King Arthur and the Church

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Arthurian Literature

Organizer Name

David F. Johnson

Organizer Affiliation

Florida State Univ.

Presider Name

Elizabeth Archibald

Presider Affiliation

Durham Univ.

Paper Title 1

Arthur after Arundel

Presenter 1 Name

Stella Wang

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Harvard Univ.

Paper Title 2

"The King will follow Christ and we the King": King Arthur, the Grail, and Tennyson's Idylls of the King

Presenter 2 Name

Amelia A. Rutledge

Presenter 2 Affiliation

George Mason Univ.

Paper Title 3

The Misguided Churchifying of the Alliterative Morte Arthure

Presenter 3 Name

Fiona Tolhurst; K. S. Whetter

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Florida Gulf Coast Univ.; Acadia Univ.

Start Date

11-5-2018 3:30 PM

Session Location

Schneider 1120

Description

This session will explore the complex relationship between King Arthur and the Church. In his earliest incarnations he is not depicted as Christian, and in early saints' lives he is usually worsted by the saint. But in high medieval versions of the legend he is usually depicted as a defender of the faith; many romances begin with the court assembled for a major Christian festival, and it is a privilege that Round Table knights are able to achieve the Grail Quest. Some ecclesiastics claimed precedence at church councils because of this, yet the Grail story was largely unacknowledged by ecclesiastical writers (apart from those discussing Glastonbury). In modern versions of the legend, Christianity is often left out altogether. This session will invite papers thst range widely across the centuries to explore the relationship between king and church.

David F. Johnson