Justice

Sponsoring Organization(s)

International Arthurian Society, North American Branch (IAS/NAB)

Organizer Name

Kevin S. Whetter

Organizer Affiliation

Acadia Univ.

Presider Name

Nicole Clifton

Presider Affiliation

Northern Illinois Univ.

Paper Title 1

Ruled by Counsel: Arthur, Justice, and the Influence of Merlin in Malory's Morte Darthur

Presenter 1 Name

Russell L. Keck

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Harding Univ.

Paper Title 2

Besieged Ladies: Thomas Malory's Lyonesse and the Paston Letters

Presenter 2 Name

Kristin Bovaird-Abbo

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Univ. of Northern Colorado

Paper Title 3

Northern Justice: Morgause's Sons, Arthur's Nephews

Presenter 3 Name

Katharine Mudd

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Northern Illinois Univ.

Paper Title 4

Environmental Justice in Arthurian Romance

Presenter 4 Name

Michael W. Twomey

Presenter 4 Affiliation

Ithaca College

Start Date

12-5-2017 1:30 PM

Session Location

Fetzer 1005

Description

Arthurian literature in all languages and genres repeatedly emphasizes the theme of justice, in the political, religious, and personal arenas. Tests of justice may include oaths, duels, and trials, any one of which may cover specific situations such as the restoration of lands, a verdict rendered by a monarch or other authority figure, or a protest by a character who objects to injustice. In both conception and reception, these events may be used to criticize a weak ruler in the world outside the story, to think through problems arising from conflicting rights, or to encourage righteous behavior on the individual level by evoking an idealized world in which justice was more perfect than in the writer’s (or reader’s) present. The IAS-NAB seeks to foster interdisciplinary conversations by soliciting papers on this important theme, which resonates not only with literary scholars but also in the disciplines of history, religious studies, and philosophy.

Kevin S. Whetter