Suggested Research Topics for Medieval Arthurian Legend

 

Did King Arthur exist? A survey of recent historical and archeological evidence.

Fiction and truth in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain.

Arthurian legend as propaganda in twelfth-century England.

What do we know about the author, patron, and audience of Geoffrey’s History?

A comparison of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s treatment of Arthurian legend to Wace’s Roman de Brut and/or Layamon’s Brut.

The role of Merlin’s prophecies in medieval Arthurian traditions.

 

The continuations of Perceval.

The development of the hero in Perceval.

The concept of the grail in Perceval.

Interlacing in Perceval.

What do we know about the author, patron, and audience of Perceval?

The relationship of Gawain and Perceval.

 

The function of hermits and recluses in the Quest of the Holy Grail.

The function and symbolic meaning of the grail appearances in the Quest.

The depiction of women in the Quest.

The Cistercian influence on the Quest.

The illustrations in Yale 229.

 

The symbolic meaning of the Green Knight in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (SGGK)

Feminist approaches to SGGK.

What do we know about the author, patron, and audience of SGGK?

The relationship of SGGK to the Order of the Garter.

The illustrations in Cotton Nero A. X.

 

Comparison of the depiction of Lancelot in Malory’s "The Death of King Arthur" and the Mort le roi Artu (Vulgate Cycle).

The role of Gawain in “The Death of King Arthur.”

"The Death of King Arthur": Tragedy or Apocalypse?

What do we know about Sir Thomas Malory, his patron and audience?

A comparison of Caxton’s edition to that of Vinaver.

 

Length of paper: 10-12 typed pages

Format: MLA parenthetical style of documentation (see link from my web site)

P.S.  There is some flexibility in the choice of paper topics.  I am always open to ideas you may have.

 

 

 

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