The complete schedule is online at http://www.chillertv.com/app/Schedule/.
All times are EST.
MONDAY, 1 JUNE
7:00 AM POLTERGEIST: THE LEGACY THE LAST GOOD KNIGHT (1998)
6:00 PM POLTERGEIST: THE LEGACY THE LAST GOOD KNIGHT
An episode from Season 3 of the syndicated series. Grail and Templars. More information online at LegacyWeb.com.
TUESDAY, 2 JUNE
5:00 AM POLTERGEIST: THE LEGACY THE LAST GOOD KNIGHT
MONDAY, 8 JUNE
9:00 AM DARK REALM CASTLE KEEP (2000)
More information at Wikipedia, which provides the following synopsis: "A love triangle between students and a professor on an archaeological dig turns deadly as they conduct a dig in a haunted castle."
MONDAY, 15 JUNE
08:00 PM MOVIE ROCK MONSTER
From the SciFi Channel: college student vs. a medieval sorcerer.
TUESDAY, 16 JUNE
12:00 AM MOVIE ROCK MONSTER
MONDAY, 22 JUNE
8:00 PM CHILLER PREMIERE DRAGON WARS (2007)
Also known as D-War, Dragon Wars is a feature film depicting a centuries-long struggle between good and evil dragons. The film was produced in South Korea and opens with a flashback that seems to be set in Korea's medieval past. More at Wikipedia. On DVD.
TUESDAY, 23 JUNE
12:00 AM CHILLER PREMIERE DRAGON WARS
Also airing this month:
Beauty and the Beast (1987-90): Wikipedia; on DVD.
Twin Peaks (1990-91): Wikipedia; on DVD. May (or may not) have Arthurian motifs.
Invasion (2005-2006), a series, created by Shaun Cassidy, in the spirit of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The series included references to the Robin Hood legend. The series is available on DVD. More on the series can be found at Wikipedia.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Getting Medieval on TV: Chiller's May 2009 Offerings
Another much belated list. The complete schedule is online at http://www.chillertv.com/app/Schedule/.
All times are EST.
FRIDAY, 8 MAY
10:00 PM CHILLER PREMIERE GRENDEL (2007)
The Sci Fi Channel's version of the Beowulf story.
TUESDAY, 19 MAY
4:30 PM TWILIGHT ZONE, THE THE LAST DEFENDER OF CAMELOT
Also airing later in the month. From the short story by Roger Zelazny. Merlin vs. Lancelot and Morgan le Fay. Available on DVD.
FRIDAY, 22 MAY
10:00 PM CHILLER PREMIERE ROCK MONSTER (2008)
Originally aired on SciFi. College student vs. a medieval sorcerer.
SATURDAY, 23 MAY
02:00 AM CHILLER PREMIERE ROCK MONSTER
WEDNESDAY, 27 MAY
6:30 AM TWILIGHT ZONE, THE THE LAST DEFENDER OF CAMELOT
5:30 PM TWILIGHT ZONE, THE THE LAST DEFENDER OF CAMELOT
THURSDAY, 28 MAY
5:30 AM TWILIGHT ZONE, THE THE LAST DEFENDER OF CAMELOT
All times are EST.
FRIDAY, 8 MAY
10:00 PM CHILLER PREMIERE GRENDEL (2007)
The Sci Fi Channel's version of the Beowulf story.
TUESDAY, 19 MAY
4:30 PM TWILIGHT ZONE, THE THE LAST DEFENDER OF CAMELOT
Also airing later in the month. From the short story by Roger Zelazny. Merlin vs. Lancelot and Morgan le Fay. Available on DVD.
FRIDAY, 22 MAY
10:00 PM CHILLER PREMIERE ROCK MONSTER (2008)
Originally aired on SciFi. College student vs. a medieval sorcerer.
SATURDAY, 23 MAY
02:00 AM CHILLER PREMIERE ROCK MONSTER
WEDNESDAY, 27 MAY
6:30 AM TWILIGHT ZONE, THE THE LAST DEFENDER OF CAMELOT
5:30 PM TWILIGHT ZONE, THE THE LAST DEFENDER OF CAMELOT
THURSDAY, 28 MAY
5:30 AM TWILIGHT ZONE, THE THE LAST DEFENDER OF CAMELOT
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Getting Medieval on TV: The Sci Fi Channel's June 2009 Offerings
Complete schedule available at: http://www.scifi.com/schedulebot/index.php3
All times are EST.
THURSDAY, Jun. 4, 2009
07:00 PM MOVIE STARGATE: THE ARK OF TRUTH
Conclusion of the Ori arc that ran through season's 9 and 10. Both Merlin and Morgan le Fay feature prominently. See more on Wikipedia.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2009
06:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (SEASONS 1-5) THOR'S CHARIOT (Season 2)
First appearance by the Asgard race in their true alien form. More details at Stargate Wiki.
THUSDAY, JUNE 18, 2009
08:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--ROMANCING THE JOAN
09:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--INDEPENDENCE DAY
10:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--SHADOWS AND LIGHT
11:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--SECRET SERVICE
12:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--TRIAL AND ERROR
01:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--SPRING CLEANING
02:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--COMMON THREAD
03:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES
Mini-marathon of the popular television shows. This month's episodes conclude the second (and final) season. More at Wikipedia.
SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2009
05:30 PM MOVIE BEOWULF (1999)
Science-fictional, feature film retelling of Beowulf. More at Wikipedia.
09:00 PM SUNDAY ORIGINAL MOVIE RISE OF THE GARGOYLES (2009)
11:00 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE GARGOYLES: WINGS OF DARKNESS (2004)
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2009
02:00 PM SCARIEST PLACES ON EARTH A NIGHT IN DRACULA'S CASTLE: TRANSYLVANIA - PART ONE
03:00 PM SCARIEST PLACES ON EARTH A NIGHT IN DRACULA'S CASTLE: TRANSYLVANIA - PART TWO
SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2009
09:00 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE THOR: HAMMER OF THE GODS (2009)
Young man seeks the hammer of Thor in order to save his friends and family from the children of Loki.
All times are EST.
THURSDAY, Jun. 4, 2009
07:00 PM MOVIE STARGATE: THE ARK OF TRUTH
Conclusion of the Ori arc that ran through season's 9 and 10. Both Merlin and Morgan le Fay feature prominently. See more on Wikipedia.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2009
06:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (SEASONS 1-5) THOR'S CHARIOT (Season 2)
First appearance by the Asgard race in their true alien form. More details at Stargate Wiki.
THUSDAY, JUNE 18, 2009
08:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--ROMANCING THE JOAN
09:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--INDEPENDENCE DAY
10:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--SHADOWS AND LIGHT
11:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--SECRET SERVICE
12:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--TRIAL AND ERROR
01:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--SPRING CLEANING
02:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--COMMON THREAD
03:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES
Mini-marathon of the popular television shows. This month's episodes conclude the second (and final) season. More at Wikipedia.
SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2009
05:30 PM MOVIE BEOWULF (1999)
Science-fictional, feature film retelling of Beowulf. More at Wikipedia.
09:00 PM SUNDAY ORIGINAL MOVIE RISE OF THE GARGOYLES (2009)
11:00 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE GARGOYLES: WINGS OF DARKNESS (2004)
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2009
02:00 PM SCARIEST PLACES ON EARTH A NIGHT IN DRACULA'S CASTLE: TRANSYLVANIA - PART ONE
03:00 PM SCARIEST PLACES ON EARTH A NIGHT IN DRACULA'S CASTLE: TRANSYLVANIA - PART TWO
SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2009
09:00 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE THOR: HAMMER OF THE GODS (2009)
Young man seeks the hammer of Thor in order to save his friends and family from the children of Loki.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
GMTV: Medieval film/TV offerings on the SciFi Channel (May 2009)
Here are this month's much-belated offerings on the SciFi Channel. The complete schedule is available online.
ALL TIMES EST
SUNDAY, 2 MAY
07:00 PM MOVIE--BEOWULF (1999)
This feature film is science fictional retelling of the Angl0-Saxon epic poem. More details on Wikipedia.
MONDAY, 11 MAY
08:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--FRIDAY NIGHT
09:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--NO FUTURE
10:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--THE BOOK OF QUESTIONS
11:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--DIVE
12:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--GAME THEORY
01:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--QUEEN OF THE ZOMBIES
02:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--THE RISE & FALL OF JOAN GIRARDI
03:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--ROMANCING THE JOAN
Mini-marathon of episodes from Season Two of the canceled telefantasty series loosely inspired by the life of St. Joan of Arc. See Wikipedia for details.
THURDSAY, 14 MAY
03:00 AM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--DRAGON DYNASTY (2006)
SciFi film that pits Marco Polo against a series of dragons. Not yet on DVD. More details at the IMD.
SATURDAY, 23 MAY
11:00 PM MOVIE MARATHON: SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--GARGOYLES: WINGS OF DARKNESS (2004)
No details.
THURSDAY, 28 MAY
06:30 PM MOVIE--TIMELINE (2003)
Feature film adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel. Features a group of college students traveling to the medieval past to rescue their time-lost professor. More details on Wikipedia.
SATURDAY, 30 MAY
09:00 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--BOOK OF BEASTS, THE (2009)
Also known as Merlin and the Book of Beasts, this is a new movie set at Camelot. There is not much available about the film and nothing yet on Wikpedia. The telefilm stars Battlestar Galactica's James Callis as Merlin, and a complete cast list can be found on the IMD. The web site of the production company, Tamden Communications, offers some details, including a brief synopsis, as follows:
SciFi's trailer has been posted on YouTube. The film seems to be set after Arthur's death and pits Merlin against a series of magical foes, including Medusa (!), to save the life of Arthur's daughter.
11:00 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--GRENDEL (2007)
SciFi's own retelling of Beowulf. More at Wikipedia.
SUNDAY, 31 MAY
10:30 AM MOVIE--DRAGONHEART (1996)
Feature film set in Angl0-Saxon England. Includes references to Avalon and King Arthur, whose court is the source for Bowen's code. More at Wikipedia.
12:30 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--DRAGON SWORD (2004)
Telefilm very loosely based on the legends of St George. More at Wikipedia.
05:00 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--ROCK MONSTER (2008)
College student battles a medieval sorcerer. Some details at Wikipedia.
07:00 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--BOOK OF BEASTS, THE (2009)
See above.
09:00 PM MOVIE--KING ARTHUR (2004)
Feature film that proports to tell the "real" story of King Arthur. Arthur is a Romano-Briton and his men are Sarmatians. They join forces with the native Britons to fight Rome and the Saxons. More, as usual, on Wikipedia.
ALL TIMES EST
SUNDAY, 2 MAY
07:00 PM MOVIE--BEOWULF (1999)
This feature film is science fictional retelling of the Angl0-Saxon epic poem. More details on Wikipedia.
MONDAY, 11 MAY
08:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--FRIDAY NIGHT
09:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--NO FUTURE
10:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--THE BOOK OF QUESTIONS
11:00 AM JOAN OF ARCADIA--DIVE
12:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--GAME THEORY
01:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--QUEEN OF THE ZOMBIES
02:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--THE RISE & FALL OF JOAN GIRARDI
03:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA--ROMANCING THE JOAN
Mini-marathon of episodes from Season Two of the canceled telefantasty series loosely inspired by the life of St. Joan of Arc. See Wikipedia for details.
THURDSAY, 14 MAY
03:00 AM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--DRAGON DYNASTY (2006)
SciFi film that pits Marco Polo against a series of dragons. Not yet on DVD. More details at the IMD.
SATURDAY, 23 MAY
11:00 PM MOVIE MARATHON: SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--GARGOYLES: WINGS OF DARKNESS (2004)
No details.
THURSDAY, 28 MAY
06:30 PM MOVIE--TIMELINE (2003)
Feature film adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel. Features a group of college students traveling to the medieval past to rescue their time-lost professor. More details on Wikipedia.
SATURDAY, 30 MAY
09:00 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--BOOK OF BEASTS, THE (2009)
Also known as Merlin and the Book of Beasts, this is a new movie set at Camelot. There is not much available about the film and nothing yet on Wikpedia. The telefilm stars Battlestar Galactica's James Callis as Merlin, and a complete cast list can be found on the IMD. The web site of the production company, Tamden Communications, offers some details, including a brief synopsis, as follows:
Once in a great while, the world's most powerful wizards gather together for a meeting of the minds, testing their powers and abilities to determine who among them should lead. It is on a journey to one of these summits that Merlin now finds himself - but his enemies have other ideas. Merlin has to use all of his most powerful magic to survive against the fantastic creatures and wizards that plague him... or he'll die trying.
SciFi's trailer has been posted on YouTube. The film seems to be set after Arthur's death and pits Merlin against a series of magical foes, including Medusa (!), to save the life of Arthur's daughter.
11:00 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--GRENDEL (2007)
SciFi's own retelling of Beowulf. More at Wikipedia.
SUNDAY, 31 MAY
10:30 AM MOVIE--DRAGONHEART (1996)
Feature film set in Angl0-Saxon England. Includes references to Avalon and King Arthur, whose court is the source for Bowen's code. More at Wikipedia.
12:30 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--DRAGON SWORD (2004)
Telefilm very loosely based on the legends of St George. More at Wikipedia.
05:00 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--ROCK MONSTER (2008)
College student battles a medieval sorcerer. Some details at Wikipedia.
07:00 PM SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE--BOOK OF BEASTS, THE (2009)
See above.
09:00 PM MOVIE--KING ARTHUR (2004)
Feature film that proports to tell the "real" story of King Arthur. Arthur is a Romano-Briton and his men are Sarmatians. They join forces with the native Britons to fight Rome and the Saxons. More, as usual, on Wikipedia.
Getting Medieval with Dom DeLuise (1933-2009)
Actor-comedian Dom DeLuise passed away on 4 May. DeLuise had an eventful career on film and television, and medievalists, no doubt, will best remember him as Don Giovanni in Mel Brooks' Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993):
DeLuise also starred as the voice of Christopher Columbus in the English version of the animated film Die Abenteuer von Pico und Columbus (1992; a.k.a. The Magic Voyage), a film from director Michael Schoemann, released in conjunction with the quincentenary of Columbus's "discovery" of America. The entire film appears to be available on YouTube:
DeLuise also starred as the voice of Christopher Columbus in the English version of the animated film Die Abenteuer von Pico und Columbus (1992; a.k.a. The Magic Voyage), a film from director Michael Schoemann, released in conjunction with the quincentenary of Columbus's "discovery" of America. The entire film appears to be available on YouTube:
Monday, May 11, 2009
Kalamazoo Report
I am pleased to report that the sessions run by the Society for this year's Medieval Congress were very successful. Both sessions on "Medievalisms at War" were well attended, and there was some discussion at both panels. Moreover, our round table,"Getting Medieval on Popular Culture in the Classroom: Pedagogy and Medievalism," despite being run at 7:30 PM was a phenomenal success, with much discussion from both the panelists and the audience, as fits the overall pattern for pedagogy-themed round tables this year.
We also had a well attended business meeting, and doubled the number of attendees from last year. The Society is also pleased to report that it has engaged in discussions with other academic societies in in effort to co-sponsor sessions for future conferences.
For 2010, we are co-sponsoring a set of round tables with the Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain:
For 2011, we will be co-sponsoring a set of panels (and perhaps a film showing) with Monsters: the Experimental Association for the Research of Cryptozoology through Scholarly Theory And Practical Application (MEARCSTAPA):
Further details will be posted to the blog as they become available.
We also had a well attended business meeting, and doubled the number of attendees from last year. The Society is also pleased to report that it has engaged in discussions with other academic societies in in effort to co-sponsor sessions for future conferences.
For 2010, we are co-sponsoring a set of round tables with the Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain:
MISSION STATEMENT
Recognizing that a hero is nothing without his or her opposite, the Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain was founded in 2009 to foster further investigation into the various antagonists and antiheroes of the multimedia Matter of Britain. Characters, such as Agravain, the Green Knight, Mark of Cornwall, Meleagant, Mordred, Morgan le Fay, and Morgause, serve an important function in the stories of King Arthur and his associated cast of nobles, knights, damsels, and mages. By challenging the heroes of the Arthurian tradition, Arthurian villains enact a vital role as agents of conflict who initiate narratives that enable Arthurian heroes to attain renown and achieve their destinies, however the contributions of these malefactors to the Arthurian legend remains largely unexplored, both by scholars and creative artists, in contrast to the wealth of material that has been devoted to the protagonists of this tradition.
It is the intent of the Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain to offer an annual themed panel or set of panels each year at the International Congress on Medieval Studies, which convenes each May at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, and additional sessions at other related conferences. Panel presentations will focus on the treatment of a specific character or linked characters and explore their activities as represented in texts produced from the medieval era to the present in the interests of producing a companion and comprehensive bibliography, comparable to Routledge’s Arthurian Characters and Themes series, devoted to each of the major Arthurian villains or themed collections addressing the representation of Arthurian villains, both major and minor, in select media.
Michael A. Torregrossa
Founder
7 May 2009
For 2011, we will be co-sponsoring a set of panels (and perhaps a film showing) with Monsters: the Experimental Association for the Research of Cryptozoology through Scholarly Theory And Practical Application (MEARCSTAPA):
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Mission StatementDerek Newman-Stille has written up a draft of a mission statement that I think is great. Here it is. Please comment on it!
MEARCSTAPA (Monsters: the Experimental Association for the Research of Cryptozoology through Scholarly Theory And Practical Application) Mission Statement
MEARCSTAPA is an organization committed to the scholarly examination of monstrosity as an area of social and cultural interest to past and present societies. Our inter/trans/post/pre-disciplinary approach allows us to explore the significance of monstrosity across cultural, temporal, and geographic boundaries. We are interested in a multivalent approach using materials on monsters and monstrosity from literary, artistic, philosophical, and historical sources.
The term "Mearcstapa" not only evokes the Grendelkin, perhaps the standard bearers for medieval monstrosity, but also describes the role of Monster Studies within (or outside of) "traditional" academics. Those who study monstrosity take on the role of Border-Walkers, broaching numerous traditional academic divides.
We recognize that human societies reveal a great deal about themselves in the monsters they create, and that the monstrous can be a mechanism for expressing social issues, interests, anxieties, and ideologies.
Our membership is international and is composed of scholars from a wide variety of academic disciplines including, but not limited to, Medieval Studies, English Literature, French Literature, Cultural Studies, History, Ancient History and Classics, Celtic Studies, Anthropology, Archaeology, Disability Studies, Gender Studies, Folklore Studies, and Art History.
MEARCSTAPA was established in May, 2008 for the purpose of providing a forum for discussion about monstrosity in various media.
Further details will be posted to the blog as they become available.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Kalamazoo weather update
Some significant changes to the forecast for Kalamazoo:
 | Wednesday Partly sunny. A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 70s. South winds 5 to 10 mph. |
 | Wednesday Night Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 50s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. |
| Thursday Partly sunny. A chance of showers and thunderstorms until midday...then a chance of light rain showers and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 70s. Southwest winds 5 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent. |
| Thursday Night Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain showers. Lows in the mid 40s. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph becoming west 5 to 10 mph overnight. |
| Friday Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60s. |
| Friday Night Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain showers. Lows in the lower 40s. |
| Saturday Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain showers. Highs in the upper 50s. |
 | Saturday Night Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s. |
 | Sunday Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 60s. |
| Sunday Night Partly cloudy. Lows around 40. |
Monday, May 4, 2009
Kalamazoo Updates
This year's Intentional Congress on Medieval Studies is now two days away, and the weather forcast for Kalamazoo looks rainy but mild during the day and cold at night:
Our sessions were posted to the blog in February, but I re-list them here for the convenience of our virtual community. I will append biographical sketches of all presenters as these become available.
THURSDAY, 8 MAY 2009
SESSION 109 (1:30 PM; SANGREN 2502)
Medievalisms at War I
Sponsor: Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Presider: Carl James Grindley, Hostos Community College, CUNY
Richard the Lionheart in Films and Television about the Third Crusade
Lorraine Kochanske Stock, Univ. of Houston
Contextualizing King Arthur Was a Gentleman (1942): The Matter of Britain as World War II Propaganda
Michael A. Torregrossa
"A Sport and an End": Militarism in Tolkien's and Jackson's Versions of The Lord of the Rings
Mary R. Bowman, Univ. of Wisconsin–Stevens Point [CORRECTED]
Patterns of Violence, Decay, and Redemption in Filmic Beowulfs and Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund's Cidade de Deus (2002)
Aaron Mercier, Ohio State Univ.
THURSDAY, 8 MAY 2009
SESSION 165 (3:30 PM; SANGREN 2502)
Medievalisms at War II
Sponsor: Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Presider: Mikee Delony, Abilene Christian Univ.
"Let's Get Ready to Rumble": Arming the Knight in Contemporary Film
Carl James Grindley, Hostos Community College, CUNY
Medieval Culture in Japanese-Designed Video Games
Matthew Greenberg, Abilene Christian Univ.
The Red Baron and Medieval Chivalry
Joseph M. Sullivan, Univ. of Oklahoma
A New Chivalry for a More Civilized Age: T. H. White's The Once and Future King
Caroline Womack, Washtenaw Community College
THURSDAY, 8 MAY 2009
SESSION 188 (7:30 PM; BERNHARD 208)
Getting Medieval on Popular Culture in the Classroom: Pedagogy and Medievalism (A Roundtable)
Sponsor: Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Presider: Laura Blunk, Cuyahoga Community College
American Medieval: Teaching Popular Medievalism as Modern National Narrative
Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Angelo State Univ.
Teaching the Medieval Monstrous: Cinematic Grendel and the Green Knight
Lorraine Kochanske Stock, Univ. of Houston
Hunting Alchemy: Using Anime in the Graduate Seminar
Candace Gregory-Abbott, California State Univ.–Sacramento
Breaking the Waves: Margery Kempe Goes South
Jenny Adams, Univ. of Massachusetts
Web 2.0 and the "Medieval" Classroom
Carl James Grindley, Hostos Community College, CUNY
Teaching the Middle Ages in the Twenty-First-Century "Smart" Classroom
Mikee Delony, Abilene Christian Univ.
SATURDAY, 10 MAY 2009
BUSINESS MEETING (12:30 PM; VALLEY II 203)
The complete program (plus corrigenda) is online and a list of medievalism-themed sessions has been previously posted to the blog and divided by day: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
| Wednesday Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 70s. South winds 5 to 15 mph. |
| Wednesday Night Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 50s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. |
| Thursday Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60s. |
| Thursday Night Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain showers. Lows in the mid 40s. |
| Friday Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60s. |
| Friday Night Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain showers. Lows in the mid 40s. |
| Saturday Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of rain showers. Highs in the lower 60s. |
| Saturday Night Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 40s. |
| Sunday Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 60s. |
| Sunday Night Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 40s. |
Our sessions were posted to the blog in February, but I re-list them here for the convenience of our virtual community. I will append biographical sketches of all presenters as these become available.
THURSDAY, 8 MAY 2009
SESSION 109 (1:30 PM; SANGREN 2502)
Medievalisms at War I
Sponsor: Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Presider: Carl James Grindley, Hostos Community College, CUNY
Richard the Lionheart in Films and Television about the Third Crusade
Lorraine Kochanske Stock, Univ. of Houston
Contextualizing King Arthur Was a Gentleman (1942): The Matter of Britain as World War II Propaganda
Michael A. Torregrossa
"A Sport and an End": Militarism in Tolkien's and Jackson's Versions of The Lord of the Rings
Mary R. Bowman, Univ. of Wisconsin–Stevens Point [CORRECTED]
Patterns of Violence, Decay, and Redemption in Filmic Beowulfs and Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund's Cidade de Deus (2002)
Aaron Mercier, Ohio State Univ.
THURSDAY, 8 MAY 2009
SESSION 165 (3:30 PM; SANGREN 2502)
Medievalisms at War II
Sponsor: Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Presider: Mikee Delony, Abilene Christian Univ.
"Let's Get Ready to Rumble": Arming the Knight in Contemporary Film
Carl James Grindley, Hostos Community College, CUNY
Medieval Culture in Japanese-Designed Video Games
Matthew Greenberg, Abilene Christian Univ.
The Red Baron and Medieval Chivalry
Joseph M. Sullivan, Univ. of Oklahoma
A New Chivalry for a More Civilized Age: T. H. White's The Once and Future King
Caroline Womack, Washtenaw Community College
THURSDAY, 8 MAY 2009
SESSION 188 (7:30 PM; BERNHARD 208)
Getting Medieval on Popular Culture in the Classroom: Pedagogy and Medievalism (A Roundtable)
Sponsor: Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Presider: Laura Blunk, Cuyahoga Community College
American Medieval: Teaching Popular Medievalism as Modern National Narrative
Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Angelo State Univ.
Teaching the Medieval Monstrous: Cinematic Grendel and the Green Knight
Lorraine Kochanske Stock, Univ. of Houston
Hunting Alchemy: Using Anime in the Graduate Seminar
Candace Gregory-Abbott, California State Univ.–Sacramento
Breaking the Waves: Margery Kempe Goes South
Jenny Adams, Univ. of Massachusetts
Web 2.0 and the "Medieval" Classroom
Carl James Grindley, Hostos Community College, CUNY
Teaching the Middle Ages in the Twenty-First-Century "Smart" Classroom
Mikee Delony, Abilene Christian Univ.
SATURDAY, 10 MAY 2009
BUSINESS MEETING (12:30 PM; VALLEY II 203)
The complete program (plus corrigenda) is online and a list of medievalism-themed sessions has been previously posted to the blog and divided by day: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Medieval Films Area Reborn
The "Medieval Films/Television Area" has been resurrected for the upcoming Film & History Conference. I will post a call for papers ASAP, but, in the meantime, I have posted the main call for papers below. Initial proposals are due by 1 August 2009.
2010 Film & History Conference
November 11-14, 2010
Hyatt Regency Hotel Milwaukee, WI (USA)
The 2010 Film & History conference will look at how love—as psychology, as dramatic principle, as historical agent, as cultural stage, as ethical standard—has been represented in film and television. How has the depiction of love defined a society or a period? Which people—or institutions or ideas or animals—have been promoted as subjects (or objects) of love, and which ones have not? In what ways do we love or not love because of film and television? How has the screen represented the love of country, the love of one's neighbor, the love of God, or the love of family? How has it represented the repudiation or reformulation of love, and what are the historical ramifications?
Questions about the nature of love define not just couples or parents and their children but whole communities and nations, shaping their religions, their economic policies, their media programming, their social values, their most powerful fears and ambitions. Love in each era defines the struggles worth enduring and the stories worth telling, from Gone With the Wind and Casablanca to Hamlet and Cleopatra, from The Jazz Singer and The Sound of Music to The Graduate and Boogie Nights, from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and The Ten Commandments to Easy Rider and The Right Stuff, from The 400 Blows and Life Is Beautiful to Amelie and Muriel's Wedding. This conference will examine the aesthetic representations of love on screen and will assess their historical, cultural, and philosophical implications.
Across the Tracks: Love and Class Addictions, Compulsions, Obsessions
Affairs of Race Agape: Faith, God, Mission
Animals of the Wild
Beasts of Burden…and Breakfasts
Broadway Motifs in Cinema
Cartoons and Pornography
Censorship and the Code
Charismatic Leaders
Citizen Love: Flag Wavers, Flag Burners
Classic and Classical: The Romance Genre
Cowboy and Cowgirl Love
Families and Society
Fetish and Function: The Love of Things
Flings and Fantasies
Fraternity and Sorority
Freudian Readings and Approaches
Hetero, Homo, Sapiens: Theories of Sexuality
Jane Austen on Screen
Laboratory Love: Documentary-Style Treatments
Love American Style
Love and Community
Love and Violence
Love Gone Awry
Lovers on the Side: Rogues and Tramps
Lust in Space: Science Fiction and Romance
Leitmotivs of Love: Music, Song, and Film
Mon Amour: French Kisses and French Misses
Office Romance
Pets and Companion Animals
Reality-TV Love: Bachelors and Bachelorettes
Responsible Love: Marriage and Parenthood
Romantic Comedies on Television
Romantic Dramas on Television Separation, Divorce, Reconciliation Sex and Love in Asian Contexts
Sex and Morality
Soul and Self: Love and Identity Stereotypes: Old, Young, and Mid-Life Crises
Suicidal Lovers
Teachers and Students
Team Ethos: Buddy Films and Chick Flicks
The First Romantics: Italy on Screen
The Secret Agent: James Bond…or the Women
The Weight of History: Body Image and Love
Uniform Love: Military and Romance
Vampire Love
Women and Children First: Gender and Ethics
These topics are suggested as an inspiration for thought, but CFP proposals for any area should articulate a clear theme and historical context. Send your proposals (200-400 words) to FilmandHistory@uwosh.edu by August 1, 2009 for early consideration. Proposals will continue to be accepted, but early entries will receive priority.
Representing Love in Film and Television
2010 Film & History Conference
November 11-14, 2010
Hyatt Regency Hotel Milwaukee, WI (USA)
The 2010 Film & History conference will look at how love—as psychology, as dramatic principle, as historical agent, as cultural stage, as ethical standard—has been represented in film and television. How has the depiction of love defined a society or a period? Which people—or institutions or ideas or animals—have been promoted as subjects (or objects) of love, and which ones have not? In what ways do we love or not love because of film and television? How has the screen represented the love of country, the love of one's neighbor, the love of God, or the love of family? How has it represented the repudiation or reformulation of love, and what are the historical ramifications?
Questions about the nature of love define not just couples or parents and their children but whole communities and nations, shaping their religions, their economic policies, their media programming, their social values, their most powerful fears and ambitions. Love in each era defines the struggles worth enduring and the stories worth telling, from Gone With the Wind and Casablanca to Hamlet and Cleopatra, from The Jazz Singer and The Sound of Music to The Graduate and Boogie Nights, from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and The Ten Commandments to Easy Rider and The Right Stuff, from The 400 Blows and Life Is Beautiful to Amelie and Muriel's Wedding. This conference will examine the aesthetic representations of love on screen and will assess their historical, cultural, and philosophical implications.
Across the Tracks: Love and Class Addictions, Compulsions, Obsessions
Affairs of Race Agape: Faith, God, Mission
Animals of the Wild
Beasts of Burden…and Breakfasts
Broadway Motifs in Cinema
Cartoons and Pornography
Censorship and the Code
Charismatic Leaders
Citizen Love: Flag Wavers, Flag Burners
Classic and Classical: The Romance Genre
Cowboy and Cowgirl Love
Families and Society
Fetish and Function: The Love of Things
Flings and Fantasies
Fraternity and Sorority
Freudian Readings and Approaches
Hetero, Homo, Sapiens: Theories of Sexuality
Jane Austen on Screen
Laboratory Love: Documentary-Style Treatments
Love American Style
Love and Community
Love and Violence
Love Gone Awry
Lovers on the Side: Rogues and Tramps
Lust in Space: Science Fiction and Romance
Leitmotivs of Love: Music, Song, and Film
Mon Amour: French Kisses and French Misses
Office Romance
Pets and Companion Animals
Reality-TV Love: Bachelors and Bachelorettes
Responsible Love: Marriage and Parenthood
Romantic Comedies on Television
Romantic Dramas on Television Separation, Divorce, Reconciliation Sex and Love in Asian Contexts
Sex and Morality
Soul and Self: Love and Identity Stereotypes: Old, Young, and Mid-Life Crises
Suicidal Lovers
Teachers and Students
Team Ethos: Buddy Films and Chick Flicks
The First Romantics: Italy on Screen
The Secret Agent: James Bond…or the Women
The Weight of History: Body Image and Love
Uniform Love: Military and Romance
Vampire Love
Women and Children First: Gender and Ethics
These topics are suggested as an inspiration for thought, but CFP proposals for any area should articulate a clear theme and historical context. Send your proposals (200-400 words) to FilmandHistory@uwosh.edu by August 1, 2009 for early consideration. Proposals will continue to be accepted, but early entries will receive priority.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Conference Update: Plymouth State Medieval and Renaissance Forum
The Society ran a successful session last Saturday afternoon at the 30th Annual Medieval and Renaissance Forum held at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH. We are extremely grateful to our presenters and our audience for their participation, and thank Karolyn Kinane, Forum Director, for allowing us to sponsor a session. We hope to continue our association with the Forum in the future.
Saturday, 4/25: 3:00-4:30 PM
Papers from the Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
The Middle Ages in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Images and Symbols
Tania Ramos, Lehman College, CUNY
Intertext Jokes: Humor and Allusion in the Trailer and Opening Credits of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Kevin Cryderman, Rochester University/Emory University
Session details were posted earlier on the blog and are repeated here with biographical information on our presenters.
Saturday, 4/25: 3:00-4:30 PM
Papers from the Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Presider: Carl James Grindley, Hostos Community College, CUNY
The Middle Ages in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Images and Symbols
Tania Ramos, Lehman College, CUNY
Tania Ramos is in her final year of Undergrad work at Lehman College. She is a History major with a minor in English Lit. Tania will be graduating in the Spring of 2010 and is planning on continuing her grad work at Lehman.
Intertext Jokes: Humor and Allusion in the Trailer and Opening Credits of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Kevin Cryderman, Rochester University/Emory University
Kevin Cryderman is a PhD student in English and Film Studies at the University of Rochester, New York who is currently a lecture-track faculty at Emory University in Atlanta. He is set to defend his dissertation, entitled "Ghostly Spectators of History: Collective Identity, Genre and the Idiosyncratic Subject," this summer. Along with scholarly enterprises, Kevin writes fiction and writes and records his own music.
Merlin, from Star Trek to Stargate: Investigating the Sci Fi Merlins of the Reel Matter of Britain
Michael Torregrossa, independent scholar
Michael Torregrossa, independent scholar
Michael A. Torregrossa is co-founder of The Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages. His research focuses on the representations of the Arthurian legend in popular culture, and he is editor of the forthcoming collection The Reel Matter of Britain: The Transformation of the Arthurian Tradition on Film and Television due out in 2010.
Dr. Who: A Wizard in Scientific Clothing
Lisa Leblanc, Anna Maria College
Lisa Leblanc, Anna Maria College
Lisa LeBlanc has been attending the Plymouth State Medieval and Renaissance Forum for the past four years. She is an associate professor of English literature at Anna Maria College with a concentration in Medieval Literature. Her interests beyond Medieval include Gothic, Fantasy and Folk Literatures as well as visual media.
Getting Medieval on TV with Bea Arthur
Actor and comedian Beatrice "Bea" Arthur (1922-2009) passed away a week ago on 25 April 2009 (read her obituary from the New York Times or her biography on Wikipedia). She had a long career on television, film, and the stage, and, of interest to medievalists, one of the works that she starred in, Maude, includes references to medieval subjects.
Created by Norman Lear as a spin-off of his All in the Family sitcom (1971-1979), the television series Maude (1972-1978) showcases the talents of Bea Arthur, who played the title character Maude Findlay, the unconventional, outspoken, liberal feminist cousin of All in the Family’s Edith Bunker. Like its source, Maude is set in contemporary America, but its theme song “And Then There’s Maude,” sung by Donny Hathaway and composed by Dave Grusin with lyrics by husband and wife Alan and Marilyn Bergman, links Maude, an “uncompromisin’, enterprisin’, anything but tranquilizin’” figure, with four exceptional women from history: two from the Middle Ages, Lady Godiva and Joan of Arc, and two from the modern era, Betsy Ross and Isadora Duncan. Godiva, described as “a freedom rider,” a reference to American Civil Rights activists who challenged segregation in the early 1960s, is recalled for her legendary ride naked through eleventh-century Coventry, England; the lyricists seem only vaguely aware of the details of the myth—Godiva rode not to protest segregation but her husband’s taxation of the populace—and claim, in direct opposition to the legends that preserve her dignity, that “she didn't care if the whole world looked”. Joan of Arc, who had “the Lord to guide her,” is called “a sister who really cooked,” a reference presumably to her great deeds against the English forces during the Hundred Year’s War, though the lyric also, rather tastelessly, alludes to her death by immolation.
Created by Norman Lear as a spin-off of his All in the Family sitcom (1971-1979), the television series Maude (1972-1978) showcases the talents of Bea Arthur, who played the title character Maude Findlay, the unconventional, outspoken, liberal feminist cousin of All in the Family’s Edith Bunker. Like its source, Maude is set in contemporary America, but its theme song “And Then There’s Maude,” sung by Donny Hathaway and composed by Dave Grusin with lyrics by husband and wife Alan and Marilyn Bergman, links Maude, an “uncompromisin’, enterprisin’, anything but tranquilizin’” figure, with four exceptional women from history: two from the Middle Ages, Lady Godiva and Joan of Arc, and two from the modern era, Betsy Ross and Isadora Duncan. Godiva, described as “a freedom rider,” a reference to American Civil Rights activists who challenged segregation in the early 1960s, is recalled for her legendary ride naked through eleventh-century Coventry, England; the lyricists seem only vaguely aware of the details of the myth—Godiva rode not to protest segregation but her husband’s taxation of the populace—and claim, in direct opposition to the legends that preserve her dignity, that “she didn't care if the whole world looked”. Joan of Arc, who had “the Lord to guide her,” is called “a sister who really cooked,” a reference presumably to her great deeds against the English forces during the Hundred Year’s War, though the lyric also, rather tastelessly, alludes to her death by immolation.
Call for Papers: NEPCA Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Legends Area (6/1/09; Queens, NY 10/23-24/09)
CALL FOR PAPERS
SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, AND LEGEND AREA
2009 Conference of The Northeast Popular Culture/American Culture Association (NEPCA)
Queensborough Community College (Bayside, Queens, New York City), Friday October 23 and Saturday October 24, 2009
Proposals by 1 June 2009
Proposals are invited from scholars of all levels for papers to be presented in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Legend Area. Presentations will be limited to 15-20 minutes in length and may address any aspect of science fiction, fantasy, and/or legends in popular culture.
Given the proximity to Halloween, we are especially interested in proposals devoted to the topic “Monstrous Medievalisms: Investigations of the Medieval in Gothic and Horror Narratives” for a session “Monstrous Medievalisms 2009” to be sponsored by the Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages.
If you are interested in proposing a paper or panel of papers, please send a 1-2 page paper proposal of approximately 500 words and a one-page vita to both the Program Chair and to the appropriate Area Chair for your paper at the following addresses:
Professor Mark Van Ells
Queensborough Community College
City University of New York
222-05 56th Avenue
Bayside, NY 11364.
Michael A. Torregrossa
Science Fiction, Fantasy and Legend Area Chair
34 Second Street
Smithfield, RI, 02917
The Northeast Popular Culture Association (NEPCA) is a regional affiliate of the American Culture Association and the Popular Culture Association. NEPCA is an association of scholars in New England and New York, organized in 1974 at the University of Rhode Island. We reorganized and incorporated in Boston in 1992. The purpose of this professional association is to encourage and assist research, publication, and teaching on popular culture and culture studies topics by scholars in the northeast region of the United States. By bringing together scholars from various disciplines, both academic and non-academic people, we foster interdisciplinary research and learning.
Membership in NEPCA is required for participation. Annual dues are currently $30. Further details are available at http://users.wpi.edu/~jphanlan/NEPCA.html.
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