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)

Farewell, King Arthur! But not forever

Guys, we are in the home stretch! We are almost finished our course on King Arthur (save the final). We have learned about Arthur as a tall, huge, amazing, studly man, as well as Arthur as the small, scrawny, yet inquisitive boy, Wart. And of course, let's not forget the Arthur in Knight Life, a character I imagine being played by Paul Hogan, Crocodile Dundee style.

Replace the knife with Excalibur and you're good to go. I dunno, it just seems like the whole "outsider dropped into the city" type thing is similar to Crocodile Dundee, a movie that came out just before Knight Life was published.

 Who was my favorite Arthur? Definitely the endearing Wart, willing to learn and reminiscent of anyone's childhood, when everything was fresh and new.Who was yours? Was Arthur even your favorite character?

 Call it strange, but while I found Arthur from Once and Future King perfectly endearing, Morgaine from The Mists of Avalon was a close second when it came to favorite characters! I found myself constantly relating to her. She is strong, and perfectly capable of being powerful on her own, but she has flaws as well. The Mists of Avalon was enjoyable to read in the fact that the women were powerful in their own feminine positions, instead of being is masculine positions.

Image from http://dravite.wordpress.com/tag/morgaine/

I also loved The Lady of Shalott. She is such an enigma, and is symbolic for many emotions that women (and men) have felt in history: temptation, the desire to be noticed, loved, appreciated in one's community.

By John Atkinson...how very funny that the skyline looks Victorian! *hint hint*

Why is Arthur still enjoyable to read about today? What do you think? Is it because everyone needs a hero to look up to: that strong Arthur that looked down at the tallest man anyone would know,the Arthur who killed many men with a whack of his sword, the military leader, the fair diplomat, the friend? Is it because people need to know that seemingly untouchable figures have their own crutches: the nervous Arthur who always consults Merlin, Arthur, a man whose in denial that his best friend is sleeping with his wife? Arthur, the uncle and father (need I say more), who brings his own downfall by having a bastard son. Arthur is a character with many sides...he's been painted as a god in old writings, but his crutches, physical and mental, have been brought out in later texts. Perhaps we can pity him, love him, learn from his wisdom and his mistakes. Perhaps we can ponder on the question he asks upon his death, "Are people truly good?" Arthur is special because he makes people yearn for an age that never existed, an age of knights in shining armor, spells, strength, and insurmountable glory.   

King Arthur and Oliver Twist

First off, this is the type of readings I was expecting when I first signed up for this class. A young King Arthur who is tutored by a quirky loveable Merlin. So, I am taking three literature courses this semester and our class discussion had me thinking about texts I read in another class.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens seems to have influenced this text. For those of you who haven't read it, Oliver Twist is an orphan who gets caught up by a gang, Fagin and his gang, who steal and pickpocket for a living. Although Oliver Twist is being influenced by bad all around him, he has good morals and WANTS to do good, despite everything going on around him. Oliver Twist's life is threatened several times and is cared for by good people, for example, Mr. Brownlow. At the end of the book, Fagin and his gang die and Oliver Twist gets adopted by Mr. Brownlow, who cares for him as his own. Does this not sound like Wart/King Arthur???? He is an orphan. Merlin becomes his tutor, and he seems to love him, well that's how I view it. He overcomes battles of evil/darkness. Of course, it's not an ever after ending, but we all know he becomes a truly great and wonderful king, who is waiting in Avalon to come back and rule again.

The first picture above is a famous scene of Oliver Twist. At this point in the novel, Oliver Twist is living in a sort of foster home for boys, except, they have to work hard each day in a factory and get only one bowl of gruel, which is mostly water, than anything else. He is then punished because he asked for some more food. The two pictures of Oliver Twist and King Arthur favor one another. They both have a dirty blondish, light brownish hair color and they are both small and have skinny physiques that look like they need to eat a lot. They also both have some air of innocence about them.

The reason I said the text reminds me of Oliver Twist instead of Oliver Twist is similar to this story is because Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist in the 1800's. It came out in a serialized form in 1837-1839. After a very quick comment to our Professor, Dr. MB told me that he, Charles Dickens, influenced a lot of writers. I can see that in the text that we're reading now. Can You?