Favorite Arthur Text

            As I sit at my desk finishing the last few assignments of the semester, I am amazed at the amount of texts that we've somehow managed to power through, despite the incredible amount of snow days. Though all of these texts are on the same subject (more or less), there are certainly those that stand out against the others. To me, T. H. White's The Once and Future King, was just that. The amount of gorgeous details is what really sold it to me. Anything that is this descriptive is my guilty pleasure, and ultimately what inspires my own writing. As someone in class said, (I apologize for not remembering who) reading this book was like reading a Disney movie. How much better than that can you get?

          I want to thank each and every one of you for making this such a wonderful class, especially you, Dr. MB. I really and truly enjoyed it, and I hope to see many of you in the coming semesters.

5/5

Why Merlin's Guinevere is the best Guinevere

During my Merlin presentation I repeatedly mentioned that it was my favorite and in my opinion the best representation of Guinevere I’ve encountered so far. Reading the excerpts from the Mist of Avalon has just reaffirmed that opinion. Gwenhwyfar is apparently the picture perfect beauty, so much so she causes the proud and strong Morgaine to become self-conscious, but all I see in her description is a wimp, a lost little girl who is pretty pathetic, especially in comparison to Morgaine. I hate that she fits snugly into the “damsel in distress” category.  I prefer a Guinevere with more bite to her.  I’d say I liked T.H. White’s Guinevere a tad more, but she tended to be too whiny and self-centered, much like the other Guineveres we have seen in our readings.

Movie wise I have yet to be impressed by a Gwen. With the exception of Keira Knightley’s Guinevere in the 2004 King Arthur movie, most other film depictions of Gwen make her meek and a very flat character, yet again a damsel in need of constant saving. And honestly the only reason I slightly like King Arthur’s Guinevere is because, well, it’s Keira Knightley and I think she is nice to look at and I’m not afraid to say so!

Anyway, Angel Coulby is by far the best Gwen recorded either by pen or film. (Also, I see it fit now to warn you all that spoilers of the show may follow in my rant about how great she is). 

First off, she is not the typical image of Queen Guinevere, which is one thing I truly love. I don't think I have to explain much in the way of how she is different, it's pretty obvious, but I will make the comment that part of her appeal as Gwen is that she isn't the traditional pale skinned beauty that most other adaptations described her as. BBC provides us with a unique and beautiful Gwen, which is truly refreshing. 

We don’t know much about Gwen’s background besides that she has a living father (for the first few episodes) and a brother who becomes one of Arthur’s knights of Camelot.  She serves as Morgana’s servant but their relationship is not so formal, they are best friends in truth, rather than mistress and servant girl. Not only is she mentioned to be a gifted seamstress, but she also knows a great deal about how to mend armor and work with weapons because her father is a black smith. In my opinion she gets major bonus points for such a skill. Merlin’s Gwen is not afraid to break social barriers that usually constrict women. And although she initially is timid and awkward, as the series goes on she begins to grown in self-confidence. Initially finding Arthur to be unapproachable and unlikable, as time passes she begins to open up to him. However, she never becomes doe eyed and enamored with him, or even Lancelot (with one exception, but she was under a spell so it doesn’t quite count). Gwen doesn’t fit the girly type. She’s brave and loyal and everything I want in a leading lady.

And let’s not forget that she eventually becomes the queen of Camelot. Talk about climbing the social class ladder! 

I’m not saying it wasn’t a very challenging climb, the director of the show tried to make it as believable as possible (or as believable as any BBC show about magic can be), but she made it none the  less and stood up against the nay sayers, the principle one being Arthur’s own father. When she does become queen, she rules alongside Arthur, and in his absences she is strong willed ruler. we can also assume that after his death she continues to rule Camelot as Queen Regent, which shows how respected she is despite her "low" birth. She does not shirk away from the responsibility.  She also has a darker, manipulative side to her, which I absolutely LOVE. I want a Gwen who isn’t perfect, a Gwen who gets a little power hungry and creative with her royal liberties from time to time. That keeps things interesting!

Anyway, that is my rant about Merlin’s Guinevere. You should all give the show a try, if not for the best Gwen yet, then at least to hear Olivander’s voice come from a cheesy CGI dragon.

2 of 5

Noah's Tardis Emporium? What?

Alright, I’m not going to lie. I haven’t read as much as we just did in The Once and Future King in any other book since summer. Yay for college work overload!

Anyway, I think this reading has been my favorite so far. To be honest, I have grown up thinking of Merlin as some old dude with a long beard and a robe covered in stars. Of course he’s a funny character because who can take a man seriously with that fashion sense? Also, Arthur has never been that brawny and such a handsomely awesome death machine warrior king. I guess I have Disney’s Sword in the Stone to thank for those associations because I’ve never taken an interest in the adult versions of King Arthur stories. I know I’m a terrible human being, but I’ve missed a lot of “classic” movies. So needless to say, it was a relief to read something I’m used to visualizing instead of some demonic creepy baby nonsense and assuming Arthur never started from the bottom (sorry Drake ruined that phrase for everyone).

I like reading about Arthur as a child before he became king because he actually does stuff instead of sitting on his throne chowing down while some form of the oddest entertainment takes place. Wow, I thought my Netflix weekend marathons were lame.

So did anyone else think Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium meets Noah’s Ark while reading about Merlin’s hoarding problem? Except, Dr. Who let Merlin use his tardis to accommodate all that random stuff in such a small place. Wow, my nerdy-childish side is showing. That’s embarrassing. Anyway, apparently Merlin borrowed Marry Poppins' bag as well and used it as a hat. So dead mice and worms… no wonder he doesn’t mind Archimedes pooping everywhere.

Overall, I like the comedy in this reading. Other stories have had humor, but it’s usually funny because something is happening that is very unrealistic.