Join the CLCS Celtic Forum at the MLA Convention in Seattle, Jan. 9-12, 2020!

Panel: Arthurian Archipelagos

The CLCS Celtic and Arthurian forums are proposing a joint-sponsored special session based on the concept of Arthurian Archipelagos. The governing concept of “archipelago,” understood as a loosely related chain of islands connected by water (much like the British Isles where the Arthurian legend originated), asks us to think “archipelagically”—to bring together loosely-connected ideas, texts, and concepts that link to one another across a broader or more far-flung area than we might otherwise consider. Papers may also think geographically, broadening the purview of the “Arthurian world” by considering Arthur in Europe, Africa, the Mediterranean, the Americas, India, Asia, Australia—as if the landmasses of this world might be viewed as sets of archipelagos. Papers may also emphasize the very real, smaller archipelagos of the North Atlantic, focusing on motifs in Arthurian literature like sea travel, islands, boats, navigation, etc.—or, in the digital realm, thinking of the Internet as a sea, of digital data points as archipelagos in a virtual Arthurian world. To focus our ideas, the session emphasizes “archipelago” as a metaphor for a particular methodology, expanded geographical purview, or motif study. We are open to studies focusing on the Arthurian legend in any time, place, or format.

Submit 250-word abstracts for 15-minute papers and a short bio to Melissa Ridley Elmes ([email protected]) and Molly Martin ([email protected]) by March 15.