CALL FOR PAPERS

SPECIAL SESSION OF THE ARTHURIAN LEGENDS AREA

MR. MERLIN'S NEIGHBORHOOD: THE MATTER OF BRITAIN ON TV

PROPOSALS DUE TO ORGANIZER BY 10/15/06

We seek papers of 15 to 20 minutes for inclusion in a session devoted
to the Arthurian legend on television to be hosted by the Arthurian
Legends Area at the 2007 meeting of the Popular Culture Association to
convene at the Boston Marriott Copley Place, Boston, Mass., from 4-7
April 2007. In addition, submissions will also be considered for
inclusion in an essay collection on the general topic of medieval
themes on television. For potential topics and a bibliographic guide
to the Arthurian (and the medieval) in electronic multimedia, please
visit The Medieval Studies at the Movies web site at
<http://MedievalStudiesattheMovies.org>.

SESSION RATIONALE:

Thanks largely to the efforts of Arthurian film scholar Kevin Harty,
most enthusiasts of American Arthurian popular culture are familiar
with the wide variety of Arthurian-themed films that have been
produced in the United States since the beginning of the twentieth
century, yet relatively few of these individuals know about the
equally active world of Arthurian television programming, which
includes material produced in the United States as well as Canada, the
United Kingdom, and Japan. For the initiated, the televisual Matter
of Britain is a fascinating world, which includes animated series
(most recently discussed by Michael Salda), comedies, documentaries,
dramas, made-for-television movies, science fiction series, and
westerns in addition to the expected action adventure and fantasy
series. Like film, Arthurian television has produced some
disappointments, such as Robert Mandell's PRINCESS GWENEVERE AND THE
JEWEL RIDERS and Bobcat Goldwaithe's appearance as Merlin on ABC's
SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH, but, also like Arthurian film, Arthurian
television has its gems—J. Michael Straczynski's "A Late Delivery from
Avalon" episode of BABYLON 5, the Family Channel's THE LEGEND OF
PRINCE VALIANT, and the Disney Channel's THE FOUR DIAMONDS come most
immediately to mind. The purpose of this panel is to let the
spotlight shine briefly on this ephemeral cousin to Arthurian film and
allow those who know these works most intimately to share them with
the wider audience that they deserve.

We are particularly interested in representations of Arthurian
characters, relics, and motifs in episodic television (cartoons,
dramas, sitcoms, science fiction, etc.) but will also consider
proposals devoted to the following topics: documentaries, telefilms,
and the performing arts on television. Be advised that audio/visual
equipment will be limited to the following: DVD players and TV
monitors.

Please submit abstracts of 250-500 words, by 15 October 2006, along
with your paper title, complete contact information, and affiliation
(if any), to the session organizer at the following address:

Michael A. Torregrossa
34 Second Street
Smithfield, RI 02917 -3627
Michael.A.Torregrossa_at_gmail.com
http://Michael-A-Torregrossa.com

Session organizer will distribute all submitted abstracts and contact
information to the Arthurian Legends Area Chairs. All presenters
must be members of either the Popular Culture Association or the
American Culture Association. See their web site
<http://popularculture.org> for details.

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Received on Wed Aug 23 2006 - 17:09:56 EDT