King Arthur 2017 (A Roundtable)

Sponsoring Organization(s)

International Society for the Study of Medievalism

Organizer Name

Amy S. Kaufman; Usha Vishnuvajjala

Organizer Affiliation

Independent Scholar; American Univ.

Presider Name

Ann F. Howey

Presider Affiliation

Brock Univ.

Paper Title 1

Discussant

Presenter 1 Name

Susan Aronstein

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Univ. of Wyoming

Paper Title 2

Discussant

Presenter 2 Name

Kathleen Kelly

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Northeastern Univ.

Paper Title 3

Discussant

Presenter 3 Name

Martin B. Shichtman

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Eastern Michigan Univ.

Paper Title 4

Discussant

Presenter 4 Name

Christine Neufeld

Presenter 4 Affiliation

Eastern Michigan Univ.

Paper Title 5

Discussant

Presenter 5 Name

Abby Ang

Presenter 5 Affiliation

Indiana Univ.-Bloomington

Paper Title 6

Discussant

Presenter 6 Name

Ann Martinez

Presenter 6 Affiliation

Kent State Univ.-Stark

Start Date

May 2018

Session Location

Schneider 1280

Description

Reviews have poured in for Guy Ritchie’s 2017 King Arthur, and some of them are pretty scathing. Chief among audience complaints is the film’s lack of authenticity: the story deviates so radically from medieval literature that Arthurian legend is barely recognizable. However, authenticity has always been a problematic way to evaluate Arthurian retellings. Sometimes called the “original fan-fiction,” medieval Arthurian legend is always revised and recreated to fit the political or cultural needs of a given period. And in fact, Ritchie’s film has been much better received among scholars of the Middle Ages. Participants in this round table will discuss the 2017 cinematic King Arthur and consider some of the following questions: How do Ritchie’s changes fit into the canon of Arthurian revisions? How does the 2017 film inform meta-theoretical questions of authenticity surrounding Arthur himself? What do Ritchie’s changes tell us about our own cultural moment?

Amy S. Kaufman

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May 12th, 1:30 PM

King Arthur 2017 (A Roundtable)

Schneider 1280

Reviews have poured in for Guy Ritchie’s 2017 King Arthur, and some of them are pretty scathing. Chief among audience complaints is the film’s lack of authenticity: the story deviates so radically from medieval literature that Arthurian legend is barely recognizable. However, authenticity has always been a problematic way to evaluate Arthurian retellings. Sometimes called the “original fan-fiction,” medieval Arthurian legend is always revised and recreated to fit the political or cultural needs of a given period. And in fact, Ritchie’s film has been much better received among scholars of the Middle Ages. Participants in this round table will discuss the 2017 cinematic King Arthur and consider some of the following questions: How do Ritchie’s changes fit into the canon of Arthurian revisions? How does the 2017 film inform meta-theoretical questions of authenticity surrounding Arthur himself? What do Ritchie’s changes tell us about our own cultural moment?

Amy S. Kaufman