Favorite Arthur

                 Not to get all emotional, but I am a little sad to say goodbye to this class. In the last few moths, I have learned more than I thought there was to learn about King Arthur, and will for sure keep all the books (Okay, fine, it's probable that Avalon High will go to my little sister, but it still counts).
               

Today in class we touched on the many different Arthurs we have met on our journey through all the literature we have read, and I got to thinking about all of them. Ever since I was young, I have always wondered about the origins of legends. Some examples are (yes, I did actually wonder about these things. I have old diaries as proof): How the ancient Greek and Roman gods came to be, the beginnings of magic, and why we didn't have magic and such things anymore(bear with me, I was eight). Imagine my happiness as I read the first Harry Potter book. The first book in the series will always hold a special place in my heart because it is the book that started it all, and it is the book that explained and showed how everything in the wizarding world worked. 

Anyway, I compared all the different Arthurs we've met, and have come to decision. My favorite Arthur is the younger version in the Disney film that goes by Wart. I think I like him because he is the beginning of it all and the movie shows how the legend comes to be, and of course, being a 90's child, I will forever love anything Disney. 

I believe that Julia has already asked this in her blog, but I am curious as well, so I will also ask: Who is your favorite Arthur?

(4/5)

Warning: Rant Ahead.

                As the title states, this is a rant and will most likely contain R rated language, sloppy grammar, and will not be suitable for those under the age of eighteen.

            Now that I've warned everyone, I can begin. 

            Here is my question. Why, in most of the texts that we have read in this class, is everyone just okay with this affair that Gwen and Lance have going on? I am aware that it has been addressed many, many times, in both class and in various blogs. However, I just cannot come to terms with a few things about it. Perhaps my biggest issue is not with Gwen and Lance, but with Arthur himself. Nobody in his or her right mind is ever okay with being cheated on. Never in my life have I met a person who was cheated on by their significant other and was just okay with it. THAT IS JUST NOT HOW IT WORKS. I realize that when reading these stories that we cannot always apply common sense to them, but come on, really? Are we honestly supposed to just believe that the great King Arthur, the most loved and respected king that ever was, just shrugged off the love of his life cheating on him with his *supposedly* most loyal and trusted knight?  Right. That makes total sense. my biggest issue concerns Arthur himself and the way he deals with this traitorous affair, don't think that I have forgotten about the two traitors in question. I'll start with Lady Gwen. In my head, I see her as weak, pitiful, easily swayed by the opinions of others, and immature. In fact, she reminds me a bit of Eve in the Garden of Eden, when she is tempted by the apple. I think that she sets a bad example for her people as well. If the Queen cannot stay loyal to her king, how does anyone expect any other kind of loyalty (both to the kingdom, Arthur, or spouses)? The way that I see her reacting to Arthur finding out about her affair is kind of like this:

        

            Now, moving on to the famous Lancelot. As I said earlier on, if Lance is supposed to Camelot’s golden boy and Arthurs most trusted knight, how could he have ever thought that sleeping with Gwen, the Queen, was a good idea? Certainly we all have experienced different sorts of temptation and lived to tell the tale of how we denied it. Are all men as weak as Lancelot, or is the bravest knight in all the land merely especially susceptible to Gwen’s' charms?  The world may never know. Another reason that I cannot stand Lancelot anymore (before this class I was a firm believer that one day my knight in shining armor would one day come galloping up to me on a powerful steed. However, now I am a bit wiser and more savvy, I know that if he actually does do that, it is probably not his first or his last time doing it), is that he never shows any signs of guilt or remorse. Though it probably wouldn't help the situation, at the very least he could gain a few points back.

            And so, here ends my rant. I will ask this: Am I just a ranting lunatic who is fixated on this issue, or does anyone else feel the same way? 

TARDIS

Avalon High is my first foray into the genre of teen romance.  I have read young adult fiction, but never “YA-romance.”  Avalon High is a fun, light read—but I would not cast a modern Arthur in Annapolis, MD.  Neither would I have Arthur running for mayor in New York City.  Last Monday, Dr. MB told the class to think about a modern Arthur story we might like to see.  How would I like to see a modern Arthur? 

 I have several story lines I would like to see developed.  First, I think it might be an interesting bit of time travel for Dr. Who.  Perhaps King Arthur and his Camelot could have some alien circumstances—and Avalon and Excalibur could be anything in the Dr. Who universe.

Another Arthur I might like to see would be more of an espionage- action/thriller novel or mini- series set in the British SIS (MI6) or MI5 agency. “Merlin” might be a data collection/artificial intelligence. Excalibur could be some high tech weapon system.  Arthur and his knights become a special task force of agents in secret intelligence or in national security—I am not thinking of kings and reincarnation.

 The UK does have an interesting radio-telescope array used for astronomical observations called e-Merlin—With the right treatment, this might be the opening of a science fiction story.  

What kind of Arthur story would you like to see?

Happy blogging! 

Shiny!

Hey, all! Sorry I haven't been blogging lately...registration has been looming over me like a sinister Sword Bridge (yay, references!) but I'd never miss a blog post! What I wanted to talk about today was the parallels between The Lady of Shalott and the Passing of Arthur from The Idylls of the King. 
                First of all, Tennyson's writing is beautiful...so melancholy. There was one line that especially caught me eye from The Idylls of the King (around line 125):

"Thou wouldst betray me for the precious hilt;
Either from lust of gold, or like a girl
Valuing the giddy pleasure of the eyes"

In other words, Arthur is displeased with Sir Bedivere, so he's calling names. (I'm not sure if I'd be much better if my head was split.)

 Here is another section describing the appearance of Arthur's beloved sword (around line 51):


"There drew he forth the brand Excalibur,
And o'er him, drawing it, the winter moon,
Brightening the skirts of a long cloud, ran forth
And sparkled keen with frost against the hilt:
For all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks,
Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth-work
Of subtlest jewellery. He gazed so long
That both his eyes were dazzled as he stood..."


As you can see, Excalibur is described as being bright like a star, leaving Bedivere in awe as a girl would be from seeing something pleasurable. (You know how us silly girls are...) 
 
Let's look at a girl he may have parallelism with in The Lady of Shalott:

"The gemmy bridle glitter'd free, 

Like to some branch of stars we see 

Hung in the golden Galaxy. 

The bridle bells rang merrily  85           

As he rode down to Camelot: 

And from his blazon'd baldric slung 

A mighty silver bugle hung, 

And as he rode his armour rung,            

Beside remote Shalott.  90  

All in the blue unclouded weather 

Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather, 

The helmet and the helmet-feather 

Burn'd like one burning flame together,            

As he rode down to Camelot.  95

As often thro' the purple night, 

Below the starry clusters bright, 

Some bearded meteor, trailing light,            

Moves over still Shalott.   

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd; 100

On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode; 

From underneath his helmet flow'd" 

 This is how The Lady of Shalott sees Lancelot. She is as much as in awe of Lancelot as Bedivere is in seeing Excalibur. But is it Excalibur himself (yes...I wrote like Tennyson!) that has Bedivere in awe, or is it what the sword is symbolizing:  King Arthur, The Round Table, and Camelot? Most importantly, King Arthur and his rein. In seeing Escalibur shine bright like a diamond (lol), Bedivere is filled with nostalgia of once was as The Lady of Shalott is filled with a similar emotion upon seeing Lancelot. This, of course, introduces the question on whether one can feel nostalgia for something he or she has never experienced?

Unless you just have a really bad memory like this character.

In seeing the beautiful, curly haired Lancelot, The Lady is filled with the sorrow of what could have been: a life of love, passion, and glory, possibly with him. When Bedivere feels sorrow at the idea of the end of the Round Table, it is because these knights have experienced love, passion, and glory together. While Bedivere may realize that throwing Excalibur in the lake will bring on the death of Arthur, The Lady of Shalott realizes that Lancelot may bring upon the death of herself.

"She has a lovely face."

Well that was philosophical. I feel like Cicero. Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!