KING ARTHUR THROUGH THE AGES

Catalog description

Starting with post-medieval selections from the Arthurian corpus, this course follows Arthur back through his many literary incarnations, until we reach the "historical" Arthur (c.1000). We consider the different aesthetic additions, subtractions, and changes made to this secular king of kings within the social and historical contexts of each reincarnation. We also examine Arthur in other media, such as film, with divergent artistic agendas. These other media, too, will be considered within their social and historical contexts in terms of what they have to say about what modern audiences look for in their versions of Arthur and the stories from the Arthurian corpus. All texts are in translation, with guided reference to the original languages. (Cross-listed with ENGL 8406 ).