Throughout Arthurian literature, there is an abundance of games and entertainments. Perhaps most famously, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is structured on two sets of games: the exchange of blows game and the exchange of winnings game. In Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, the hallmark of a happy court is “revels and games” or “all manner of games and plays.” And of course the tourneying so central to the Arthurian tradition is in essence a game. Often, these games and entertainments contribute to the main themes of the text, as when Queen Guinevere goes a-Maying (a type of “game),” protected by a handful of woefully unprepared “Queen’s Knights.” The devious Sir Meligrance kidnaps Guinevere, taking her back to his castle. While Lancelot eventually slays the evil knight, and rescues the Queen, the gaming and abduction highlight the decadence of Arthur’s court, which leaves Camelot vulnerable, unready to defend itself from the gathering shadows.
Perhaps because of the games and gaming inherent in the Arthurian tradition, these texts have recently inspired elements of modern games: video games, board games, card games, and more. Some games feature themes from the original medieval texts, such as Shadows Over Camelot, a board game that assigns players roles as loyal knights or as a traitor. As the players go on quests, safeguarding Arthur’s kingdom, tensions rise as each knight suspects the other of foul play. Other games simply appropriate Arthurian names and objects, such as the video game Persona 5 which features the Holy Grail as a boss for players to defeat near the end of the game.
The purpose of this Round Table will be two-fold: first, to discuss “courtly play” and “gaming” as they appear in medieval Arthurian texts, and second, to consider the ways contemporary games have utilized the Arthurian tradition as a world building function. The dual nature of this session seeks to gain a better understanding of Arthurian game and play in both medieval and contemporary Arthuriana.
Session presenters will be asked to give short papers or prepared remarks, followed by time for discussion. We are very interested in trans-temporal proposals, linking the themes, narratives, characters or concepts between medieval and medievalism. To emphasize this point, audience members will be given character cards from Camelot Legends, to encourage reflection of these moments. This tactile scholarship and specific use of cards produced lively discussion in BABEL’s 2017 Reno Meeting session “The Hand You’re Dealt: A Presentation of Exhibits and Roundtable on Creative Process.”
The session will serve as an excellent opportunity to introduce attendees to contemporary gaming culture and its pedagogical potential. The narratives of decadence and treachery serve as only a few examples for the approaches to this subject. The wealth of Arthurian “gaming” narratives found in medieval Arthurian texts along with the profusion of contemporary games creates fertile ground for a nuanced discussion of Camelot and its legacy.
Finally the session welcomes papers which discuss race (and whiteness), gender, LGBTQ, disability, poverty and education.
Please submit 200 word abstract to:
tnarayanan@mail.csuchico.edu by 9/15.
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