Grail (XII.17-20). Was led to the grail on Solomon's ship, saw it and was punished (as he sees it) for 25 sinful years with 25 days of "coma" after trying to go nearer (XVII.15-16).
Son of King Ban (XII.8), other name: Chevalier Malfet – the knight that has trespassed (XII).
After the quest of the grail he forgets his promise to stay away from the queen (XVIII.1) and is banished by her due to fighting for other ladies (XVIII.2). He later returns to save her from wrongly alleged treason (XVIII.7). Incognito he jousts against King Arthur's men and is fatally wounded by Bors (XVIII.9ff) but recovers later. During this he takes Lavaine, a knight, with him (Ib.). Lavaine's sister Elaine falls in love with Lancelot and eventually dies. Lancelot bears a token of her which he had never done before but only to disguise himself (Ib.). By bad luck shot in the buttocks and riding in a joust sarazen-style, now avoided by his relatives as he bears a token of Queen Guenever. (XVIII.21-24). He rescues Guenever from Sir Mellyagraunce whom he kills at last after more treason (XIX.3-9). He acquires the title of "Le Chaleur de Chariot" (XIX.5). He heals Sir Urre (XIX.13). Mordred and Agrevain set a trap for him and catch him in the queen's quarters. Lancelot fights his way out, killing Agrevain (XX.4) and a war of his followers and Arthur's starts (XX.3ff). Lancelot is open to peace offers but wants to protect the queen. He resuces her from the stake, accidentally slaying Gareth and Gaheris, which drives Gawain mad (XX.8). Makes various offers of peace to Arthur and finally retreats to France, which he rules (XX.18), after handing over the queen and stating the reasons for his actions, always proclaiming her innocence of all accusations. The war continues due to Gawain. Lancelot encounters him three times one-on-one but refuses to slay him (XX.20-22). When Gawain later sends a letter, Lancelot goes to save Arthur and holds masses for Gawain (XXI.8). He seeks Guenever and is sent away by her (XXI.9). He joins the Bishop of Caunterbury as a hermit (and other knights do as well) at Arthur's (alleged) tomb and eventually buries Guenever there (XXI.11) after which he quickly dwindles away and is buried at Ioyous Gard. According to the bishop of Caunterbury, angels elevated him to heaven (XXI.12). Ector de Maris proclaims him head of all Christian kings and unmatched by earthly man (XXI.13)

===Mordred===
Bastard-son of Arthur and Morgause (I.19). Survives the May Day Massacre intended to kill him, is taken up by a foster father and later brought to Arthur's court [a story which Mallory says he will tell later but in fact never tells] (I.27). Intrigues against Lancelot and Guenever (XX). Given rulership over England when Arthur goes to fight in France (XX.19). He makes himself king, pronouncing Arthur's death (falsely) and loses three great battles (XXI.1-3). He is killed by Arthur in an accidentally started battle and fatally wounds him in return (XXI.4).

===Parcival (Percyvall) de Galis ===
Son of King Pellinore (I.24). Eventually defeated by Galahad (XIII.17) Has an unknown ,deeply spiritual, sister, who seeks him out in the company of Galahad and aids him in his quest. (XVII.4-11)
Brother to Sir Lamorak(†) and Sir Agloual (XII.7).

==Others==

===Gwenhyvere (Guenevere)===
Daughter of King Lodegreaunce of Camylerde (I.17), later wife to Arthur (???). Has some strange relationship with Lancelot who is her knight - pretty suggestive but nothing 100% clear (esp. XIX, XX). Accused (wrongly) of treason with poison (XVIII.3) and cleared by Lancelot in ordeal (XVIII.6). Almost burnt due to (alleged?) treason (XX.?) and rescued by Lancelot. Handed back to Arthur on behalf of the Pope (XX.?). Flees to the Tower of London when Arthur is in France and Mordred tries to marry her (XXI.1). Becomes a nun and abbess after Arthur dies (XXI.7). Sends Lancelot away and is later buried by him (XXI.9-11).

===Igraine (Igrayne)===
Wife to the Duke of Tyntagil (I.1), who is said to be wise and evades a seduction by Uther. Later wife of Uther Pendragon (I.2), and mother of Arthur by said Uther through a plot furthered by Merlin (I.2)

===Merlin (Merlyn, Merlyon)===
Eminence Grise, prophet, magician, generally not liked too much by friends and foes alike; prophecies the end of Arthur's court as well as various events. Reveals Arthur's descent (I.7). Advises Arthur to call for King Ban of Benwic and Bors of Gaule (I.10). Advises Arthur further in his battles against the 11 kings (I.12ff). Explains Arthur's origin (I.21). Advises Arthur to kill all May Day children (I.27). [list them!]; ultimately falls in love with Nineve, a lady of the lake, and becomes trapped by her under a stone (IV.1) where he remains.

===Morgan le Fey===
Third sister, daughter of Igraine and the duke of Tyntagil (and thus half-sister to Arthur). (I.2). Sister to Elayne and Morgause. Learns Necromancy in a nunnery. Later marries Kyng Uriens of Gore whi is father of Sir Ewain the blanche Mains (I.2). Is among the queens taking away Arthur on the barge (XXXI.6)

===Morgause (Margeuse, Margawse)===
Wife to King Lot of Lothien, mother to Gawain; daughter of Igraine and the duke of Tyntagil (and thus half-sister to Arthur). Siter to Elayne and Morgan le Fey (I.2). Mother of Gaheris, Agrevain and Gareth (I.19). Visits King Arthur's court and begets Mordred on him (I.19)

===Ninive===
Beloved of Merlin, traps him in a stone (IV?). Later marries Sir Pellas. Makes various appearances clearing things with her enchantments [ADD!]. Friendly to Arthur's court. Reveals the poisoner of Sir Pinel (XVIII.8). She is among the women carrying Arthur away on his barge. She is chief lady of the lake at this time (XXI.6).

==Groupings==

===The 11 Kings===
The 11 Kings swear an oath to destory Arthur: Duke of Candebenet, Brandegoris of Strangore, Clarihaus of Northuberland, The King with the Hundred Knights, Lot of Lothien, Uriens of Gore, Idres of cornwall, Cradilmans, Anguisshauns, Nentres of Garlot, Carados. (I.12) Eventually subdued by King Royns.

=Minor Characters=
These characters are often only names without further porminence. They are knights that get defeated, participate in jousts, quests, and battles or ladies offering a quest. Generally they could easily be replaced by any other name and nobody would ever notice.

==Kings==

===Anguisshauns of Ireland (Anwysshauns)===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Brandeforis of Strangore===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Carados===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Duke of Candebenet===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Clarihaus of Northumberland===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Cradilmans (Cradilmente, Cradilmasse)===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Idres of Conrwall===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Lodegreaunce of Camylarde===
Is attacked by Royns; Arthur asists Lodegreanunce (I.17). Father to Gwenhyvere.

===Morganore (Morganoure)===
Seneschall of the King with the Hundred Knights (I.14). Killed by Ban (I.16).

===Nentres of Garlot===
Husband to Elayne (I.2); Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

==Knights==

===Annecians===
Godson of King Bors, noble knight. (I.17)

===Bagdemagus===
Contemplates taking on the adventure of the shield of Ioseph of Armathye (XII.9).

===Barcias (Barsias, Brascias, Brastias)===
A knight of the Duke's of Tyntagil (I.3). Escorts Arthur later (I.6). Made warden upon the North (I.7), messenger to Ban and Bors (I.10).

===Bawdewyn of Britain===
Escorts Arthur (I.6). Is made Constable (I.7).

===Bedeware===
Throws Excalibur into the sea at the third attempt, on behalf of Arthur (XXI.5), turns hermit after discovering Arthur's tomb (XXI.6)

===Bloyas de Flaundres===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.15).

===Borre===
Son of Arthur and Lyonors (I.17)

===Bors===
Cousin to Lancelot (XII.1)

===Bryaunte===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.15).

===Clarinaus de la Forest Savage===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.14).

===Colegrevance of Gore===
Killed by Lancelot (XX.4).

===Egglamore (Egglame)===
Flees from Pellinore (I.25)

===Ewayns le Blaunche Mayn===
Son of King Uriens of Gore (I.2)

===Galahad the Haut Prince===
Not identical with Galahad as he appears after the famous one has died. In friendly tournaments he fights against Arthur (XVIII.10, 13).

===Gracian===
A lord of France. Sent back to hold his castle (I.11)

===Gryfflet (Gryflett, Gryflette)===
Son of God[!] of Cardal (I.10).

===Gwenhaus===
Brother to Ban and Bors, a wise clerk (I.11).

===Gwynas===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.15).

===Gwyniarte de Bloy===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.14).

===Jordans===
A knight of the Duke's of Tyntagil (I.3).

===Ioſeph of Armathye===
Took the blood of Christ Ioſeph of Armathye (XIII.10) and bore a shield which is passed on to Galahad by prophecy (XIII.11). His legend is told in (XIII.10-1).

===La Cote Male Tayle===
A stranger who comes to Arthur's court, wearing the damaged coat in which his father was murdered. He becomes one of Arthur's knights. (IX.1)

===Ladynas===
Duels with Gryfflet in a joust between Arthur's knights and Bors and Bans(I.11).

===Lardans===
Knight fighting against Arthur (I.14).

===Lavaine===
A knight from Asfolat, accompanies Lancelot (XVIII.9ff), wins some jousts and is made knight of the Table Round and marries the sister of Sir Urre, Felelolle (IX.13).

===Lionel===
Cousin to Lancelot (XII.1).

===Lucas the Butler===
Son of Duke Corneus (I.10). Dies in Arthur's last battle while caring for his king (XXI.5)

===Lyonses (Lionse)===
Lord of Bayarne, servant(?) of Bans and Bors (I.10).

===Marys de la Roche===
Fights for Arthur (I.15).

===Melias de Lille===
First squire to Galahad, then knighted by him (XIII.12). Shortly thereafter falling prey to pride and greed and almost mortally wounded but rescued by Galahad and taken care of by a hermit (XIII.13-4).

===Mellyagraunce===
Desires Guenever, fears Lancelot. Eventually ambushes Guenever (XIX.2ff) and is in forthcoming events slain by Lancelot during ordeal (XIX.9).

===Naram===
Knows King Royns (I.26).

===Palomydes===
Follows King Pellinore in hunting the Questing Beast later (I.19).

===Patye=
Cousin of Mador de La Porte. Accidentally poisoned by an apple intended for Gawain by Pinel. (VIII.3)

===Pinel===
Intends to poison Gawain for his killing of his brother Lamorak. (XVIII.3) The plot fails and he kills Patye. He is revealed as the causer by Ninive and flees (XVIII.8)

===Placidas===
A knight of France (I.10). Sent back to hold his castle.

===Pharyaunce (Pheriaunce)===
Lord of Bayarne, servant(?) of Bans and Bors (I.10).

===Duke of Tyntagil===
Husband to Igrayne and commander of the castles of Tyntagil and Terrabil. Is in war with Uther Pendragon and eventually defeated and killed in the siege of Terrabil. (I.1-I.2)

===Tirre===
A knight from Astolat, brother of Elaine le blank and Lavaine, hurt the day he was knighted. Lancelot borrows his shield to be incognito (XVIII.9).

===Ulfyus (Vlfyus)===
A knight in Uther Penragon's service. Helps him to get to Igraine (I.1-I.2) and in battle (I.3). He later serves as guard for Arthur (I.6) and is made Chamberlain (I.7); is messager to Bors and Ban together with Brastias (I.10). He later fights for Arthur, good on foot (I.14) but rescued by Arthur who regards him an 'old friend'; Among the eleven assaulting the three kings (I.17); accuses Igraine to be cause of Arthur's problems but then shifts blame to Merlin (I.21).

===Urre===
A knight from Hungary whose wounds are cured only by the best knight. Brother of Felelolle. (XIX.10-13).

===Uwain (Uwayne)===
Son of King Uriens (I.12). Wounded critically when bearing the shield of Ioseph of Armathye (XII.9)

==Others==

===Archbishop of Canterbury===
Does some rites. Eventually becomes a hermt after threatened by Mordred (XXI.1) and lives at the later tomb of Arthur and Guenever (XXI.6ff). He sees Lancelot elevated to heaven by angels (XXI.12).

===Elayne (Elaine)===
Wife to King Nentres of Garlot (I.2), daughter of Igraine and the duke of Tyntagil (and thus half-sister to Arthur). Sister to Morgause and Morgan le Fey.
Dame Elayne: Daughter of King Pelles, mother of Galahalt, consort to Launcelot (l.12)

===Elaine le blank===
Called the Fair Maiden of Astolat, sister of Lavaine and Tirre. Falls in love with Lancelot and eventually dies as he does not marry her. He buries her (XVIII.9-20).

===Felelolle===
Sister of Sir Urre. Marries Lavaine (XIX.13).

===Lady of the Lake===
Gives Caliburn (Excalibur) to Arthur (I.25) in exchange for a later request. She later requests the head of Balyn who kills her for former deeds against his kin (II.3). She had killed his mother and Balyn is said to have killed her brother.

===Lyonors===
Daughter of the Earl of Sanam, gets a child with Arthur: Borre (I.17)

===Queen of North Galis===
One of the ladies/queens taking away Arthur on a Barge (XXI.6).

===Queen of the Waste Lands===
One of the ladies/queens taking away Arthur on a Barge (XXI.6).

==Groupings==

===40 knights===
40 knights side with Arthzragainst the three kings in I.17: Lyonses, Pheriaunce, Ulfius, Brascias, Ector, Kay, Lucas the Butler, Gryfflet la Fyse de Deu, Marrys de La Roche, Gwynas de Bloy, Bryaunte de la Forest Saveage, Bellaus, Morians of the Castle Maydyns, Flaundres of the Castle of Ladies, Annecians, Ladinas de la Rouse, Emerause, Caulas, Graciens la Castilion, Bloyse de la Case, Colgrevance de Goore [and presumably 20 more].

===12 nuns===
(nameless) Bring Galahad to Lancelot to be knighted (incognito) (XII.1).

===7 Brothers of the Castle of Maidens===
Allegories of the seven sins. Driven away by Galahad; slain by Gawain, Gareth and Uwain (XIII.15; explanation in XIII.16)

Note: Wikipedia has a file of [Arthurian Characters http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Arthurian_characters]. These are, however, drastically reduced in number compared to the high number of characters in the Morte d'Arthure. They are, of course, the most well known. (As has been said in the seminar: who woul generally assume the Round Table to consist of 150 knights, some of them eventually deceased and replaced by new ones?) This article does NOT look at the Morte exclusively but at the big Arthurian Tales more in general.

Le Morte Darthur Characters

2008-01-01T19:45:04Z

Nico Zorn: lots of the last four books... (security save)

This shall become a list of all characters in the Caxton Morte D’Arthur. A division is (provisorically) made between MAIN Characters (on top) and minor characters (further below), each within ordered alphabetically (use common sense: (King) Arthur under A, Duke of Tyntagil under T, etc..
Since there are often lots of variants of spellings, alternatives should be given in brackets behind the name. Generally, a spelling with i has been chosen as main spelling, e's at the end were omitted, i.e. the "standard" name follows a somewhat modernised spelling.

(Important) Appearances should be abbreviated in the Book.Chapter format (e.g. I.1). If there are earlier mentions of a special relation to sb., please replace with the earlier mention. If there are contradictions, state both.

Current distinctions are made between kings, knights and others. Special groupings are listed in the end. Crosslinking is currently missing.
Suggestion for genealogy: List only the closest relations (i.e.: Gawain: Son of Lot of Lothien and Morgause). Note proper reference as above. Do not list further relations that can be easily deduced, i.e. Gawain being nephew to Arthur due to Morgause being Arthur's half-sister (on the mother's side); UNLESS it is especially important at one point.
These suggestions are free to debate.
Feel also free to move characters around...especially from unimportant to important. Importance is to be seen not in the whole book but also for high importance in smaller parts.

Characters added for Books: 1 (complete); 13 (complete)

=Main Characters=
Main Characters take a prominent role in at least one part of the book. Generally, replacing their name would screw up the narrative and/or relation at whole. They are notable for certain feats or deeds (often in other Romaunces of their own) or their genealogical relations. Omitting them or changing their name would create confusion/irritation.

==Kings==

===Arthur===
Son of Uther Pendragon and Igraine. Declines allegiance to Rome twice (I.23, V.1) and consequently becomes Roman Emperor, conquering the empire (V). Lets slay all children born on May Day due to a prophecy of Merlin (I.27)

===Bans of Benwic===
Ally to Arthur by advice of Merlin (I.10ff.); at war with King Claudas.

===Bors of Gaule===
Ally to Arthur by advice of Merlin (I.10ff.); at war with King Claudas. He is lead to the magic ship and send on a journey by God (meeting Galahad and Percival) (XVII.1-11); As fortold by Percival's sister he is the only knight that returns to Arthur's court and brings news about Percival and Galahad (VII.18)
Bors is the father of Helyn le Blank (illegitimate son of King Brandgore´s daughter) who is taken to king Arthur's court and made knight (XII.9). He is also called Sir Bors de Ganys.

===King Claudas===
At war with Bans of Benwic and Bors of Gaule (I.10).

===The King with the Hundred Knights===
Wages war against Arthur (I.8ff). Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Lot of Lothien and Orkney (Lott)===
Husband to Morgause (I.2), father to Gawain (I.2), Gaheris, Aggrevain and Gareth (I.19). Wages war against Arthur (I.8ff). Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Pellinore of the Isles (Pellynore)===
Hunts the Questing Beast (Beast Glatisant) (I.19). Fights and defeats Arthur who is saved only by Merlin. Prophecied to be father of Parcival and Lamorake of Wales; also prophecied to tell Arthur Mordred's name and thus herald the end of his realm (I.23f)

===Royns of North Wales (Ryens, Ryons)===
Wages war against Lodegreaunce (I.17), enemy to Arthur. Eventually overcomes the 11 kings and challenges Arthur to accept him as overlord - Arthur declines (I.26) and Royns musters a great host (I.27)

===Uriens of Gore (Uryens)===
Husband to Morgan le Fey. Father to Ewayns le Blanche Mayn (I.2). Wages war against Arthur (I.8ff); Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12); Father of Sir Uwain (I.12)

===Uther Pendragon===
Father to Artus, married to Igraine after begetting Arthur on her without her knowledge. Is assisted by Merlin. Goes into battle a last time before he dies of illness (I.1-I.5).

==Knights==

===Aggrevain===
Son of Morgause and King Lot of Lothien (I.19). Hates Lancelot and Guenever. Killed by Lancelot (XX.4).

===Ector===
Foster-father of Arthur, selected by Merlin; father of Kay (I.3). Asks for his son to be made seneschall (I.6).
[Is this the same one as (H)Ector de Maris, a follower of Lancelot? Unlikely. Which one is the one below?]
Is defeated by Galahad (XVII.1) and (magically) denied entrance to castle "Carbonek" as he has fallen from the service of the Lord and is not a knight of the Quest. He claims to be Lancelot's brother as well. (XVII.16)

===Gaheris===
Son of Morgause and King Lot of Lothien (I.19). Accidentally slain by Lancelot (XX.8). According to Gawain he would have followed Lancelot in anything he asked (XX.9).

===Galahad===
Son of Lancelot du Lake. Knighted by his father (XII.1), destined to draw Balyn's sword out of the stone, which he does (XII.3-5). Therewith he follows his father as most powerful knight in the world. Is resembling Lancelot greatly and stems in the ninth degree from Christ (XII.7). Takes a lance from Arthur's knights but acquires a shield later, which comes from Ioseph of Armathye (XII.9-10). Defeats a fiend assisted by angels (XII.12) Is without sin and therefore defeats their embodiments (XII.13-16) but without slaying them. He duels with Lancelot and Parcival (nobody recognising the other) and is victorious, then flees (XII.17)

He successfully fights Sirs Hector and Gawayn, almost killing the later. (XVII.1) Receives the magic "Sword of the Strange Girdles" (Sword of David) from King Solomons magic ship (XVII. 7). Is a virgin and has therefore special powers (VXIII.18). Is fortold, by Percival's sister, to be buried near the city of Sarras(XVII. 1). Receives visons and is said to be destined to end the Quest for the Grail and to learn secrets from God (XVII.9). Furthermore he is deeply devout. (e.g. several mentions of attending mass, praying etc. throughout XVII - .12 for instance)

===Gareth===
Son of Morgause and King Lot of Lothien (I.19). Called himself Beaumains some time, incognito (VII.1-13), and was made knight by Lancelot as he desired (VII.3). Always loyal to Lancelot. Accidentally slain by Lancelot (XX.8).

===Gawain===
Son of Morgause and King Lot of Lothien (I.2). Is told to never achieved the grail since he is wicked but refuses to repent (XIII.16). Favourite(?) nepew of Arthur. Loves Lancelot and loves his brohters, Gareth and Gaheris; does not like his brohter Agrevain and his intrigues (...). Eventually gets mad at Lancelot after the latter accidentally kills Gareth and Gaheris (XX.8). He forces Arthur to keep up warring against Lancelot and duels him three times, being defeated every time (XX.20-22). He has an enchantment about himself growing stronger for three hours each day up to noon (Ib.). He is killed at the Battle of Dover (XXI.2) and at last asks Lancelot's forgivance and help for the king (Ib.) which is granted albeit too late.

===Sir Kay (Kaynus, Kaynes)===
Son of Sir Ector (I.3), foster-brother of Arthur. Asks Arthur to fetch hsi sword upo which occasion Arthur pulls the sword in the stone out of the stone (I.3). Kay himself is claiming to have done it but tells the truth upon oath. He is made seneschall by Arthur and at various occasions portraied as arrogant and condescending, esp. on Gareth.

===Lamorake of Wales===
Son of King Pellinore (I.24).

===Lancelot du Lake===
Long time most powerful knight in the world (even if he does not say so himself) until he is followed in this by his son Galahad (XII.5) by whom he is eventually defeated (without first knowing it) (XIII.17). Sinful in his love to Guinevere (adultery). He repents and confesses and swears to avoid her whenever possible after being unable to reach the Grail (XII.17-20). Was led to the grail on Solomon's ship, saw it and was punished (as he sees it) for 25 sinful years with 25 days of "coma" after trying to go nearer (XVII.15-16).
Son of King Ban (XII.8), other name: Chevalier Malfet – the knight that has trespassed (XII).
After the quest of the grail he forgets his promise to stay away from the queen (XVIII.1) and is banished by her due to fighting for other ladies (XVIII.2). He later returns to save her from wrongly alleged treason (XVIII.7). Incognito he jousts against King Arthur's men and is fatally wounded by Bors (XVIII.9ff) but recovers later. During this he takes Lavaine, a knight, with him (Ib.). Lavaine's sister Elaine falls in love with Lancelot and eventually dies. Lancelot bears a token of her which he had never done before but only to disguise himself (Ib.). By bad luck shot in the buttocks and riding in a joust sarazen-style, now avoided by his relatives as he bears a token of Queen Guenever. (XVIII.21-24). He rescues Guenever from Sir Mellyagraunce whom he kills at last after more treason (XIX.3-9). He acquires the title of "Le Chaleur de Chariot" (XIX.5). He heals Sir Urre (XIX.13). Mordred and Agrevain set a trap for him and catch him in the queen's quarters. Lancelot fights his way out, killing Agrevain (XX.4) and a war of his followers and Arthur's starts (XX.3ff). Lancelot is open to peace offers but wants to protect the queen. He resuces her from the stake, accidentally slaying Gareth and Gaheris, which drives Gawain mad (XX.8). Makes various offers of peae to Arthur and finally retreats to France, which he rules (XX.18), after handing over the queen and stating the reasons for his actions. The war continues due to Gawain. Lancelot encounters him three times one-on-one but refuses to slay him (XX.20-22). When Gawain later sends a letter, Lancelot goes to save Arthur and holds masses for Gawain (XXI.8). He seeks Guenever and is sent away by her (XXI.9). He joins the Bishop of Caunterbury as a hermit (and other knights do as well) at Arthur's (alleged) tomb and eventually buries Guenever there (XXI.11) after which he quickly dwindles away and is buried at Ioyous Gard. According to the bishop of Caunterbury, angels elevated him to heaven (XXI.12). Ector de Maris proclaims him head of all Christian kings and unmatched by earthly man (XXI.13)

===Mordred===
Bastard-son of Arthur and Morgause (I.19). Survives the May Day Massacre intended to kill him, is taken up by a foster father and later brought to Arthur's court [a story which Mallory says he will tell later but in fact never tells] (I.27). Intrigues against Lancelot and Guenever (XX). Given rulership over England when Arthur goes to fight in France (XX.19). He makes himself king, pronouncing Arthur's death (falsely) and loses three great battles (XXI.1-3). He is killed by Arthur in an accidentally started battle and fatally wounds him in return (XXI.4).

===Parcival (Percyvall) de Galis ===
Son of King Pellinore (I.24). Eventually defeated by Galahad (XIII.17) Has an unknown ,deeply spiritual, sister, who seeks him out in the company of Galahad and aids him in his quest. (XVII.4-11)
Brother to Sir Lamorak(†) and Sir Agloual (XII.7).

==Others==

===Gwenhyvere (Guenevere)===
Daughter of King Lodegreaunce of Camylerde (I.17), later wife to Arthur (???). Has some strange relationship with Lancelot who is her knight - pretty suggestive but nothing 100% clear (esp. XIX, XX). Accused (wrongly) of treason with poison (XVIII.3) and cleared by Lancelot in ordeal (XVIII.6)

===Igraine (Igrayne)===
Wife to the Duke of Tyntagil (I.1), who is said to be wise and evades a seduction by Uther. Later wife of Uther Pendragon (I.2), and mother of Arthur by said Uther through a plot furthered by Merlin (I.2)

===Merlin (Merlyn, Merlyon)===
Eminence Grise, prophet, magician, generally not liked too much by friends and foes alike; prophecies the end of Arthur's court as well as various events. Reveals Arthur's descent (I.7). Advises Arthur to call for King Ban of Benwic and Bors of Gaule (I.10). Advises Arthur further in his battles against the 11 kings (I.12ff). Explains Arthur's origin (I.21). Advises Arthur to kill all May Day children (I.27). [list them!]; ultimately falls in love with Nineve, a lady of the lake, and becomes trapped by her under a stone (IV.1) where he remains.

===Morgan le Fey===
Third sister, daughter of Igraine and the duke of Tyntagil (and thus half-sister to Arthur). (I.2). Sister to Elayne and Morgause. Learns Necromancy in a nunnery. Later marries Kyng Uriens of Gore whi is father of Sir Ewain the blanche Mains (I.2). Is among the queens taking away Arthur on the barge (XXXI.6)

===Morgause (Margeuse, Margawse)===
Wife to King Lot of Lothien, mother to Gawain; daughter of Igraine and the duke of Tyntagil (and thus half-sister to Arthur). Siter to Elayne and Morgan le Fey (I.2). Mother of Gaheris, Agrevain and Gareth (I.19). Visits King Arthur's court and begets Mordred on him (I.19)

===Ninive===
Beloved of Merlin, traps him in a stone (IV?). Later marries Sir Pellas. Makes various appearances clearing things with her enchantments [ADD!]. Friendly to Arthur's court. Reveals the poisoner of Sir Pinel (XVIII.8). She is among the women carrying Arthur away on his barge. She is chief lady of the lake at this time (XXI.6).

==Groupings==

===The 11 Kings===
The 11 Kings swear an oath to destory Arthur: Duke of Candebenet, Brandegoris of Strangore, Clarihaus of Northuberland, The King with the Hundred Knights, Lot of Lothien, Uriens of Gore, Idres of cornwall, Cradilmans, Anguisshauns, Nentres of Garlot, Carados. (I.12) Eventually subdued by King Royns.

=Minor Characters=
These characters are often only names without further porminence. They are knights that get defeated, participate in jousts, quests, and battles or ladies offering a quest. Generally they could easily be replaced by any other name and nobody would ever notice.

==Kings==

===Anguisshauns of Ireland (Anwysshauns)===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Brandeforis of Strangore===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Carados===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Duke of Candebenet===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Clarihaus of Northumberland===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Cradilmans (Cradilmente, Cradilmasse)===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Idres of Conrwall===
Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

===Lodegreaunce of Camylarde===
Is attacked by Royns; Arthur asists Lodegreanunce (I.17). Father to Gwenhyvere.

===Morganore (Morganoure)===
Seneschall of the King with the Hundred Knights (I.14). Killed by Ban (I.16).

===Nentres of Garlot===
Husband to Elayne (I.2); Among the 11 kings swearing an oath against Arthur (I.12).

==Knights==

===Annecians===
Godson of King Bors, noble knight. (I.17)

===Bagdemagus===
Contemplates taking on the adventure of the shield of Ioseph of Armathye (XII.9).

===Barcias (Barsias, Brascias, Brastias)===
A knight of the Duke's of Tyntagil (I.3). Escorts Arthur later (I.6). Made warden upon the North (I.7), messenger to Ban and Bors (I.10).

===Bawdewyn of Britain===
Escorts Arthur (I.6). Is made Constable (I.7).

===Bloyas de Flaundres===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.15).

===Borre===
Son of Arthur and Lyonors (I.17)

===Bors===
Cousin to Lancelot (XII.1)

===Bryaunte===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.15).

===Clarinaus de la Forest Savage===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.14).

===Colegrevance of Gore===
Killed by Lancelot (XX.4).

===Egglamore (Egglame)===
Flees from Pellinore (I.25)

===Ewayns le Blaunche Mayn===
Son of King Uriens of Gore (I.2)

===Galahad the Haut Prince===
Not identical with Galahad as he appears after the famous one has died. In friendly tournaments he fights against Arthur (XVIII.10, 13).

===Gracian===
A lord of France. Sent back to hold his castle (I.11)

===Gryfflet (Gryflett, Gryflette)===
Son of God[!] of Cardal (I.10).

===Gwenhaus===
Brother to Ban and Bors, a wise clerk (I.11).

===Gwynas===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.15).

===Gwyniarte de Bloy===
A knight fighting on Arthur's side (I.14).

===Jordans===
A knight of the Duke's of Tyntagil (I.3).

===Ioſeph of Armathye===
Took the blood of Christ Ioſeph of Armathye (XIII.10) and bore a shield which is passed on to Galahad by prophecy (XIII.11). His legend is told in (XIII.10-1).

===La Cote Male Tayle===
A stranger who comes to Arthur's court, wearing the damaged coat in which his father was murdered. He becomes one of Arthur's knights. (IX.1)

===Ladynas===
Duels with Gryfflet in a joust between Arthur's knights and Bors and Bans(I.11).

===Lardans===
Knight fighting against Arthur (I.14).

===Lavaine===
A knight from Asfolat, accompanies Lancelot (XVIII.9ff), wins some jousts and is made knight of the Table Round and marries the sister of Sir Urre, Felelolle (IX.13).

===Lionel===
Cousin to Lancelot (XII.1).

===Lucas the Butler===
Son of Duke Corneus (I.10).

===Lyonses (Lionse)===
Lord of Bayarne, servant(?) of Bans and Bors (I.10).

===Marys de la Roche===
Fights for Arthur (I.15).

===Melias de Lille===
First squire to Galahad, then knighted by him (XIII.12). Shortly thereafter falling prey to pride and greed and almost mortally wounded but rescued by Galahad and taken care of by a hermit (XIII.13-4).

===Mellyagraunce===
Desires Guenever, fears Lancelot. Eventually ambushes Guenever (XIX.2ff) and is in forthcoming events slain by Lancelot during ordeal (XIX.9).

===Naram===
Knows King Royns (I.26).

===Palomydes===
Follows King Pellinore in hunting the Questing Beast later (I.19).

===Patye=
Cousin of Mador de La Porte. Accidentally poisoned by an apple intended for Gawain by Pinel. (VIII.3)

===Pinel===
Intends to poison Gawain for his killing of his brother Lamorak. (XVIII.3) The plot fails and he kills Patye. He is revealed as the causer by Ninive and flees (XVIII.8)

===Placidas===
A knight of France (I.10). Sent back to hold his castle.

===Pharyaunce (Pheriaunce)===
Lord of Bayarne, servant(?) of Bans and Bors (I.10).

===Duke of Tyntagil===
Husband to Igrayne and commander of the castles of Tyntagil and Terrabil. Is in war with Uther Pendragon and eventually defeated and killed in the siege of Terrabil. (I.1-I.2)

===Tirre===
A knight from Astolat, brother of Elaine le blank and Lavaine, hurt the day he was knighted. Lancelot borrows his shield to be incognito (XVIII.9).

===Ulfyus (Vlfyus)===
A knight in Uther Penragon's service. Helps him to get to Igraine (I.1-I.2) and in battle (I.3). He later serves as guard for Arthur (I.6) and is made Chamberlain (I.7); is messager to Bors and Ban together with Brastias (I.10). He later fights for Arthur, good on foot (I.14) but rescued by Arthur who regards him an 'old friend'; Among the eleven assaulting the three kings (I.17); accuses Igraine to be cause of Arthur's problems but then shifts blame to Merlin (I.21).

===Urre===
A knight from Hungary whose wounds are cured only by the best knight. Brother of Felelolle. (XIX.10-13).

===Uwain (Uwayne)===
Son of King Uriens (I.12). Wounded critically when bearing the shield of Ioseph of Armathye (XII.9)

==Others==

===Archbishop of Canterbury===
Does some rites. Eventually becomes a hermt after threatened by Mordred (XXI.1) and lives at the later tomb of Arthur and Guenever (XXI.6ff). He sees Lancelot elevated to heaven by angels (XXI.12).

===Elayne (Elaine)===
Wife to King Nentres of Garlot (I.2), daughter of Igraine and the duke of Tyntagil (and thus half-sister to Arthur). Sister to Morgause and Morgan le Fey.
Dame Elayne: Daughter of King Pelles, mother of Galahalt, consort to Launcelot (l.12)

===Elaine le blank===
Called the Fair Maiden of Astolat, sister of Lavaine and Tirre. Falls in love with Lancelot and eventually dies as he does not marry her. He buries her (XVIII.9-20).

===Felelolle===
Sister of Sir Urre. Marries Lavaine (XIX.13).

===Lady of the Lake===
Gives Caliburn (Excalibur) to Arthur (I.25) in exchange for a later request. She later requests the head of Balyn who kills her for former deeds against his kin (II.3). She had killed his mother and Balyn is said to have killed her brother.

===Lyonors===
Daughter of the Earl of Sanam, gets a child with Arthur: Borre (I.17)

==Groupings==

===40 knights===
40 knights side with Arthzragainst the three kings in I.17: Lyonses, Pheriaunce, Ulfius, Brascias, Ector, Kay, Lucas the Butler, Gryfflet la Fyse de Deu, Marrys de La Roche, Gwynas de Bloy, Bryaunte de la Forest Saveage, Bellaus, Morians of the Castle Maydyns, Flaundres of the Castle of Ladies, Annecians, Ladinas de la Rouse, Emerause, Caulas, Graciens la Castilion, Bloyse de la Case, Colgrevance de Goore [and presumably 20 more].

===12 nuns===
(nameless) Bring Galahad to Lancelot to be knighted (incognito) (XII.1).

===7 Brothers of the Castle of Maidens===
Allegories of the seven sins. Driven away by Galahad; slain by Gawain, Gareth and Uwain (XIII.15; explanation in XIII.16)

Note: Wikipedia has a file of [Arthurian Characters http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Arthurian_characters]. These are, however, drastically reduced in number compared to the high number of characters in the Morte d'Arthure. They are, of course, the most well known. (As has been said in the seminar: who woul generally assume the Round Table to consist of 150 knights, some of them eventually deceased and replaced by new ones?) This article does NOT look at the Morte exclusively but at the big Arthurian Tales more in general.

2007-08 AM Le Morte Darthur (1485)

2007-12-21T18:18:42Z

Nico Zorn: Connecticut Yankee -> Sources

{|align=right width=40%
!bgcolor=#FFFF80|Bitte macht Accounts mit Euren Klarnamen auf: Vorname, Leerstelle, Nachname. Wir sollten zudem hier listen, wer an Bord ist, so daß wir miteiander Kontakt im System aufnehmen könnnen. Drei Tilden <nowiki>~~~</nowiki> geben, wenn Ihr eigeloggt seid, beim Abspeichern Euren Namen, vier eine Unterschrift mit Datum).
----
Teilnehmerliste (einloggen und mit drei Tilden unterschreiben): [[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]],
|}
* '''Time:''' Fridays 4-6 pm
* '''Place:''' A10 1-121a
* '''Contact:''' [[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]]

----

===Excerpts/Summaries===
{{Template:Malory 21 Books}}
----

The legendary King Arthur, the mysteries around his sword Excalibur, the stories of his quasi democratic Round Table, Arthur's tragic struggle between love, treason and an all too powerful enemy invading the British Isles have inspired the European audience at least since the early 12th century. The wave of Provencal, Middle High German and Middle English versified Arthurian romances composed around 1200 merged into the production of the first modern European prose romances in the 15th century which culminated - another century later - in the ''Amadis'', the "arch romance" devoured by ''Don Quixote''. The 17th and 18th centuries distanced themselves both from the erroneous histories related here and from the genre of romances they had inspired. A new interest arose at the beginning of the 19th century with the new nationalism of the age, its self proclaimed "romanticism", its quest for lost identities one could hope to find in the "dark ages". A rediscovery of "medieval" texts followed in which the Arthurian world offered the most interesting mythical images; it is today omnipresent as a cultural phenomenon with a mass production of fantasy novels, video games and movies.

The course will focus on William Caxton's edition of Sir Thomas Malroy's ''Le Morte Darthur'' first published in 1485 - most certainly not the elegant, witty and beautiful reading earlier versified romances provided, yet the text which most effectively compiled the plots of the preceding romantic production.

Why was there an audience for this book at the "beginning" of the "Modern Period"? How did it relate to the preceding production of romances and histories? How does it compare to the fashionable ''Amadis'' the next century was to love so much? How does it read within the context of the 19th and 20th century renaissance of the Arthurian world? The course will offer a cultural history of the text and its fictional world.

==Oct 26 2007: Introduction==
Brainstorming. Who needs what? Who is going to conclude this course with a piece of written work? Introduction History of Malory's Book.

==Nov 2, 2007: Reading into the (peculiar) text ==
Discussion of seminar topics - and advice to claim and specify them in the section bellow. We read into ''Le Morte Darthur'', Caxton's preface and chapters 1-3. Concepts of history, aspects of fatalism. Also: Great vowel shift and Caxton's spelling.

==Nov 9, 2007: Caxton's Book 1==
'''Homework:''' Read Book one. Seminar discussion: Arthur's dubious birth, miracles, reading experiences. Also: comparison with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_the_Round_Table_%28film%29 ''Knights of the Round Table'' (1953)], the movie we eventually watched.

==Nov 16, 2007 ==
'''Homework:''' Three Groups read Books 2/3/4 .

'''Class:''' Discussion: Why have the Arthurian and Germanic mythological worlds become that attractive? - Fantasy, NS-Ideology, Lord of the Rings, Starwars. Simple option: We live in a complex time and need the simplified worlds.

Is it just about simplifications? Why has fate become such a topic?

Returning to ''Morte Darthur'' we wondered whether Malory's world is one of clear morality, open conflicts between good and evil. We read into the first books and tried to discuss passages to get a notion of good-evil options, and did not get a simple moralistic point at all.

==Nov 23, 2007 ==
'''Homework:''' Read Book 5.

'''Class:''' History vs. Epic. Is this a world of archaic dimensions?

==Nov 30, 2007 ==
We discussed how to take a fast way through the whole text and decided to divide p.250 ff (our edition) into sections of 20 pages - and to produce rather more detailed excerpts. If I remember correctly I have to read pp. 510-530 (and was the last to take my share). In Order to allow others to work with our excerpts we collected topics - on the basis of seminar work individual participants planned, that is they gave ideas of what kind of information they were interested in and wanted the others to look for.

[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] promised to give my table script of the individual questions into this wiki. If you want to quote interesting passages of Caxton's version so that others can work with them you will not have to type them from the page into the wiki. I provided an html version of Caxton's text at:

http://www.pierre-marteau.com/editions/1485-morte-darthur.html

You can quote with copy and paste from this website (use : to indent) as in the following passage:

:Hit befel in the dayes of Vther pendragon when he was kynge of all Englond / and ſo regned that there was a myჳty duke in Cornewaill that helde warre ageynſt hym long tyme / And the duke was called the duke of Tyntagil

I'll create links for the individual books above. When reading your 20 pages, think of what might be interesting in the passages you read, so that we can later refer to your textual observations. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 20:28, 30 November 2007 (CET)

===Blackboard Script (topics of individual research)===
* Aspect of cheap entertainment (Chapbooks)
* Prophecies, predictions of what is to come, moments of reflection when things happened as predicted
* Marriage & Fidelity
* Violence & second thoughts
* Christianity and the heathen world, supernatural incidents, miracles, moments where other mythologies interfere (Herodes who has all male newborns killed and the attempt to kill Mordred as an infant
* Family ties and what they mean
* Gender roles
* Is this text historical or fictional, do we get proofs, sources, doubts second thoughts on the status of the stories. Is it a romance or a book of histories?
* Modern adaptations: key scenes (which that are is yet to be determined)
* Concepts of honour and morality in general and individual
:* Movie adaptations - where they create their own concepts of morality - what is a hero? what is honour?
:* The exploitation of the whole book - note if you come across stories of personnel you found in other contexts
----
Not under all circumstances everything strange or noteworthy. Try to determine what importance the 20 pages you read might have for the whole.

--[[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]] 21:30, 30 November 2007 (CET) / --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 15:10, 1 December 2007 (CET)

==Dec 7, 2007 ==

==Dec 14, 2007 ==

==Dec 21, 2007 ==
I will offer a summary of Wolfram von Eschenbach's German ''Parzival'' (1200-1215) - we should try together to give a plot outline or rather an outline of the different plots of the grail quest in Malory's ''Morte Darthur''. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 18:56, 20 December 2007 (CET)

==Jan 11, 2007 ==

==Jan 18, 2008 ==
Mark Twain: A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court.

An electronic text can be found at [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/86/86-h/86-h.htm Project Gutenberg] - not too well to read online but worth a look for its illustrations. (This is an 1889 edition).

Whoseover feels like not reading but listening to the book might have a look at [http://librivox.org/a-connecticut-yankee-in-king-arthurs-court-by-mark-twain/ Libri Vox] which has a free legal audio of the book (downloadable either by chapter or in a complete zip-file). [[User:Nico Zorn|Nico Zorn]]

==Jan 25, 2008 ==

==Feb 1, 2008 ==

==Feb 6, 2008 ==

===Topics===

Those who are planning to join the seminar may contribute thoughts on what they'd like to do in the following list:

* Sources in Europe's mythology and history[[User:Katharina Debney|Katharina Debney]] 11:44, 23 November 2007 (CET)
* Foreshadowings - a world of predetermination [[User:Katharina K.|Katharina K.]] 21:31, 8 November 2007 (CET)
* Family ties [[User:BettinaKorte|BettinaKorte]] 22:26, 15 November 2007 (CET)
* Justice [[User:Johanna Ehrhardt|Johanna Ehrhardt]] 12:39, 9 November 2007 (CET) Johanna Ehrhardt
* The use of repetitive patterns
* Who has to solve the problem? - special and normal quests
* Love and gender relations [[User:Julia Mudder|Julia Mudder]] 18:05, 9 November 2007 (CET)
* Miracles and the Arthurian World
* Politics
* Marriage and fidelity[[User:Freya|Freya]] 09:06, 7 November 2007 (CET)
* The legitimation of violence [[User:Inga|Inga]] 13:34, 9 November 2007 (CET)
* The legitimation of power
* Christianity--What is its function in the stories? Christian Schultz-Brummer[[User:Nahl3372|Nahl3372]] 18:05, 7 November 2007 (CET)
*The Heroes at King Arthur's Court: Stereotypes or Individuals?--[[Annika Alberts]] 12:24, 21 December 2007 (CET)
*Battle Scenes
*Hidden and Lost Identities
* A Renaissance of Chivalry at the Beginning of the Modern Era
* Geography in Malory's ''Le More Darthur''
* The Public in Malory's ''Le More Darthur''
* ''Le More Darthur'' - History or Romance?
* The text which shaped our view of the medieval world: Malory's King Arthur and Mark Twain's ''Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court'' (1889)[[User:Ulrich K.|Ulrich K.]] 17:57, 29 November 2007 (CET)
* From Fantasy to video game Arthur's table round in modern culture (see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur_in_various_media en.wikipedia.org] for modern adaptations of the sujet) [[User:Jens|Jens]] 11:05, 16 November 2007 (CET)
* King Arthur and the Amadis (Commercializing of King Arthur) --[[User:Sebastian Henatsch|Sebastian Henatsch]] 17:47, 10 November 2007 (CET)
* The presence of the Arthurian world in the world of chap books
* Individual ideas on Malory's ''King Arthur'' and modern versions and adaptations - be creative, propose topics and we will think about them

===Texts===

First of all: Read a German translation if you feel lost - I began my life with Middle English texts with a reading of Chaucer in German, which I then, a week later, combined with a second reading of the original. I read the original Chaucer aloud to get into the funny language (fill in your Plattdeutsch that helps), with the German text still in my mind I had little problems with the original and soon realised that I could from now onwards read such stuff without reading a German text before.

As to the English texts:

Malory's original manuscript is lost. For more than 400 years the edition Caxton had published in 1485 was the authoritative source. In 1934 the Winchester manuscript was discovered - a text between Malory's and Caxton's text. Traces of Caxton's ink have been found on the manuscript's leafs, Caxton knew the Winchester volume, he did, however, base his own edition on another, lost manuscript.

Modern scholarship has focused on the Winchester manuscript as the better text. The Norton Critical edition - it cost me 16 Euro a couple of months ago - is based on the Winchester manuscript; it includes, however, passages from Caxton's wherever his version is more detailed. The aim is a reconstruction of what might have been Malory's text, a text without omissions. The Norton edition is well commented and equipped with an extensive dictionary as well as a choice of critical articles. It does finally offer the most important sources Malory exploited. The Norton edition is my recommendation for all of you who like to work with a fully commented scientific edition.

I myself am more interested in Caxton's fist edition as published in 1485 and offered by EEBO - the text is, however, difficult to read:

* [http://eebo.chadwyck.com/search/full_rec?SOURCE=pgimages.cfg&ACTION=ByID&ID=22102180&FILE=../session/1183624385_29976&SEARCHSCREEN=CITATIONS&SEARCHCONFIG=config.cfg&DISPLAY=ALPHA Sir Thomas Malory, ''Le Morte Darthur'' (London: William Caxton, 1485)]

To facilitate things I offer an html-edition of the same text (scroll down a bit to get beyond the reproduction of the first page):

*[http://www.pierre-marteau.com/editions/1485-morte-darthur.html Sir Thomas Malory, ''Le Morte Darthur'' (1485) html-text of Caxton's edition]

My impression is that Caxton's is the easier text to read. The publisher focused on the plot, he lost some of the descriptions and he omitted some of the author's self referential remarks. Yet he structured his text and produced a straight forward version. My html-edition (also available as a word-file) is a simple transcript to be read with an additional list of difficult words to be found at [[Le Morte Darthur (1485):Dictionary]] - expand this list, wherever you miss words. I have contacted the Druckzentrum and they promised to provide a print-version of my Caxton html-edition by September. Contact me if you want to start your reading earlier and if you want to read the Caxton text. I will try to provide provisional copies in that case. We should also open Wiki-space at [[Le Morte Darthur (1485): Protagonists]] - for a who is who?

===Literature===

*Eugéne Vinaver, ''Malory'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1929).

*Bennett, J. A. W. (ed.), ''Essays on Malory'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963).

*Moorman, Charles, ''The Book of King Arthur. The Unity of Malory’s Morte Darthur'' (University of Kentucky Press, 1965).

*Matthews, William, ''The Ill-Famed Knight. A sceptical inquiry into the Identity of Thomas Malory'' (Berkeley/ Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1966).

*Lambert, Mark, ''Malory. Style and Vision in Le Morte Darthur'' (New Haven/ London: Yale University Press, 1975).

*Benson, Larry D., ''Malory’s Morte Darthur'' (Cambridge, Mass./ London: Harvard University Press, 1976). 289 pp.

*Dillon, Bert, ''A Malory Handbook'' (Boston, Mass., G. K. Hall & Co., 1978).

*Ihle, Sandra Ness, ''Malory’s Grail Quest. Invention and Adaptation in Medieval Romance'' (The University of Wisconsin Press, 1983).

*Whitaker, Muriel, ''Arthur’s Kingdom of Adventure. The World of Malory’s Morte Darthur'' (Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer/ Barnes and Noble, 1984).

*Spisak, James W. (ed.), ''Studies in Malory'' (Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications western Michigan University, 1985).

*Jackson Parins, Marylyn, ''Malory the Cristical Heritage'' (London/ New York: Routledge, 1988).

*McCarthy, Terence, ''Reading the Morte Darthur'' [= ''Arthurian Studies'', XX] (Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer, 1988), 187 pp. third edition with new title: ''An Introduction to Malory'' [= ''Arthurian Studies'', XX] (Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer, 1996), 176 pp.

*Takamiya, Toshiyuki/ Brewer, Derek (eds.), ''Aspects of Malory'' (Woodbridge: D.S. Brewer/ Rowman & Littlefield, 1991).

*Field, P. J. C., ''The Life an Times of Sir Thomas Malory'' [= ''Arthurian Studies'', XXIX] (Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer, 1993), 218 pp.

*Archibald, Elizabeth/ Edwards A. S. G. (eds.), ''A Companion to Malory'' (Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer, 1996), 252 pp. + Appendix

*Kraemer, Alfred Robert, ''Mallory’s Grail Seekers and Fifteenth-Century English Hagiography'' (New York: Peter Lang, 1999). 105 pp. + Notes

*Field, P. J. C., ''Malory: Texts and Sources'' [= ''Arthurian Studies'', XL] (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1998), 313 pp.

==Films==
* ''Knights of the Round Table'' (1953), based on ''Le Morte d'Arthur'' by Thomas Malory, with Robert Taylor as Lancelot, Ava Gardner as Guinevere, and Mel Ferrer in the role of Arthur. '''bought'''
*''Sword of Lancelot'' a.k.a. ''Lancelot and Guinevere'' (1963), a film directed by Cornel Wilde and starring Mr. Wilde as Lancelot, Jean Wallace as Guinevere, and Brian Aherne as Arthur.
* ''The Sword in the Stone'', a 1963 Disney animated film about Arthur's childhood, loosely adapted from T.H. White's take on the legend.
* ''Camelot'', a 1967 film adaptation of the successful 1960 Broadway musical of the same name. It starred Richard Harris as Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave as Guenevere, and Franco Nero as Lancelot.
* ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' (1975), a comedic parody of the traditional King Arthur legend. It was later adapted into a successful Broadway musical called ''Spamalot''. Arthur was played by the late Graham Chapman in the film.
* John Boorman's ''Excalibur'' (1981), based largely on Malory and probably the highest rated serious Arthurian film. It features Nicol Williamson as Merlin and Helen Mirren as Morgan Le Fay.
* ''First Knight'' (1995), a movie based on the abduction of Guinevere by the knight Malagant. It featured Sean Connery as Arthur, Richard Gere as Lancelot, and Julia Ormond as Guinevere.
* ''Quest for Camelot'', an animated feature from Warner Bros. Animation, released in 1998, features King Arthur ruling over a besieged Camelot.
* ''King Arthur'', a motion picture released on July 7, 2004, claiming (despite being heavily criticised for its historical inaccuracies) to be more historically accurate about the legend of Arthur as a 5th century, British-born, Roman Commander, with respect to new archaeological findings; similar in story line to Jack Whyte's books. '''bought'''
*''The Last Legion'' (2007) - a film about the last Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus who survives his fall from power and finds a new life in Britain. The movie links Romulus to the legends of King Arthur. In this movie, Arthur's father Uther Pendragon is brought up by a Roman general and a Malayalee woman (Aishwarya Rai)
----
The list is incomplete as Percival, Tritram and Isolde (got one movie of that) and Lancelot-stuff will belong into the same field. We might skip animated movies. --[[User:Olaf Simons|Olaf Simons]] 21:21, 11 November 2007 (CET)

===Links===
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Malory en.wikipedia.org: Thomas Malory]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Morte_d%27Arthur en.wikipedia.org: Le Morte d'Arthur]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur en.wikipedia.org: King Arthur]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur_in_various_media en.wikipedia.org: King Arthur in various media]
*[[King Arthur: Films]]
* [http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/med/lookup.html The electronic Middle English Dictionary]

[[Category:Winter 2007-2008]]
[[Category:Aufbaumodul]]

Le Morte Darthur Book 13

2007-12-13T15:29:45Z

Nico Zorn:

{{Template:Malory 21 Books}}

Book 13 – How Galahad cam fyrst to kyng arthurs courte

(1) At Pentecoste, a gentlewoman arrives on horse and asks for Lancelot who immediately prepares to follow her, even the Gwenyvar does not like it much. He comes to an abbey of nuns where he meets two cousins, Sir Bors and Sir Lionel who were in their way to Camelot. [Here is a weird line-break with no obvious reason. Comparison with the electronic file suggests a printing error rather than Mallorian/Caxtorian intention]. Twelve nuns [=> apostles] bring in Galahad who looks fair and request Lancelot to make him a knight. Lancelot agrees after making sure that the desire comes from the boy himself [=> standing formula, apparently, cf. Book III] and at Prime the next morning, he is knighted.

(2) Galahad declines to accompany Lancelot to Camelot and so he goes back with his cousins. Back at the Table Round, the ‘Sage Perilous’ is changed:

:“the barons aſpyed in the ſyeges of the round table al aboute wryten with golden letters / here ouჳt to ſytte he / and he oughte to ſytte here / And thus they wente ſoo longe tylle |<[p.614] sig.N2v> that they came to the ſege perillous / where they fond letters newely wreton of gold whiche ſaid / iiij / C / wynters / & / liiij / accomplyſſhed after the paſſion of oure lord Iheſu Criſte ouჳte this ſege to be fulfylled / thenne alle they ſaid / this is a merueyllous thynge and an aduenturous / In the name of god ſaid ſyr launcelot / & thenne accompted the terme of the wrytynge from the byrthe of oure lord vnto that day / It ſemeth me ſaith ſyr launcelot this ſege oughte to be fulfylled this ſame day“ [NB the date given – 454 A.D.]

The seat is covered and Kay has to remind Arthur of his old custom to not eat until he has learned of some adventure. Immediately, a squire comes in bringin a marvel, a Stone that swam down the river, containing a sword [this is the (nameless) Sword of Balyn, cf. II.19 including the prophecy made by Merlin]. Letters inscribed say: “Neuer ſhalle man take me hens / but only he by whos ſyde I ought to hange / and he ſhalle be the beſt knyght of the world“. Artus asks Lancelot to pull it out but Lancelot declines without ever trying and makes a prophecy himself: “Alſo who that aſſayeth to take the ſwerd and fayleth of hit / he ſhalle receyue a wound by that ſwerd that he ſhalle not be hole longe after / ¶ And I wille that ye wete that this ſame day ſhall the aduentures of the Sancgreal that is called the hooly veſſel begynne“

(3) Arthur commands Gawain to pull out the sword; Gawain declines a gentle request but finally follows the direct commandment, failing and explaining to Lancelot that he “myghte not withſay myn vnkels wyll and commaundement” after L. renews his prophecy. Arthur repends his commandment and orders Parcival to try the sword. He fails as well and Kay allows to go to meat. Every knight assumes his place. Suddenly “alle the dores & wyndowes of the palays ſhut by them ſelf” and there

:“came in a good old man and an auncyent clothed al in whyte / and there was no knyჳt knewe from whens he came / And with hym he broughte a yong knyჳt bothe on foote in reed armes withoute ſwerd or ſheld / ſauf a ſcauberd hangynge by his ſyde / And theſe wordes he ſaid pees be with yow faire lordes / ¶ Thenne the old man ſayd vnto Arthur / ſyre I brynge here a yonge knyghte / the whiche is of kynges lygnage & of the kynrede of Ioſeph of Abarimathye“

(4) Arthur welcomes the two knights. The old knight

:“ledde hym [Galahad, the young knight]vnto the ſege peryllous / where beſyde ſat ſyr Laūcelot / and the good man lyfte vp the clothe / and fonde there letters that ſaid thus this is the ſege of Galahalt the haute prynce / Sir ſaid thold knyghte / wete ye wel that place is yours / And thenne he ſett hym doune ſurely in that ſyege“

And leaves afterwards, dismissed. The knights marvel about Galahad and previous prophecies. Lancelot beholds his son [! => Galahad] and delights. Bors prophecies a great future for Galahad and many remark his resemblance to Lancelot, also: “I may wel suppoſe ſaid the quene / that ſyr Launcelot begatte hym on kynge Pelles doughter / by the whiche he was made to lye by / by enchauntement / and his name is Galahalt“ Now the seat is unveiled [logical error – Galahad already sits on the unveiled seat] and Arthur proclaims that Galahad shall achieve the Grail. Galahad is taken to the stone

(5) The Queen comes as well, and Galahad takes on the adventure:

:“Syre ſaid Galahad that is no merueil / for this aduenture is not theirs / but myne / and for the ſeurte of this ſwerd I brought none with me / For here by my ſyde hangeth the |<[p.618] sig.N4v> ſcauberd / And anone he layd his hand on the ſwerd / and lyghtly drewe it oute of the ſtone / and putte it in the ſhethe“

Arthur tells him of the sword’s origin (II.19), reminding him also of the Dolorous Stroke against King Pelles “the which is not yet hole” (II.15ff.). A lady on white palfrey comes and declares that Lancelot is no more the best knight of the world from this day. Lancelot accepts it: “As touchynge vnto that ſaid launcelot / I knowe wel I was neuer the beſt / yes ſayd the damoyſel that were ye and are yet of ony ſynful man of the world” [=>humility]. The lady leaves bringing hails from king Nacien and stating that the Sancgreal appeared in Arthur’s house this day

(6) Arthur is sure that all his knights will depart in the quest for the grail, so he puts on jousts for the last time all are together. Arthur also wants to see Galahad proved. Galahad finally accepts a spear but declines to take a shield. [cf. Genesis 15:1, Psalms 28:7 and MANY other occurences – lord/faith as shield?, NZ] He surmounts all other knights except Lancelot and Parcival.

(7) The queen wants to look at Galahad and remarks his resemblance to Lancelot and his descent. Gwenhyvar gives his family tree:

:“he is of alle partyes come of the beſt knyghtes of the world and of the hyheſt lygnage / for ſir launcelot is come but of the / viij / degre from oure lord Iheſu Cryſt / and ſyre Galahalt is of the nynthe degree from oure lord Iheſu Cryſt / therfor I dar ſaye they be the greſteſt gentilmen of the world /“

While sitting after souper, a thunderstorm blasts and

:“In the myddes of this blaſt entred a ſonne beaume more clerer by ſeuen tymes than euer they ſawe daye / And al they were alyghted of the grace of the holy ghooſt / thenne beganne euery knyghte to behold other / & eyther ſawe other by theire ſemynge fayrer than euer they ſawe afore[…]
:Thenne ther entred in to the halle the holy graile couerd with whyte ſamyte / but ther was none myghte ſee hit / nor who bare hit / And there was al the halle fulfylled with good odoures / and euery knyჳt had ſuche metes and drynkes as he beſt loued in this world / And whan the holy grayle had be borne thurgh the halle / thenne the holy veſſel departed ſodenly that they wyſte not where hit becam / thenne had they alle brethe to ſpeke“

Gawain laments not having seen the Grail itself and gives an oath: “I ſhalle hold me oute a twelue moneth and a day or more yf nede be / & neuer ſhalle I retorne ageyne vnto the Courte / tyl I haue ſene hit more openly than hit hath ben ſene here”. Other knights make siilar vows, whereupon Arthur is greatly displeased, as this destroys the greatest order of knighthood (the Table Round).

(8) Arthur’s eyes fill with tears upon these thoughs; L tries to comfort Arthur; The women of the court make great sorrow and plan to accompany their knights. Then an old knight in religious clothing comes in and forbids all women on this quest. Gwenhyvar again talks to Galahad about his descent. Arthur accuses Gawain of betrayal again [for the oath] but Lancelot notes that it is now impossible to not follow the oath on which Arthur concedes. The knights gather at the round table – full 150 – and depart. At her chamber [!], Gwenhyvar accuses Lancelot of having betrayed her; he promises to return. While the knights leave, people in the street, rich and poor, weep. The knights make camp at Castle Vagon and part the next morning.

(9) Galahad comes to a white abbey and finds Sir Bagdemagus and Sir Uwain there. He learns of an enchanted shield (white with a red cross) and offers to takes on the quest, it being said that “within this place is a ſhelde that no man may bere aboute his neck but he be meſcheued outher dede within thre dayes or maymed for euer“. But first, Bagdemagus takes the shield. He gets beaten up by a white knight and is sent back via his squire to the abbey, the shield explicitly to Galahad:

:“bere this ſhelde vnto the good knyghte ſir Galahad that thow lefte in the Abbay and grete hym wel by me[…] Take thow none hede of my name ſaid the knyჳte / for it is not |<[p.625] sig.N8r> for the to knowe nor for none erthely man[…]this ſhelde behoueth vnto no man but vnto Galahad”.

(10) Galahad is given the shield and departs, declining Uwain’s offered copany. He meets with the white knight and asks him about the shield, learning that:

:“hit befelle after the paſſion of our lord Iheſu Criſt xxxij yere that Ioſeph of Armathye the gentyl knyghte / the whiche took doune oure lord of the hooly Croſſe att that tyme he departed from Iheruſalem with a grete party of his kynred with hym”

[One could quote the full chapter here and more, giving the full legend (story-in-story), in short: the shield was crafted to assist Ioseph, son of Ioseph, in battle against sarazens and bore a picture of Jhesus on it, veiled [-> motiv]; I. wins and the result are many heathens baptised]

(11) (contd. Legend) On his dying bed, Ioseph’s blood gets on the shield, forming a red cross. Ioseph prophecies:

:ye ſhalle neuer ſee this ſhelde but ye ſhal thynke on me / and it ſhall be alweyes as freſſhe as it is now And neuer ſhalle man bere this ſheld aboute his neck but he ſhalle repente hit vnto the tyme that Galahad the good knyჳte bere hit / and the laſte of my lygnage ſhal leue hit aboute his neck that ſhall doo many merueyllous dedes“

He also gives directions on where to put the shield and that Galahad shall take it up 15 days after becoming knight [why 15? Numbers are generally weird here…, NZ]. The white kight “vanysshed away”. He returns to the abbey with his squire, is celebrated and shown a tomb with a fiend in it.

(12) Galahad goes to the tomb and defeats the fiend within, the fiend trying to hold him back:

:“Syr Galahad the ſeruaunt of Iheſu Cryſte come thou not nyghe me / For thow ſhalt make me goo ageyne ther where I haue ben ſoo longe / But Galahad was no thynge affrayed but lyfte vp the ſtone[…]
Thenne herd he a voyſe ſay / Galahad I ſee there enuyronne aboute the ſo many angels that my power may not dere the.”

They discover a corpse of a knight and a sword in the tomb. An old man appears and explains it allegorically. Galahad knights his squire (Sir Melias de Lile) and grants his customary first reasonable request to accompany him until adventure parts them. One Monday they come to a cross saying:

:“Now ye knyghtes arraunt the whiche goth to ſeke knyghtes aduenturous / ſee here / ij / wayes þt one wey defendeth the that thow ne go þt way / for he ſhalle not go oute of the way ageyne / but yf he be a good man and a worthy knyghte / And yf thow goo on the lyfte hand / thow ſhalt not lyghtely there wynne proweſſe / for thow ſhalt in this way be ſoone aſſayed /“

Melias wants to go left and Galahad finally consents, himself going right. [note paths, NZ]

(13) Melias comes to a meadow in a forest and takes up a crown of gold. He gets assaulted by a knight and is fatally wounded. Galahad appears and the enemy knight reappears. Galahad defeats him and another one, then takes Melias to a nearby abbey where he wants to get last rites. A former knight and now monk offers to heal Melias within seven weeks. Galahad stays for 3 days.

(14) Galahad decides to depart and an old man comes in explaining the last adventure: the cross was a test, the right path the “hyghe way of our lord Ihesu Cryte”, the other the ones for sinners and misbelievers. Melias parted from Galahad out of pride; he took the crown out of greed. The two knights were embodiments of those sins; Galahad defeated them because he was out of these deadly sins. [pretty standard explanation, NZ]. Galahad departs after Melias assures him he will follow. Galahad distinctly lacks a mass; after he leaves Castle Abbalouse, he comes to a church chapel, pray, and is told to go to the chapel of maydens and do away with its wicked customs.

(15) Galahad comes to the castle, and challenges the knights inside, his shield before him. The seven brothers attack him but get beaten out, flee through the castle. Gawlahad finds many people in the castle. A priest tells him the castle’s story: the seven brethren murdered their host, Duke Lionore and took his daughter and all that passed. The daughter – long dead – prophecied seven years ago that a knight would defeat them (=Galahad). As advised, G. calls all the knights belonging to the castle’s land with a horn of gold and ivory and makes them swear to use the old customs again. Galahad learns that the seven brethren were slain by Gawain, Gareth and Uwain and departs.

(16) Gawain, after departing from court, comes to the abbey of the white shield and the abbey in which Melias rests. He wants to seek and ride with Galahad but a monk calls this impossible as Gawain is wicked He meets with Gareth and Uwain and they continue together, encounter the seven brothers and kill them, then depart as they lose Galahad’s trail at the Castle of Maidens. Gawain meets a hermit who tells him that he is indeed wicked and has lived mischievously:

:“For certes had ye not ben ſo wycked as ye ar / neuer had the ſeuen bretheren be ſlayne by yow and your two felawes / For ſyre Galahad hym ſelf alone bete hem alle ſeuen the day to forne / but his lyuyng is ſuche he ſhal ſlee no man lyghtely“

The seven knights are allegorically explained as the seven deadly sins and Galahad as Jesus. Gawain is asked to do penance but declines and departs, meets Sir Aglovale and sir Gryflet; they part 5 days after.

(17) Galahad comes into a waste forest and meets with Lancelot and Parcival, not recognising each other. Galahad defeats both, a recluce comes out of a hermitage and alludes that they would not have fought if they knew each other. Galahad flees, pursued by the two but escapes. They return to the hermitage; Lancelot continues onwards and comes to a tony cross with a block of marbel near a chapel. He puts his shield on a tree and looks into the chapel, findig the door broken. Inside is a fair altar with green silk and a silver candlestick. Lancelot cannot enter and lays down on his shield afore the cross.

(18) Lancelot is half asleep when a sick knight comes. He laments to the lord of his sickness and asks to be blessed. The candlestick and a piece of silver come out of the chapel, bearing the Sancgreal. The knight touches it and is healed. Lancelot is unable to fully awake and is afterwars blamed for this by many but takes repentance. The knight and his squire also marvel about him and decide that “he dwelleth in ſome dedely ſynne wherof he was neuer confeſſid”. The knight takes Lancelot’s (better) weapon, shield and horse and leaves.

(19) Lancelot awakes and hears a voice saying:

:“ſyr launcelot more harder than is the ſtone / and more bytter than is the wood / and more naked and barer than is the leef of the fygge tree / therfore goo thow from hens / and wythdrawe the from this hooly place“

L leaves, finding his things gone. He repents his doings, alays having fought for worldly adventures, in quarrels right or wrong, and decides to go upon holy adventure now. He comes through a wood to a hermitage on a hill and complains of his changed fortune. The hermit tells him that he is on the contrary most blessed by god for his strength etc.

(20) Lancelot goes on to confess everything he has done, notably “hou he had loued a quene vnmeſurably and oute of meſure longe / & alle my grete dedes of armes that I haue done I dyd for the mooſt party for the quenes ſake” and “lytel or noghte I thanked god of hit”. The hermit counsels him upon L’s promise to never go near that queen as far as it can be avoided; Lancelot agrees. The hermit now explains the voice: L is hard as stone as he does not leave his sin for any goodness god has sent; he is like an old rotten tree (wood) as there may be little sweetness where is much duelled; and he is more naked than a fig tree since the Sancgreal did not find any fruit, no good will or thought, in Lancelot (-> similie of Jesus and a tree). The hermit provides Lancelot with a new horse and armour.

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Topological index:
Prophecies/Prediction: 2-6 (resolves Seat Perilous; Balyn's Sword), some new prophecies by Lancelot (Ib.) 7 (Grail revelation), 10ff (Legend of Ioseph)

Christianity: whole episode. Focuses on the beginning of the Grail Quest. Esp noteworthy: 7 (relation to Christ), 9 (Galahad no earthly man), 10ff (Legend of Joseph of Armathy), 12 (fiend (devil) in tomb), 13-4,16 (allegory on sins), 18-20 (Lancelot's failing and repentence)

Family ties: 7 (relation to Christ), 4 (Launcelot and Galahad, repeated later -> likeness to father)

Concepts of honour and morality: 2 (Lancelot's decline to attempt the sword), 5 (Lancelot's humility), 16 contrast 18-20 (faithfulness, sinlessness)

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<div style="float:left;">Go to: [[Le Morte Darthur Book 12|Previous Book]]</div>
<div style="float:right;">[[Le Morte Darthur Book 14|Next Book]]</div>
{{Template:Malory 21 Books}}

Le Morte Darthur Characters

2007-12-13T15:28:23Z

Nico Zorn: Book XIII