IMC 2022: Sessions

Session 541: Neo-Medieval Fantasy Characters and Performances between 'Low' and 'High'

Tuesday 5 July 2022, 09.00-10.30

Sponsor:	Sonderforschungsbereich 1472 'Transformationen des Populären', Universität Siegen
Organiser:	Hans Rudolf Velten, Germanistisches Seminar, Universität Siegen
Moderator/Chair:	Hans Rudolf Velten, Germanistisches Seminar, Universität Siegen
Paper 541-a	Subverting the Hero's Quest in Neomedievalist Fantasy Literature (Language: English) Helen Young, Department of English, University of Sydney Index terms: Medievalism and Antiquarianism, Social History
Paper 541-b	Neomedieval Popular Knowledge in Fantasy Literature: Some Methodological Aspects (Language: English) Theresa Specht, Germanistisches Seminar, Universität Siegen Index terms: Medievalism and Antiquarianism, Science
Paper 541-c	The Identity of Fantasy Heroes between Past and Present (Language: English) Katharina Ronja Berking, Germanistisches Seminar, Universität Siegen Index terms: Computing in Medieval Studies, Medievalism and Antiquarianism
Abstract	Fantasy, in its diverse manifestations, has long since become an outstanding part of popular culture. The session discussions start from the observation that the literary creation of secondary worlds of the past in fantasy literature and media is due to a merging of medieval myths and epistemes with contemporary fantastic elements. Hence, the heroes of fantasy find themselves at the crossroads of medieval and contemporary discourses and practices, the boundaries between historical/academic and popular knowledge are fluent. The panel asks for the many ways in which the blurring of boundaries - narrative, (para)textual and aesthetic - constitute the neomedieval knowledge of the Middle Ages which is typical for fantasy media.