MMSM: New Book--The Arthurian Way of Death

Out now from D. S. Brewer:

The Arthurian Way of Death
The English Tradition
Edited by Karen Cherewatuk
Edited by K. S. Whetter

It is arguably the tragic end to Arthur's kingdom which gives the myth its exceptional resonance and power. The essays in this volume explore the presentation of death and dying in Arthurian literature and film produced in England and America from the middle ages to the modern day. Authors, texts and topics covered include Geoffrey of Monmouth, the chronicle tradition, and the alliterative Morte Arthure; Gawain and the Green Knight, Ywain and Gawain, the stanzaic Morte Arthur, and Malory's Morte Darthur; Tennyson's Idylls, Pyle's retelling of the myth for American children, David Jones, T.H. White, Donald Barthelme, Rosalind Miles and Parke Godwin. Featured films include Knight Rider, Excalibur, First Knight, and King Arthur.

CONTRIBUTORS: Sian Echard, Edward Donald Kennedy, Karen Cherewatuk, Michael W. Twomey, K. S. Whetter, Thomas Crofts, Michael Wenthe, Lisa Robeson, Cory James Rushton, Janina P. Traxler, James Noble, Julie Nelson Couch, Samantha Rayner, Kevin J. Harty.

Contents
Introduction
Karen Cherewatuk and Kevin S Whetter
1 'But here Geoffrey falls silent': Death, Arthur, and the Historia regum Britannie
Sian Echard
2 Mordred's Sons
Edward Donald Kennedy
3 Dying in Uncle Arthur's Arms and at His Hands
Karen Cherewatuk
4 'Hadet with an aluisch mon' and 'britned to noght': Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Death, and the Devil
Michael W. Twomey
5 Love and Death in Arthurian Romance
Kevin S Whetter
6 Death in the Margins: Dying and Scribal Performance in the Winchester Manuscript
Thomas Howard Crofts
7 The Legible Corpses of Le Morte Darthur
Michael Wenthe
8 Malory and the Death of Kings: The Politics of Regicide at Salisbury Plain
Lisa Robeson
9 Layde to the Colde Erthe: Death, Arthur's Knights, and Narrative Closure
Cory Rushton
10 Arthurian Exits: Alone, Together, or None of the Above
Janina P Traxler
11 Woman as Agent of Death in Tennyson's Idylls of the King
James Noble
12 Death as 'Neglect of Duty' in Howard Pyle's The Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur
Julie Nelson Couch
13 Death and the 'grimly voice' in David Jones's In Parenthesis
Samantha J. Rayner
14 Roll the Final Credits: Some Notes on Cinematic Depictions of the Death of Arthur
Kevin J Harty

MSAM: Upcoming Films--Clash of the Titans and How to Train Your Dragon

The Internet is abuzz with news on two medieval-themed films set to be released in 2010. One is a remake of the 1981 film Clash of the Titans (official site), which Marijane Osborn argues was inspired, in part, by Beowulf, and the other, How to Train Your Dragon (official site), is an animated film based on a 2003 children's book. Trailers for both productions are appended below.

MMSM: Cinematic Illuminations now available

Laurie A. Finke and Martin B. Shichtman's Cinematic Illuminations: The Middle Ages on Film (Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 2010) is now available to order online. Details about the book can be found on a previous blog post.

MMSM: New Articles in The Mid-Atlantc Almanack

The latest volume (18 for 2009) of The Mid-Atlantic Almanack, the official journal of the Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association, includes the following articles of interest:

Yoeman or Nobleman? The Socio-Political Co-Opting of Robin Hood
Caherine Akel

"Something Rich and Strange": Guy Maddin's Shakespeare
Peter Hyland

The Devil on His Shoulder, Sniveling Weasels, Lady MacBeth and the Pit Viper: Evil West Wingers in American Film
Ralph R. Donald

GMTV: Chiller November 2009 Offerings

It appears to be "Vampire Month" this November at Chiller. Here are this month's medieval-themed listings. The complete schedule is online at http://www.chillertv.com/app/Schedule/. As always, all times are EST.

TUESDAY, 3 NOV
8:00 PM: MOVIE--BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA (1992)


WEDNESDAY, 4 NOV
1:00 AM: MOVIE--BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA


SATURDAY, 7 NOV
10:00 PM: DOCUMENTARY--UNIVERSAL HORROR STORY


SUNDAY, 8 NOV
2:00 AM: DOCUMENTARY--UNIVERSAL HORROR STORY


WEDNESDAY, 11 NOV
4:00 PM: DARK REALM--CASTLE KEEP
[Medieval content unknown]
10:00 PM: MOVIE--BRAM STOKER'S WAY OF THE VAMPIRE


THURSDAY, 12 NOV
2:00 AM: MOVIE--BRAM STOKER'S WAY OF THE VAMPIRE


FRIDAY, 13 NOV
10:00 PM: MOVIE--BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA


SATURDAY, 14 NOV
3:00 AM: MOVIE--BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA


TUESDAY, 24 NOV
8:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--FOR I HAVE SINNED
9:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--FEEDING THE BEAST
10:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--STRANGER THAN FICTION
11:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--THE FIX


WEDNESDAY, 25 NOV
12:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT--BLOOD MONEY
1:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT--PARTNERS OF THE MONTH
2:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT: CURIOUSER & CURIOUSER
3:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT--NEAR DEATH
8:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--DARK KNIGHT
9:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--DARK KNIGHT: THE SECOND CHAPTER
10:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--ONLY THE LONELY
11:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--KILLER INSTINCT


THURSDAY, NOV 26
12:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT--BE MY VALENTINE
1:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT--A MORE PERMANENT HELL
2:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT--BABY BABY
3:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT--CLOSE CALL
7:00 AM: POLTERGEIST: THE LEGACY--THE LAST GOOD KNIGHT
5:00 PM: TRUE HORROR--DRACULA
6:00 PM: MOVIE--BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA
9:00 PM: TRUE HORROR--DRACULA


FRIDAY, 27 NOV
12:00 AM: MOVIE--BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA
3:00 AM: TRUE HORROR--DRACULA


SATURDAY, 28 NOV
9:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT--FOR I HAVE SINNED
10:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT--FEEDING THE BEAST
11:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT--STRANGER THAN FICTION
12:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--THE FIX
1:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--BLOOD MONEY
2:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--PARTNERS OF THE MONTH
3:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--CURIOUSER & CURIOUSER
8:00 PM: TRUE HORROR--DRACULA
9:00 PM: SCARIEST PLACES ON EARTH--A NIGHT IN DRACULA'S CASTLE: TRANSYLVANIA - PART ONE
10:00 PM: SCARIEST PLACES ON EARTH--A NIGHT IN DRACULA'S CASTLE: TRANSYLVANIA - PART TWO
11:00 PM: SCARIEST PLACES ON EARTH--RETURN TO ROMANIA


SUNDAY, 29 NOV
12:00 AM: TRUE HORROR--DRACULA
1:00 AM: SCARIEST PLACES ON EARTH--A NIGHT IN DRACULA'S CASTLE: TRANSYLVANIA - PART ONE
2:00 AM: SCARIEST PLACES ON EARTH--A NIGHT IN DRACULA'S CASTLE: TRANSYLVANIA - PART TWO
3:00 AM: SCARIEST PLACES ON EARTH--RETURN TO ROMANIA
9:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT--DARK KNIGHT
10:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT--DARK KNIGHT: THE SECOND CHAPTER
11:00 AM: FOREVER KNIGHT--ONLY THE LONELY
12:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--KILLER INSTINCT
1:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--BE MY VALENTINE
2:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--A MORE PERMANENT HELL
3:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--BABY BABY
4:00 PM: FOREVER KNIGHT--CLOSE CALL



Also airing this month: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, POLTERGEIST: THE LEGACY, and TWIN PEAKS.

MCP: John Matthews Begins The Chronicles of Arthur

Prolific Arthurian author John Matthews has recently published Sword of Fire and Ice, the first of a series of Arthurian-themed graphic novels. Following an introduction by Matthews, the book traces the rise of Arthur from his birth to his coronation and incorporates a variety of stories from medieval Arthurian literature and Celtic mythology in creating the magical world that Arthur, through Merlin and the nine sisters of Avalon, interacts with. Overall, the story was interesting, but the art tends to vary in quality.


Details from the publisher's web site follow below:

The Chronicles of Arthur

Sword of Fire and Ice

By John Matthews

Illustrated by: Mike Collins

Availability: Usually ships within 2-3 days

Description:

BEFORE THE ROUND TABLE. BEFORE THE GREAT QUESTS. BEFORE HE WAS KING...

Many stories have been told of King Arthur. Young Arthur's days were full of adventures that prepared him for the life that lay ahead. As a boy, Arthur lived in a time and place where all things were possible and the old magic prevailed. Get ready to step inside the ancient world of Albion and see Arthur like you've never seen him before....

Our Price: $21.99 (HC)
Product Details
Aladdin, September 2009
Hardcover, 128 pages
ISBN-10: 1416986839
ISBN-13: 9781416986836
Ages: 8 - 12
Grades: 3 - 7

Our Price: $14.99 (PB)
Product Details
Aladdin, September 2009
Trade Paperback, 128 pages
ISBN-10: 1416959084
ISBN-13: 9781416959083
Ages: 8 - 12
Grades: 3 - 7


Thanks to Alan Stewart's Camelot in Four Colors for the heads up.

(Updated 11/25/09)

GMTV: More Robin Hood (End of Nov. 2009)

Here are the remanding airdates for the BBC's Robin Hood series airing this month on BBC America.

Saturday, November 14, 2009
8:00 PM
Robin Hood - Ep 9 A Dangerous Deal
TV-PG
Robin tries to strike a deal with the new Sheriff, Isabella, but she rejects it. Kate tells Robin how she feels but Robin is apprehensive. Season 3 Ep. 9

9:00 PM
Robin Hood - Ep 10 Bad Blood
TV-PG
Robin meets his father again and learns that he and Gisbone share a half-brother who is in York Jail awaiting execution. Season 3 Ep. 10

11:00 PM
Robin Hood - Ep 9 A Dangerous Deal
TV-PG
Robin tries to strike a deal with the new Sheriff, Isabella, but she rejects it. Kate tells Robin how she feels but Robin is apprehensive. Season 3 Ep. 9



Sunday, November 15, 2009
12:00 AM
Robin Hood - Ep 10 Bad Blood
TV-PG
Robin meets his father again and learns that he and Gisbone share a half-brother who is in York Jail awaiting execution. Season 3 Ep. 10

2:00 AM
Robin Hood - Ep 9 A Dangerous Deal
TV-PG
Robin tries to strike a deal with the new Sheriff, Isabella, but she rejects it. Kate tells Robin how she feels but Robin is apprehensive. Season 3 Ep. 9

3:00 AM
Robin Hood - Ep 10 Bad Blood
TV-PG
Robin meets his father again and learns that he and Gisbone share a half-brother who is in York Jail awaiting execution. Season 3 Ep. 10



Saturday, November 21, 2009
8:00 PM
Robin Hood - Ep 10 Bad Blood
TV-PG
Robin meets his father again and learns that he and Gisbone share a half-brother who is in York Jail awaiting execution. Season 3 Ep. 10

9:00 PM
Robin Hood - Ep 11 The Enemy of My Enemy
TV-PG
Robin tells the Outlaws Gisborne is joining them because wants to honor his father's dying wish and save his half-brother Archer, but will Archer return the favor when the tables are turned? Season 3 Ep. 11

11:00 PM
Robin Hood - Ep 10 Bad Blood
TV-PG
Robin meets his father again and learns that he and Gisbone share a half-brother who is in York Jail awaiting execution. Season 3 Ep. 10



Sunday, November 22, 2009
12:00 AM
Robin Hood - Ep 11 The Enemy of My Enemy
TV-PG
Robin tells the Outlaws Gisborne is joining them because wants to honor his father's dying wish and save his half-brother Archer, but will Archer return the favor when the tables are turned? Season 3 Ep. 11

2:00 AM
Robin Hood - Ep 10 Bad Blood
TV-PG
Robin meets his father again and learns that he and Gisbone share a half-brother who is in York Jail awaiting execution. Season 3 Ep. 10

3:00 AM
Robin Hood - Ep 11 The Enemy of My Enemy
TV-PG
Robin tells the Outlaws Gisborne is joining them because wants to honor his father's dying wish and save his half-brother Archer, but will Archer return the favor when the tables are turned? Season 3 Ep. 11



Saturday, November 28, 2009
8:00 PM
Robin Hood - Ep 1 Total Eclipse
TV-PG
Robin returns to avenge Marian's murder and battle Gisborne. Tuck searches for Robin Hood, believing he is the only man who can unite England and destroy the Sheriff, Gisborne and Prince John. Season 3 Ep. 1

9:00 PM
Robin Hood - Ep 2 Cause and Effect
TV-PG
The Sheriff sells the local village men to Irish warriors. Kate, a village girl, tries to rescue her brother, but with Robin captured, himself, her heroics have devastating consequences. Season 3 Ep. 2

11:00 PM
Robin Hood - Ep 1 Total Eclipse
TV-PG
Robin returns to avenge Marian's murder and battle Gisborne. Tuck searches for Robin Hood, believing he is the only man who can unite England and destroy the Sheriff, Gisborne and Prince John. Season 3 Ep. 1



Sunday, November 29, 2009
12:00 AM
Robin Hood - Ep 2 Cause and Effect
TV-PG
The Sheriff sells the local village men to Irish warriors. Kate, a village girl, tries to rescue her brother, but with Robin captured, himself, her heroics have devastating consequences. Season 3 Ep. 2

2:00 AM
Robin Hood - Ep 1 Total Eclipse
TV-PG
Robin returns to avenge Marian's murder and battle Gisborne. Tuck searches for Robin Hood, believing he is the only man who can unite England and destroy the Sheriff, Gisborne and Prince John. Season 3 Ep. 1

3:00 AM
Robin Hood - Ep 2 Cause and Effect
TV-PG
The Sheriff sells the local village men to Irish warriors. Kate, a village girl, tries to rescue her brother, but with Robin captured, himself, her heroics have devastating consequences. Season 3 Ep. 2

MMSM: Mythlore 28.1-2

The Mythopoeic Society has just published Mythlore 28.1-2 (Fall/Winter 2008) with the following contents. This issue of the journal (along with back issues and a complete index) can be purchased online at the Mythopoeic Society website.

Mythlore 107/108
Volume 28, Issue 1/2
2009 Fall/Winter
200 pages

Table of Contents

Editorial

—Janet Brennan Croft

Perilous Shores: The Unfathomable Supernaturalism of Water in 19th-Century Scottish Folklore
—Jason Marc Harris

The Noldor and the Tuatha Dé Danaan: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Irish Influences
—Annie Kinniburgh

Tolkien’s Sigurd & Gudrún: Summary, Sources, & Analogs
—Pierre H. Berube

Amanda McKittrick Ros and the Inklings
—Anita G. Gorman and Leslie Robertson Mateer

Ancient Myths in Contemporary Cinema: Oedipus Rex and Perceval the Knight of the Holy Grail in Pulp Fiction and The Sixth Sense
—Inbar Shaham

The Heart of the Labyrinth: Reading Jim Henson’s Labyrinth as a Modern Dream Vision
—Shiloh Carroll

No Sex in Narnia? How Hans Christian Andersen’s “Snow Queen” Problematizes C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia
—Jennifer L. Miller

Innocence as a Super-power: Little Girls on the Hero’s Journey
—David Emerson

Naming the Evil One: Onomastic Strategies in Tolkien and Rowling
—Janet Brennan Croft

---

Reviews

• Tales Before Narnia: The Roots of Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction. Ed. Douglas A. Anderson. (Reviewed by John D. Rateliff)
• The Magician’s Book: A Skeptic’s Adventures In Narnia. Laura Miller. (Reviewed by Joe R. Christopher)
• Projecting Tolkien’s Musical Worlds: A Study of Musical Affect in Howard Shore’s Soundtrack to Lord of the Rings. By Matthew Young. (Reviewed by Jason Fisher)
• Esotericism, Art, and Imagination. Eds. Arthur Versluis, Lee Irwin, John Richards, and Melinda Weinstein. (Reviewed by Emily E. Auger)
• The Annotated Wind in the Willows. By Kenneth Grahame; introduction by Brian Jacques; edited with a preface and notes by Annie Gauger. The Wind in the Willows: An Annotated Edition. By Kenneth Grahame; edited by Seth Lerer. The Illustrators of The Wind in the Willows, 1908-2008. By Carolyn Hares-Stryker. (Reviewed by Janet Brennan Croft)
• Truths Breathed Through Silver: The Inklings’ Moral and Mythopoeic Legacy. Ed. Jonathan B. Himes, with Joe R. Christopher and Salwa Khoddam. (Reviewed by John D. Rateliff)
• Tolkien Studies: An Annual Scholarly Review. Volume VI. Edited by Douglas A. Anderson, Michael D.C. Drout, and Verlyn Flieger. (Reviewed by Janet Brennan Croft)

MCP: The Black Knight Returns

Marvel Comics has recently published Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Black Knight/Yellow Claw. The book reproduces the contents of The Black Knight Nos. 1-5 from 1955-56 and stars Sir Percy of Scandia, the Arthurian-era Black Knight, who, aided by Merlin, protected Camelot and King Arthur from the plots of Mordred. The collection is introduced by Roy Thomas, who offers some thoughts on the inspiration behind the series and its lead. The Black Knight also features a number of other medieval-themed comics.


Marvel is also publishing a new Black Knight series begining in November. Here are the details on No. 1:

THE BLACK KNIGHT #1
Written by TOM DEFALCO
Pencils & Cover by RON FRENZ
The secret origin of the original Black Knight is finally revealed as Vampires, Zombies, Werewolves and Demons from the darkest realms confront Sir Percy of Scandia and his twin brother on their desperate quest to find Chaos, the dreaded Doombringer--the only weapon capable of defeating Excalibur, the legendary battle sword of King Arthur!
40 PGS./One-Shot/Rated A ...$3.99

Mercedes Lackey Update

Writer Mercedes Lackey's recent novel Gwenhwyfar: The White Sprit, a novel set in medieval Britain that retells the lives of the three Guinveres of Welsh legend, is a featured selection in the Science Fiction Book Club's Special Holiday 2009 Catalog. Lackey describes her inspiration for the novel on her website at http://www.mercedeslackey.com/books/gwenhwyfar.html. She also offers some details on a series in progress with co-writer Rosemary Edgehill entitled The Shadow Grail, a modern-day retelling/recasting of the legend,. Details at http://www.mercedeslackey.com/books/shadow1.html.

MCP: GARGOYLES Returns

Walt Disney Television Animation's fan-favorite series Gargoyles, a syndicated animated series created by Greg Weisman and starring a band of Gargoyles originally from tenth-century Scotland (and currently available, in part, on DVD), has recently returned in comics form in a series of 12 issues and a 6-issue spin-off comic, Gargoyles: Bad Guys, published by Slave Labor Graphics. Details on both series, and their cancellation, can be found on the series' Wikipedia page.

Essentially, both series present aspects of the unproduced third season of the television series. Arthurian characters are especially prominent in the second arc of the Gargoyles series.

Both comics series have been collected in manga-sized collections and include material that was unpublished due to each series' cancellation. They can be purchased on Amazon.com and direct from Slave Labor Graphics.

I append the details of each collection from the publishers web site:

Gargoyles: Clan Building Volume 1

Item Id: gargc1

The hit comic book series gets collected in trade paperback form just in time for the holidays. Gathering together the stories from issues #1-6, Gargoyles: Clan Building Volume One promises to be one of the best selling trade paperback SLG puts out this year. The series is still seen on the various Disney channels and the fan base remains as passionate about this book as it was during its initial run in syndication. Written by Greg Weisman, who created and produced the animated series and who is now producing the SPIDER-MAN The Animated Series for Sony, the stories presented in the comic book series represent the first additoins to the Gargoyles canon since the series ended almost 10 years ago. Presented in full color, this is going to be a must buy for all Gargoyles fans.

Creators Greg Weisman, Dave Hedgecock, Will Terrell, Greg Guler, Dustin Evans, Nir Paniry, Karine Charlebois,

ISBN # 9781593620967

UPC Code 9781593620967

Gargoyles: Clan Building Volume Two

Item Id: gargc2

Gargoyles Volume Two features the published issues seven and eight, plus the never-before-seen issues nine through twelve. Written by series creator Greg Weisman and with art by David Hedgecock, Greg Guler, David Hutchison, Benn Dunn and colors by Robby Bevard, Gargoyles: Clan-Building Volume Two concludes the Clan-Building storyline as the history of the Stone of Destiny unfolds and Brooklyn travels to the past to secure his clan‘s future. 160 page, full color digest size graphic novel

Creators Written by Greg Weisman, illustrated by various

ISBN # 978-1-59362-167-4

Diamond Comics Order Code MAY090629

UPC Code 9781593621674

Gargoyles: Bad Guys Volume One
Item Id: bgc1

Five of the toughest villains in the Gargoyles Universe: Hunter – member of a Scottish family of gargoyle-slayers; Dingo – Australian mercenary and charter member of the deadly Pack; Matrix – a nanotech hive-mind artificial intelligence that came very close to destroying the Earth; Yama – a Japanese gargoyle who betrayed his own clan, and Fang – the mutate who would be king. Take this quintet of felons and force them to work on the side of the angels. It may be hard to believe, but these Bad Guys are the best hope we’ve got! Gargoyles series creator Greg Weisman is the writer, with art by fan favorite Karine Charlebois and tones by fan favorite Stephanie Lostimolo. Bad Guys: Time to fight fire with fire.

Creators Greg Weisman, Karubw Charlebois, Stephanie Lostimilo, ISBN # 9781593621933 Diamond Comics Order Code 9781593621933

MCP: Hagar the Horrible Reprints

Titan Books has recently published a collection of early Hagar: The Horrible strips. Their web site offers the following details on the new book:

Hagar the Horrible The Dailies 1973-74
Dik Browne
Graphic Novel · Hardback
8.5in x 6in · 224pp · 9781848562332 ·
October 2009

In a world filled with dragons, wizards, sea monsters, Norse gods and titanic battles strides the world’s mildest marauder - HAGAR THE HORRIBLE!

Following the noble traditions of Beowulf and umm... , that movie The Vikings starring Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis, comes the epic saga of the best-known and most-loved Viking in the history of the world, the loveable, Hagar the Horrible - and his unending quest to put mead, swag and meat on the family table.

Collecting together the first two years' worth of strips that helped to forge the legend of Hagar the Horrible and make him one of the world’s most popular cartoon characters of all times.

Volume 1 in the series

GMTV: Syfy November 2009

The following represents Syfy's medieval-themed offerings for November 2009. As usual, all times are EST and the complete schedule for the month can be accessed at http://www.syfy.com/schedule/index.php?.


WEDNESDAY, 4 NOV
09:00 AM: DESTINATION TRUTH SEASON 2.5--ISSIE/ICELANDIC ELVES
[Medieval content unknown]


THURSDAY, 5 NOV
06:00 PM: LEGEND OF THE SEEKER--PROPHECY
07:00 PM: LEGEND OF THE SEEKER--DESTINY
08:00 PM: LEGEND OF THE SEEKER--DENNA
09:00 PM: LEGEND OF THE SEEKER--PUPPETEER
10:00 PM: LEGEND OF THE SEEKER--CONVERSION
11:00 PM: LEGEND OF THE SEEKER--FEVER
Mini-marathon of the syndicated fantasy series.

SATURDAY, 7 NOV
03:00 PM: SYFY ORIGINAL MOVIE--REIGN OF THE GARGOYLES


MONDAY, 9 NOV
08:00 AM: STARGATE SG-1 (SEASON 9)--RIPPLE EFFECT
09:00 AM: STARGATE SG-1 (SEASON 9)--STRONGHOLD
10:00 AM: STARGATE SG-1 (SEASON 9)--ETHON
11:00 AM: STARGATE SG-1 (SEASON 9)--OFF THE GRID
12:00 PM: STARGATE SG-1 (SEASON 9)--THE SCOURGE
01:00 PM: STARGATE SG-1 (SEASON 9)--ARTHUR'S MANTLE
02:00 PM: STARGATE SG-1 (SEASON 9)--CRUSADE
03:00 PM: STARGATE SG-1 (SEASON 9)--CAMELOT
Mini-marathon featuring the second half of season 9. Features the continuing quest for the Grail, an anti-Ori device created by Merlin the Ancient. "Camelot" presents a visit to a world once inhabited by Merlin, King Arthur and his Knights.


SUNDAY, 15 NOV
12:00 PM: MOVIE--STARGATE: THE ARK OF TRUTH
Conclusion of the Ori saga. Features Merlin and Morgan le Fay.


MONDAY, 16 NOV
08:00 AM: JOAN OF ARCADIA--OUT OF SIGHT
09:00 AM: JOAN OF ARCADIA--BACK TO THE GARDEN
10:00 AM: JOAN OF ARCADIA--THE CAT
11:00 AM: JOAN OF ARCADIA--THE ELECTION
12:00 PM: JOAN OF ARCADIA--WEALTH OF NATIONS
01:00 PM: JOAN OF ARCADIA--P.O.V.
02:00 PM: JOAN OF ARCADIA--FRIDAY NIGHT
Mini-marathon of series inspired by legends of St Joan of Arc

THURSDAY, 19 NOV
03:00 AM: MOVIE--ARABIAN NIGHTS - PART ONE
Made-for-tv miniseries. Part 2 airs the following night.

FRIDAY, 20 NOV
03:00 AM: MOVIE--ARABIAN NIGHTS - PART TWO

08:00 AM: INVASION--RUN AND GUN
09:00 AM: INVASION--ROUND UP
10:00 AM: INVASION--THE LAST WAVE GOODBYE
11:00 AM: INVASION--PILOT
12:00 PM: INVASION--LIGHTS OUT
01:00 PM: INVASION--WATERSHED
02:00 PM: INVASION--ALPHA MALE
03:00 PM: INVASION--UNNATURAL SELECTION
Alien invasion series with underdeveloped Robin Hood motif.

SATURDAY, 21 NOV
02:00 PM: MOVIE--KING ARTHUR (2004)
Feature film purporting to tell the truth behind the legend.
09:00 PM: MOVIE--IN THE NAME OF THE KING: A DUNGEON SIEGE TALE (2007)
11:30 PM: SYFY ORIGINAL MOVIE--FIRE AND ICE (2008)


SUNDAY, 22 NOV
01:30 AM: SYFY ORIGINAL MOVIE--DRAGON SWORD (2004)
Based on the legends of St George.


TUESDAY, 24 NOV
08:30 AM: MOVIE--DRAGONQUEST (2009)
10:30 AM: MOVIE--DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: WRATH OF THE DRAGON GOD
01:00 PM: MOVIE--MERLIN AND THE WAR OF THE DRAGONS (2008)
A tale of young Merlin.


SATURDAY, 28 NOV
11:00 AM: MOVIE MARATHON: SYFY ORIGINAL MOVIE--GRENDEL (2007)
Retelling of the Beowulf story.
09:00 PM: MOVIE MARATHON: SYFY ORIGINAL MOVIE--BEYOND SHERWOOD FOREST (2009)




SUNDAY, 29 NOV
1:00 AM: MOVIE MARATHON: SYFY ORIGINAL MOVIE--BEYOND SHERWOOD FOREST
03:00 AM: MOVIE MARATHON: SYFY ORIGINAL MOVIE--DRAGON STORM (2004)
Extraterrestrial dragons invade medieval Eastern Europe.



Also airing this month: Highlander and Highlander: Raven. Both feature immortal characters who were active during the medieval era. Medieval content unknown.

GMTV: More Robin Hood

Here are the details on upcoming episodes of Robin Hood on BBC America. All times are EST. The complete schedule for the network can be accessed at http://www.bbcamerica.com/tvschedule.jsp.


Saturday, October 24, 2009
8:00 PM: Robin Hood - Ep 6 Do You Love Me? (TV-PG
Prince John visits Nottingham, and he is out to make mischief. Meanwhile, Robin is up to mischief of his own, but who is the lucky woman? Season 3 Ep. 6
9:00 PM: Robin Hood - Ep 7 Too Hot to Handle (TV-PG
A heat wave hits and Prince John blocks all the local wells, forcing the outlaws to take desperate measures to save those at risk. Isabella suggests a new life, and Robin has to make a difficult choice. Season 3 Ep. 7
11:00 PM: Robin Hood - Ep 6 Do You Love Me? (TV-PG
Prince John visits Nottingham, and he is out to make mischief. Meanwhile, Robin is up to mischief of his own, but who is the lucky woman? Season 3 Ep. 6


Sunday, October 25, 2009
12:00 AM: Robin Hood - Ep 7 Too Hot to Handle (TV-PG
A heat wave hits and Prince John blocks all the local wells, forcing the outlaws to take desperate measures to save those at risk. Isabella suggests a new life, and Robin has to make a difficult choice. Season 3 Ep. 7
2:00 AM: Robin Hood - Ep 6 Do You Love Me? (TV-PG
Prince John visits Nottingham, and he is out to make mischief. Meanwhile, Robin is up to mischief of his own, but who is the lucky woman? Season 3 Ep. 6
3:00 AM: Robin Hood - Ep 7 Too Hot to Handle (TV-PG
A heat wave hits and Prince John blocks all the local wells, forcing the outlaws to take desperate measures to save those at risk. Isabella suggests a new life, and Robin has to make a difficult choice. Season 3 Ep. 7


Saturday, October 31, 2009
8:00 PM: Robin Hood - Ep 7 Too Hot to Handle (TV-PG
A heat wave hits and Prince John blocks all the local wells, forcing the outlaws to take desperate measures to save those at risk. Isabella suggests a new life, and Robin has to make a difficult choice. Season 3 Ep. 7
9:00 PM: Robin Hood - Ep 8 The King Is Dead, Long Live The King (TV-PG
Isabella is desperate to prove her loyalty to the Prince and win the Sheriff's job. News arrives that King Richard is dead, and Robin tries to stop Prince John's hasty coronation. Season 3 Ep. 8
11:00 PM: Robin Hood - Ep 7 Too Hot to Handle (TV-PG
A heat wave hits and Prince John blocks all the local wells, forcing the outlaws to take desperate measures to save those at risk. Isabella suggests a new life, and Robin has to make a difficult choice. Season 3 Ep. 7



Sunday, November 1, 2009
12:00 AM: Robin Hood - Ep 8 The King Is Dead, Long Live The King (TV-PG
Isabella is desperate to prove her loyalty to the Prince and win the Sheriff's job. News arrives that King Richard is dead, and Robin tries to stop Prince John's hasty coronation. Season 3 Ep. 8
2:00 AM: Robin Hood - Ep 7 Too Hot to Handle (TV-PG
A heat wave hits and Prince John blocks all the local wells, forcing the outlaws to take desperate measures to save those at risk. Isabella suggests a new life, and Robin has to make a difficult choice. Season 3 Ep. 7
3:00 AM: Robin Hood - Ep 8 The King Is Dead, Long Live The King (TV-PG
Isabella is desperate to prove her loyalty to the Prince and win the Sheriff's job. News arrives that King Richard is dead, and Robin tries to stop Prince John's hasty coronation. Season 3 Ep. 8


Saturday, November 7, 2009
8:00 PM: Robin Hood - Ep 8 The King Is Dead, Long Live The King (TV-PG
Isabella is desperate to prove her loyalty to the Prince and win the Sheriff's job. News arrives that King Richard is dead, and Robin tries to stop Prince John's hasty coronation. Season 3 Ep. 8
9:00 PM: Robin Hood - Ep 9 A Dangerous Deal (TV-PG
Robin tries to strike a deal with the new Sheriff, Isabella, but she rejects it. Kate tells Robin how she feels but Robin is apprehensive. Season 3 Ep. 9
11:00 PM: Robin Hood - Ep 8 The King Is Dead, Long Live The King (TV-PG
Isabella is desperate to prove her loyalty to the Prince and win the Sheriff's job. News arrives that King Richard is dead, and Robin tries to stop Prince John's hasty coronation. Season 3 Ep. 8


Sunday, November 8, 2009
12:00 AM: Robin Hood - Ep 9 A Dangerous Deal (TV-PG
Robin tries to strike a deal with the new Sheriff, Isabella, but she rejects it. Kate tells Robin how she feels but Robin is apprehensive. Season 3 Ep. 9
2:00 AM: Robin Hood - Ep 8 The King Is Dead, Long Live The King (TV-PG
Isabella is desperate to prove her loyalty to the Prince and win the Sheriff's job. News arrives that King Richard is dead, and Robin tries to stop Prince John's hasty coronation. Season 3 Ep. 8
3:00 AM: Robin Hood - Ep 9 A Dangerous Deal (TV-PG
Robin tries to strike a deal with the new Sheriff, Isabella, but she rejects it. Kate tells Robin how she feels but Robin is apprehensive. Season 3 Ep. 9


Saturday, November 14, 2009
8:00 PM: Robin Hood - Ep 9 A Dangerous Deal
Robin tries to strike a deal with the new Sheriff, Isabella, but she rejects it. Kate tells Robin how she feels but Robin is apprehensive. Season 3 Ep. 9
9:00 PM: Robin Hood - Ep 10 Bad Blood (TV-PG
Robin meets his father again and learns that he and Gisbone share a half-brother who is in York Jail awaiting execution. Season 3 Ep. 10
11:00 PM: Robin Hood - Ep 9 A Dangerous Deal
Robin tries to strike a deal with the new Sheriff, Isabella, but she rejects it. Kate tells Robin how she feels but Robin is apprehensive. Season 3 Ep. 9


Sunday, November 15, 2009
12:00 AM: Robin Hood - Ep 10 Bad Blood (TV-PG
Robin meets his father again and learns that he and Gisbone share a half-brother who is in York Jail awaiting execution. Season 3 Ep. 10
2:00 AM: Robin Hood - Ep 9 A Dangerous Deal
Robin tries to strike a deal with the new Sheriff, Isabella, but she rejects it. Kate tells Robin how she feels but Robin is apprehensive. Season 3 Ep. 9
3:00 AM: Robin Hood - Ep 10 Bad Blood (TV-PG
Robin meets his father again and learns that he and Gisbone share a half-brother who is in York Jail awaiting execution. Season 3 Ep. 10

MMSM: New Article on Zemeckis's BEOWULF

The latest number of Studies in Popular Culture 31.2 (Spring 2009) includes an article by Kathleen Forni on the recent animated retelling of Beowulf. A pdf of the article can be downloaded from the journal web site at http://www.pcasacas.org/SiPC/SiPC_31.2/Forni.pdf.

MMSM: New Essays in ARTHURIANA

The latest number of Arthuriana 19.3 (Fall 2009) includes the following articles of interest. All essays in this number are revised conference papers from sessions presented in May at Kalamazoo in honor of Bonnie Wheeler, out-going editor of the journal.


Who's Your Daddy?: New Age Grails
Laurie Finke and Martin B. Shichtman

Monumentality and the Gaze in Jean Cocteau's L' Éternel retour (1943)
Kathleen Coyne Kelly

Perverse Pastoralism and Medieval Melancholia in Powell and Pressburger's A Canterbury Tale
Tison Pugh

The Use of History and Archaeology in Contemporary Arthurian Fiction
Christopher A. Snyder

MMSM: MLA Survey for 2nd Edition of Teaching BEOWULF

The Modern Language Association (i. e. MLA) is in the process of organizing a second edition of their publication Approaches to Teaching Beowulf and has posted a brief survey for educators. The survey, available at the MLA's web site, must be completed (online seems to be preferred) by 15 December 2009.

The following release was sent to MLA members:

Dear Colleague:

I write on behalf of the MLA Publications Committee to ask for your help in an important professional project. We are beginning preparation of the volume Approaches to Teaching Beowulf, 2nd ed., edited by Howell D. Chickering, Jr., Allen J. Frantzen, and Robert F. Yeager, and would very much like you to participate.

We ask, first, that you respond to a brief questionnaire available on the MLA Web site at www.mla.org/approaches. We are particularly interested in your response to the final item concerning whether you would be willing to contribute an essay to the volume. Like other books published in the Approaches to Teaching series, this one will contain not only a discussion of the most important and useful materials available to the teacher of Beowulf but also a selection of essays by instructors.
We hope that you will be willing to share with other colleagues your experience in teaching Beowulf. The questionnaire will be available on the Web site until 15 December 2009, and all responses will be transmitted directly to the volume's editors.

You are receiving this message because you are a member of a division or discussion group whose members we believe would be interested in contributing to this volume, and we encourage you to pass it along to other colleagues who you think might also be interested. We would appreciate whatever assistance you can offer to this project and look forward to hearing from you.

Cordially,

David G. Nicholls
Director of Book Publications
Modern Language Association of America

MMSM: Notice of Upcoming Conferences

The following calls for papers were posted online recently. Both conferences are in Juy 2010:

FROM THE STUDIES IN MEDIEVALISM BLOG: (no English version)

XXVe Conférence Internationale sur le Médiévalisme, organisée en partenariat avec Modernités médiévales
« Dialogues transatlantiques : Parler du Moyen Age »
Université de Groningen (Pays-Bas), 8-10 juillet 2010

Date butoir : 15 novembre
Merci d’envoyer une proposition d’environ 300 mots (20 à 30 lignes) à Alicia C. Montoya et Vincent Ferré : A.C.Montoya@rug.nl / ferre@fabula.org


FROM THE MYTHOPOEIC SOCIETY WEB SITE:

Mythcon 41
War in Heaven
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, Texas
July 16-19, 2010 * * (Dates to be finalized early in the fall semester)


NO DATE FOR PROPOSALS YET (but they have a cool logo)

MMSM: Conference Papers of Interest: NEPCA The Northeast Popular Culture/American Culture Association (Queensborough Community College 10/23-24/09)

NEPCA, the Northeast Popular/American Culture Association, meets this month at Queensborough Community College from Friday, 23 October, through Saturday, 24 October. The conference includes some papers on medieval subjects, as noted below. The complete program and registration information can be accessed at http://users.wpi.edu/~jphanlan/qccprogram.htm.


SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24

SESSION III: 10:30 AM – 12:00 pm
Panel 27: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Legend II
Location: Medical Arts MC 41
Chair: Marlene San Miguel Groner, Farmingdale State College
PAPER 1 of 3: “America’s First Arthurian-Inspired Superhero: Quality Comics’ Merlin the Magician (1940-42)
Michael A. Torregrossa, The Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
PAPER 2 0f 3: “Who’s Afraid of the Beowulf? The Anglo-Saxon Hero as a Modern Movie Monster”
John Sexton, Bridgewater State College


SESSION IV: 1:30 – 3:00 PM
Panel 32: Sexual Identity in Film and Literature
Location: Medical Arts MC 28
Chair: John Talbird, Queensborough Community College
PAPER 2 of 3: “Masculine Game(s) in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Make Me a Supermodel”
Mo Parales, New York University

GWTV: Adventures of Robin Hood Now on RTV

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-60), starring Richard Greene as Robin Hood, is currently airing on RTV (Retro TeleVision). Local listings can be accessed at http://www.myretrotv.com/programming.html. The complete series--four seasons in total--is also available on Region Free DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment and can be ordered from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. More details about the series can be found on Wikipedia.