Second Possible Session for Kalamazoo 2019

Here is a second session proposal I have been working on.

Again, please post feedback in the comments and/or attend our buisness meeting next Saturday at Kalamazoo.

Michael Torregrossa
Founder, Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture

Quondam et Futurus?

Reflections on Medieval-Themed Science Fiction

For most of us, the Middle Ages exists in the past. We can connect to it through histories, literary texts, and post-medieval re-creations of the medieval, but we cannot envision a future for the Middle Ages. However, the science fiction genre does allow the possibility of imagining new versions of the medieval in futuristic settings. The Star Wars saga, begun in 1977 and having celebrated its fortieth anniversary in 2017, represents one such attempt to create a medieval world of knights and wizards within a science-fictional setting filled—despite its promise that it exists “a long time ago”—with advanced technology, such as robots, spacecraft, world destroyers, and laser swords. Star Wars is not the only work that gives us a glimpse into a future for the Middle Ages; other texts have also offered updated examples of the Middle Ages, and still more of them have brought medieval figures and artifacts forward to engage with the humans and aliens of future ages. Furthermore, science fiction also allows reconsiderations of the origins of familiar medieval figures, beliefs, and practices to offer innovative beginnings to these elements through science-fictional tropes. However, despite the possibility for engaging with the medieval in these ways and the popularity of these works by fans, medievalists, in general, have been slow to catalogue such representations of medievalism, preferring, it seems, more familiar versions of the Middle Ages grounded in either the mundane or the fantastic rather than the speculative. Through this session, we hope to advance the dialogue between Medieval Studies and Science Fiction Studies by looking anew at how the creators of science fiction have engaged with medieval motifs and to begin to explore the value of these works in our classrooms and research.

 

Possible Kalamazoo Proposal for 2019

I've started drafting some ideas for paper proposals for next year's Medieval Congress at Kalamazoo. One of them relates to Norse mythology in contemporary culture.

Please comment below. if you have any suggestions or attend our business meeting next Saturday at this year's conference.

Michael Torregrossa
Founder, Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture

More than Marvel: Representations of Norse Mythology in Contemporary Popular Culture

Sponsored by The Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture

Myths and legends from the Middle Ages remain important links to the past, and there has been much interest in recasting this material into post-medieval contexts, forging a bridge between our forebears and our modern selves. Creators of our own time have been especially prolific in reviving these stories for new audiences. The tales told of the gods of the Norsemen are one such medieval legacy to find currency today, and they have appeared in a variety of media, including the comics. For example, Marvel Comics’ representation of the Norse god Thor has been an important element of its shared world since his debut in 1962, and, in its incorporation of the character into the Marvel Universe, the publisher has done much in the service of Medieval Studies through its widespread dissemination across the globe of a relatable depiction of the Norse Gods and the intricate mythology associated with them. Marvel’s account of Thor and his compatriots has also featured in an array of media beyond the pages of its long-running comic book series, and the recent release of three feature films centered around the Asgardian as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one of the world’s most popular and prosperous movie and television franchises, has provided additional texts to further knowledge of the Nine Worlds and its inhabitants. While Marvel remains the most prominent creator of modern tales of the Norse gods, the company does not hold the exclusive rights to this material. Other writers, comics creators, filmmakers, television producers, and game designers have also appropriated the stories and legends of the gods of Asgard and other individuals within the cosmology of the Nine Worlds for their own purposes, yet their work remain relatively unknown when compared to the phenomenal success and reach of Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios.

It is the intent of this session to shed the spotlight on these other examples of Nordic-inspired medievalisms and to bring them into ongoing conversations and debates about the reception of the medieval in the post-medieval world. We are especially interested in the reach of Marvel’s versions beyond the United States and how other approaches to the material engage with, react to, or ignore Marvel’s work. In addition, we hope to include coverage of texts from non-Western media (like anime and manga) that have embraced the traditions of the Norse gods in innovative ways. 

Advisory Board Update 4/30/18

I am pleased to announce the appointment of the first two members of our advisory board:

June-Ann Greeley, an associate professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Sacred Heart University and fellow New Englander and UConn alum (profile at http://www.sacredheart.edu/academics/collegeofartssciences/academicdepartments/philosophytheologyreligiousstudies/theologyandreligiousstudies/facultystaff/june-anngreeleyphd/)

and

Scott Manning, a graduate student at the American Military University and fellow medieval comics scholar (profile a https://americanmilitary.academia.edu/ScottManning)

Michael Torregrossa,
Founder, Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture

New Medieval Catalog

A quick notice that Boydell & Brewer has released its 2018 catalog for Medieval Studies in anticipation of next month's conference at Kalamazoo.

The catalog can be accessed directly at https://boydellandbrewer.com/media/wysiwyg/Catalogues/Medieval_Studies_Catalogue_-_2018.pdf.

Advisory Board for the Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture (7/1/2018)

Applications being accepted for an advisory board for the Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture

Submissions due by 1 July 2018


The Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture seeks to assemble an advisory board to help further our twofold mission of promoting and fostering research and discussion of representations of the medieval in post-medieval popular culture and mass media.

Duties of board members are expected to include vetting conference paper submissions, planning future conference activities, advising and/or helping with maintaining the association’s web sites and discussion lists, offering advice on promoting the association, and possibly serving as peer reviewers of a prospective e-journal.

Scholars at all levels are invited to submit a short personal statement of their research in Medievalism Studies and a full CV. Submissions will be accepted until 1 July 2018.

Please send material to founder Michael A. Torregrossa at MedievalinPopularCulture@gmail.com using “Advisory Board” as your subject line.

Further details on the Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture can be discovered at our current site The Medieval in Popular Culture at https://MedievalinPopularCulture.blogspot.com/.