Recent Monster Scholarship from Arthuriana

Worth checking out:

Diem, Matthew B. "Chrétien and the Seven Dwarfs: The Portrayal of Dwarf Characters in the Earliest Arthurian Romances." Arthuriana, vol. 32 no. 1, 2022, p. 7-34. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/art.2022.0001.


Thum-O'brien, Robyn. "The King, the Giant, and Time: Temporality in the Encounter at Mont Saint Michel in the Alliterative Morte Arthure." Arthuriana, vol. 32 no. 1, 2022, p. 82-94. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/art.2022.0004.


Walton, Kathryn M. M. "Rewriting a Demon: Merlin's Changing Characterization in Three Versions of Of Arthour and of Merlin." Arthuriana, vol. 32 no. 1, 2022, p. 55-81. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/art.2022.0003.

Lovecraftian Arthuriana Updated List for Kalamazoo

Here's my updated bibliography for my Kalamazoo presentation this week. A PDF version can be accessed from my Academia.edu page at https://www.academia.edu/38962429/2019_They_Did_the_Mash_They_Did_the_Arthurian_Monster_Mash_Mergers_of_the_Matter_of_Britain_and_Lovecraft_s_Cthulhuan_Mythos_handout_only_.

They Did the Mash; They Did the Arthurian Monster Mash:

Mergers of the Matter of Britain and Lovecraft’s Cthulhuan Mythos

A Preliminary Bibliography (Revised)

Compiled by Michael A. Torregrossa (monstrous.matter.of.britain@gmail.com)

Arcane Tomes at Camelot:

Dale, Joseph S. Azaroth Rising: A History of the Necronomicon (2016).

Mantlo, Bill. Marvel Chillers Nos. 1-2 (1975).

Michelinie. David. The Avengers No. 187 (September 1979).

Raimi, Sam. Army of Darkness (1992) (and multiple adaptations and continuations).

Van Lente, Fred. Marvel Zombies 5 (2010).

Cthulhuan Menaces at Camelot:

Bunn, Cullen, and Mirko Colak. Unholy Grail comic book series (2017). [In progress.]

Chamberlin, Adrian. “The Serpents of Albion.” Sword & Mythos, edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles (2014).

DeGuerre, Phillip. Dr. Strange (1978).

Gillis, Peter. Final arc of Marvel’s The Defenders (1984-86) and opening arc of Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme (1989).

Mignola, Mike. Hellboy: The Wild Hunt (2008-2009), Hellboy: The Storm (2010), and Hellboy: The Fury (2011). (Inspiration for the 2019 Hellboy feature film.)

Mills, Pat. Sláine: Time Killer (1984-1985), Sláine: Treasures of Britain (1996-1997), and more (?).

Ritchie, Guy. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017).

Straczynski, J. Michael. “A Late Delivery from Avalon,” Babylon 5 (1996).

Thomas, Roy. “The Black Knight Reborn,” Marvel Super-Heroes No. 17 (November 1968).

Vaughn, Carrie. “The Lady of Shalott,” Swords v. Cthulhu (2016), pp. 41-52.

The Once and Future King vs. Cthulhuan Menaces:

Abnett, Dan, and John Tomlinson. Knights of Pendragon (1990-1991) and Knights of Pendragon II (1992-1993). [see Jason Tondro’s Superheroes of the Round Table, p. 182]

Aniolowski, Scott, Garrie Hall, Steve Hatherley, Alan Smithee, John T. Snyder, and John Tynes. The Golden Dawn: A Sourcebook of Victorian Occult Intrigue for Call of Cthulhu (1996). [Not seen; referenced in Ann F. Howey and Stephen R. Reimer’s A Bibliography of Modern Arthuriana (1500-2000), item E-21.]

Charrette, Robert N. The Strange World of John Reddy trilogy (1994-95).

DeGuerre, Phillip. Dr. Strange (1978).

Gillis, Peter. Final arc of Marvel’s The Defenders (1984-86) and opening arc of Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme (1989).

Glut, Donald F. “Knights and Demons,” Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981).

Hawke, Simon. Wizard of 4^th Street novel series (1987-1997).

Mignola, Mike. Hellboy: The Wild Hunt (2008-2009), Hellboy: The Storm (2010), and Hellboy: The Fury (2011). (Inspiration for the 2019 Hellboy feature film.)

Parkhouse, Steve. “The Black Knight” serial, Hulk Comics Nos. 1-63 (1979-1980).

Riot, James. The Path webcomic (2007-?). [No longer available?]

Straczynski, J. Michael. “A Late Delivery from Avalon,” Babylon 5 (1996).

Stargate: The Ark of Truth (2008).

Stargate SG-1. Season 9 (2005-2006) and 10 (2006-2007).

Thomas, G. W. “Merlin’s Bane,” Pseudopod 77 (2008).

Thomas, Roy. “The Black Knight Reborn,” Marvel Super-Heroes No. 17 (November 1968).

Winter, Andy. Pendragon: The Quest for King Arthur (2017).

CFP Hagiography and Demonology in the Pearl-poet Corpus (9/15/2018; ICoMS Kalamazoo 2019)

The International Pearl-Poet Society has 5 sponsored sessions for next Kalamazoo (compared to our 1), and one of there's is especially relevant here.


Pearl and Sir Gawain Sessions - ICMS 2019
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2018/06/22/pearl-and-sir-gawain-sessions-icms-2019

deadline for submissions: September 15, 2018

full name / name of organization: International Pearl-Poet Society

contact email: bsw.barootes@utoronto.ca



International Pearl-Poet Society

Call for Papers — ICMS 2019



The International Pearl-Poet Society is sponsoring six sessions at the 54th International Congress on Medieval Studies (May 9–12, 2019) at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI.



5) Fifty Shades of Green: Hagiography and Demonology in the Pearl-poet Corpus



Between the celestial city and the shady Green Chapel, the miracles of a London bishop and the Leviathan-underworld in the belly of a sea beast, the works of the Pearl-poet explore the full range of the divine and the infernal. The papers in this session will interrogate the poet’s use of hagiographic tropes as well as material from folk traditions as he crafts his supernatural narratives.



We invite abstracts from scholars of all levels. Papers may deal with one or all of the poems by the Pearl-poet. Paper sessions will consist of either three twenty-minute or four fifteen-minute presentations; all paper sessions will afford at least thirty minutes for discussion. As lively conversation and collaboration are key goals, the pedagogical roundtable can accommodate up to six participants presenting for seven or eight minutes, with approximately half the session reserved for discussion.



Please send your abstract (max. 300 words) and the completed Participant Information Form by

15 September 2018 to



Benjamin Barootes

Pontifical Institute of Mediæval Studies

59 Queen’s Park Crescent East

Toronto, Ontario

Canada M5S 2C4

bsw.barootes@utoronto.ca

Radcliffe Handout on Undead Arthuriana

Here is the text of my handout for my presentation at the Second Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference at StokerCon this weekend (conference information at http://stokercon2018.org/):

Arthurian Monster Mash:

The Undead in Camelot from The Awntyrs off Arthure at the Terne Wathelyne to the Fiction of Today

Michael A. Torregrossa

monstrous.matter.of.britain@gmail.com / monstrous-matter-of-britain.blogspot.com

Biography:

I am a medievalist trained locally at both Rhode Island College and the University of Connecticut at Storrs, and my research focuses on the Arthurian tradition and its representation in popular culture, especially comics. I am very intrigued by the more obscure aspects of the modern Matter of Britain, and a colleague once introduced me at a conference as, “a purveyor of weird Arthuriana.” This tendency has inspired my ongoing work on monsters in Arthurian texts, such as Lovecraft’s menaces (the subject of a presentation this past summer at Necronomicon), a series of papers on vampires at meetings of the Northeast Popular Culture / American Culture Association, where I have served as Fantastic (Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction) Area Chair since 2008, and one paper on zombies at a meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Popular Culture Association.

Works Cited:

“The Adventures of Arthur at Tarn Wadling.” Five Middle English Arthurian Romances, translated by Valerie Krishna, Routledge, 2014. 

 “The Awntyrs off Arthure at the Terne Wathelyne.” TEAMS Middle English Text Series, edited by Thomas Hahn, d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/hahn-sir-gawain-awntyrs-off-arthur.

Beranak, Adam, and Christian Beranak. Dracula vs. King Arthur four-issue comic book series (2005). (e-books on Amazon and comiXology)

Flores, David R. Dead Future King five-issue e-comic series (2012). (formerly on Amazon) 

Raimi, Sam. Evil Dead franchise (1981-). (multiple sites)

Robertson, Mark, illustrator. “The Adventure of Tarn Wathelyne.” The Unknown Arthur: Forgotten Tales of the Round Table, by John Matthews, Blandford, 1995, between pp. 96 and 97. 

Sinor, Bradley H. Lancelot the vampire series of short stories (1996-). (multiple sites and collections, including Echoes from the Darkness, In the Shadows, and Where the Shadows Began & Other Stories)

Toorchen, Anthea, illustrator.  “The Adventures of Tarn Wathelyne.” The Unknown Arthur: Forgotten Tales of the Round Table, by John Matthews, Blandford, 1995, back cover.

Wolfe, Ron, and Dusty Higgins. Knights of the Living Dead first three issues of e-comic series (2012). (comiXology) 

Armitage Handout on Lovecraftian Arthuriana

Here is the text of my handout for my paper at this week's Armitage Symposium at NecronomiCon Providence. Details at http://necronomicon-providence.com/.



Shadows over Camelot: Lovecraftian Motifs in Arthurian Fiction

A Preliminary Bibliography

Compiled by Michael A. Torregrossa (monstrous.matter.of.britain@gmail.com)



Works by Lovecraft:

Lovecraft, H. P. “Supernatural in Horror Literature” (1927). [Reference to Malory paraphrased from Edith Birkhead’s The Tale of Terror: A Study of the Gothic Romance (1921).]



Scholarship on Lovecraft:

Blake, Ian. “Lovecraft and the Dark Grail.” Lovecraft Studies No. 26 (Spring 1992), pp. 16-18. [Not seen.]



Arcane Tomes at Camelot:

Mantlo, Bill. Marvel Chillers Nos. 1-2 (1975).

Michelinie. David. The Avengers No. 187 (September 1979).

Raimi, Sam. Army of Darkness (1992) (and multiple adaptations and continuations).

Van Lente, Fred. Marvel Zombies 5 (2010).



Cthulhuan Menaces at Camelot:

Abnett, Dan, and John Tomlinson. Knights of Pendragon (1990-1991) and Knights of Pendragon II (1992-1993). [see Jason Tondro’s Superheroes of the Round Table, p. 182]

Bunn, Cullen, and Mirko Colak. Unholy Grail comic book series (2017). [In progress.]

DeGuerre, Phillip. Dr. Strange (1978).

Gillis, Peter. Final arc of Marvel’s The Defenders (1984-86) and opening arc of Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme (1989).

Mignola, Mike. Hellboy: The Wild Hunt (2008-2009), Hellboy: The Storm (2010), and Hellboy: The Fury (2011). (Possibly the upcoming feature film set for a 2018 release.)

Mills, Pat. Sláine: Time Killer (1984-1985), Sláine: Treasures of Britain (1996-1997), and more (?).

Ritchie, Guy. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017).

Thomas, Roy. “The Black Knight Reborn,” Marvel Super-Heroes No. 17 (November 1968).

Vaughn, Carrie. “The Lady of Shalott,” Swords v. Cthulhu (2016), pp. 41-52.



The Once and Future King vs. Cthulhuan Menaces:

Abnett, Dan, and John Tomlinson. Knights of Pendragon (1990-1991) and Knights of Pendragon II (1992-1993). [see Jason Tondro’s Superheroes of the Round Table, p. 182]

Aniolowski, Scott, Garrie Hall, Steve Hatherley, Alan Smithee, John T. Snyder, and John Tynes. The Golden Dawn: A Sourcebook of Victorian Occult Intrigue for Call of Cthulhu (1996). [Not seen; referenced in Ann F. Howey and Stephen R. Reimer’s A Bibliography of Modern Arthuriana (1500-2000), item E-21.]

Charrette, Robert N. The Strange World of John Reddy trilogy (1994-95).

DeGuerre, Phillip. Dr. Strange (1978).

Gillis, Peter. Final arc of Marvel’s The Defenders (1984-86) and opening arc of Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme (1989).

Glut, Donald F. “Knights and Demons,” Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981).

Hawke, Simon. Wizard of 4th Street novel series (1987-1997).

Mignola, Mike. Hellboy: The Wild Hunt (2008-2009), Hellboy: The Storm (2010), and Hellboy: The Fury (2011). (Possibly the upcoming feature film set for a 2018 release.)

Parkhouse, Steve. “The Black Knight” serial, Hulk Comics Nos. 1-63 (1979-1980).

Riot, James. The Path webcomic (2007-?). [No longer available?]

Straczynski, J. Michael. “A Late Delivery from Avalon,” Babylon 5 (1996).

Stargate SG-1. Season 9 (2005-2006) and 10 (2006-2007) and Stargate: The Ark of Truth (2008).

Thomas, G. W. “Merlin’s Bane,” Pseudopod 77 (2008).

Thomas, Roy. “The Black Knight Reborn,” Marvel Super-Heroes No. 17 (November 1968).



Of related interest:

Munn, H. Warner. King of the World’s Edge (serialized in Weird Tales through 1939 and published in book form in 1966), Ship from Atlantis (1967), and Merlin’s Ring (1974), and Merlin’s Godson (1976), which collects King of the World’s Edge and Ship from Atlantis.

Unholy Grail No 3 Solicitation

Last one for the night:

Unholy Grail #3

Available on September 20 2017

You've heard the story of Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot—a tale of love both courtly and true. Now envision that love unfolding in a version of Camelot crawling with demonic receivers and unnatural horrors! Love itself takes a dark turn as jealousies unfold and grim thoughts of murder and betrayal take root in the minds of kings.

From writer Cullen Bunn (X-Men Blue, Deadpool, Venom) and artist Mirko Colak (Punisher) comes a Lovecraftian take on the Arthurian legend that HAD to be told at AfterShock Comics.

 

Preorder at https://www.comixology.com/Unholy-Grail-3/digital-comic/540699. 

 

Unholy Grail No 2 Solicitation

I'm in the midst of a Lovecraft project, so I thought I'd get the information about the remaining issues of Unholy Grail into the blog.

Unholy Grail #2

Available on August 9 2017

The horrific legend of King Arthur continues to unfold. The demon known as Merlin leaves a trail of carnage and curses as he searches for the boy who would be king. Arthur wages war against those who would oppose his sovereignty. The haunted walls of Camelot are raised. And Arthur meets the woman who will become his dark queen.

From writer Cullen Bunn (Uncanny X-Men, Deadpool) and artist Mirko Colak (Punisher) comes a Lovecraftian take on the Arthurian legend that HAD to be told at AfterShock Comics.

Preorder at: https://www.comixology.com/Unholy-Grail-2/digital-comic/526809.

Unholy Grail Comic Info

Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Mirko Colak have recently released the first issue of Unholy Grail, a comic book series (published by AfterShock Comics) that mashes the Arthurian legend with motifs from the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. 

The series premise (and solicitation for issue one) is as follows: 

Arthur Pendragon was the king of all Britain. His story is legendary. Merlin. The Lady of the Lake. Excalibur. Camelot. The Knights of the Round Table. But these stories are bright lies painted over the truth. Here is presented the gospel of Arthur's bloody rise to power and his unholy reign. The legend of King Arthur is not the stuff of legends, but the fuel of nightmares.

As Arthur descends into darkness, is there any lingering hope that he still might do something good? From writer Cullen Bunn (Uncanny X-Men, Deadpool) and artist Mirko Colak (Punisher) comes a Lovecraftian take on the Arthurian legend that HAD to be told at AfterShock Comics.

Issue one is out so far. Merlin is a true demon here, but the Lovecraftian elements are not yet made clear. Issue two is due in August, and issue three comes out in September. No word yet on further issues or if the three solicited so far will complete the series. 

 Full details and ordering information (linked to comiXology) at http://aftershockcomics.com/unholygrail/. 

 

 

Blog Update 7/25/17

I am hoping to be more active on this blog in the coming months as I work through my growing collection of monstrous texts.

Do post comments or send emails if you have any further suggestions.

Michael Torregrossa
Founder/Blog Editor, The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain

Monsters at Arthurian Congress 2014

Of interest if you're in Romania this summer:

XXIV Triennial Congress of the International Arthurian Society - University of Bucharest
(full program at http://arthuriancongress.unibuc.ro/programme/)

Friday, July 25th

Panel 3 : 11.50-13.00
Arthur et le monde des revenants
Paper 3 (of 3): Heidi STØA (Indiana University Bloomington), The Ghost and the Otherworld in the Awntyrs off Arthure at the Terne Wathelyne


Panel 1: 15.20-17.20
Thematic Pannel : Children of the (K)night: Arthurian Bad Boys and Mean Girls
Organizer : Kevin J. HARTY (La Salle University, Philadelphia)
Participants:
Paper 1 (of 7!): Christine NEUFELD (Eastern Michigan University), Bloodlines: The Sanguine Semiotics of Dracula vs. King Arthur

Jack the Giant Slayer

A final post for the night. The recent film Jack the Giant Slayer offers a fresh take on the traditional story:

Shrek the Third!

On the subject of the Monstrous Matter of Britain on film, I would be remiss if I omitted the recent film Shrek the Third. The film brings the characters from the Shrekverse into a pre-Arthurian world when the ogre Shrek goes in search of a young Arthur to replace Shrek and his bride Fiona (another ogre) as the rulers of Far Far Away. Familiar Arthurian figures turn up in cameos as students at Arthur's school, and a befuddled Merlin is instrumental in getting the heroes home to face the villain of the film, Prince Charming.

Monsters of Quest for Camelot

Sorry for being away so long (again). I'm always thinking about the Monstrous Matter of Britain but, unfortunately, rarely writing much about it. One important text to consider is the 1998 feature film Quest for Camelot. The film, which is essentially a comedy, includes a variety of monsters including griffins, dragons, ogres, and shape-shifted beings.

Monster CFPs

I've just uploaded a bunch of calls for papers on monsters and the supernatural to the Popular Preternaturaliana site. Many seem amendable to Arthurian and/or medieval subjects. The blog can be accessed at http://popularpreternaturaliana.blogspot.com/.

Michael Torregrossa

Zombie Arthuriana at MAPACA 2013

I've had a paper proposal accepted for the 2013 meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association in Atlantic City this November. My paper will be part of a session on medieval monsters and monstrous medievalism. Complete details as follows:

Medieval Monstrosity

Beowulf to Shakespeare: Popular Culture in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance / Panel

This panel analyzes the use of the monstrous in modern narratives that make use of the medieval as well as in the original texts.

Presentations

• Camelot and the Walking Dead: The Zombies of the Matter of Britain and the Development of Arthurian Horror Fiction
  Michael A Torregrossa (The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain)
• A Study of the Human Condition Through the Frame of Myth and Magic in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
  Christina Doka
• Will the Real Monsters Please Stand Up:
  Diana Vecchio (Widener University)

Session chair: 

Mary Behrman (Kennesaw State University)

For those interested,the complete program can be accessed at http://mapaca.net/conference/schedule, and registration information can be found at http://mapaca.net/conference/2013/conference-registration.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead

I know I've posted on this to (at least) one of the other blogs, but it is most appropriate here. The recent film Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead by Jordan Galland is a skillful reworking of a mass of traditions--including Arthurian and Shakespearean--that creates an innovative take on undead Arthuriana. First up is the official trailer, and then an in-film video devoted to the film's unique spin on Grail lore (see the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahe0x41ktqU for Hamlet's back story in the film).

The Mini-Monsters!

Besides Blazing Dragons, Arthurian figures feature prominently with Universal-Studio-styled monsters in the animated series The Mini-Monsters, which aired as part of The Comic Strip. Melvin, the young magician, is Merlin's son, and the master mage often functions as deus ex machina in the series.

Blazing Dragons Clip

The Monstrous Matter of Britain is not all bad, as this clip from the animated series Blazing Dragons, created by Terry Jones and Gavin Scott, illustrates. The series is not unavailable on home video but can be viewed from instant video providers and file-sharing sites, like YouTube.

Alliance/Blog Upates August 2013

As posted to the main blog:

Effective August 2013, the Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain has been absorbed by the revived Society for Arthurian Popular Culture Studies (founded 2000) and the resulting organization named The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain. The new group will function for the remainder of 2013 as an affiliate of The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages and be based at the King Arthur Forever website at KingArthurForever.org. This site will be maintained as time permits.

Further details can be found on King Arthur Forever at http://kingarthurforever.blogspot.com/2013/08/king-arhur-forever-reborn.html.


Michael A. Torregrossa
Co-Founder, The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Founder, The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain

Arthurian Monster Quest at Kalamazoo

Time and technology continue to conspire against me, but here (at last) are the details of the Arthurian Monster Quest session.

Saturday, 11 May 2013 at 1:30 PM
Session 422, Fetzer 1005
Arthurian Monster Quest: Investigating the Monsters of the Arthurian Tradition (A Roundtable)
Sponsor: Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain

Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain
Presider: Charlotte A. T. Wulf, Stevenson Univ.

Ysbaddaden Pencawr: A Gentler Giant?
Lisa LeBlanc, Anna Maria College

The Giant of Mont-Saint-Michel: Grendelkin?
Kris Kobold, York Univ.

Monstrous Felines in Old French Arthuriana, or, There’s More Than One Way to Skin a Chapalu
Brandy N. Brown, Pennsylvania State Univ.

Lycanthropy and Absence in Arthur and Gorlagon
Angela Tenga, Florida Institute of Technology

“An Unsemely Sighte”: Medieval Arthurian Women as Monstrosities
S. Elizabeth Passmore, Univ. of Southern Indiana