English 83

Because we ran out of time before we ran out of stuff to talk about I thought I would post a few things. My notes and slides from this week are attached at the end of this post, if you want them.

General stuff:
I’m more convinced that Geoffrey’s sympathies were Breton and Cornish (see map). It’s hard to get a clear reading on him: if he was Welsh, for example. His first name is Anglo-French, and Monmouth is in Wales. His “ancient book in the British tongue” is a really interesting literary device that alludes to an entire alternative history of the British Isles where the Britons are the conquerors, and God’s chosen people, who are now in exile. His move and his motivations remind me of new alternative histories and new alternative canons of literature by and about previously neglected topics and historical peoples: e.g. Native American history, aboriginal histories, histories of the working classes, African-Americans, of colonized and formerly colonized peoples. Rather than dismiss his tales as “made up” (an assertion which can neither be proved nor disproved), we could look at his motives as similar to those who are giving voice to the previously ignored in our own day. Geoffrey (despite his imperialist ambitions for the British people) can be seen as an early multiculturalist, perhaps? In other words, is this his way of rescuing a forgotten/lost history, by tying the history of the British to the new Norman/Angevin overlords? His apparent obsession with race and “contamination,” which often gets mapped onto religion, sort of undercuts this more sympathetic view, however.

On the Historia Books VI-VIII

Arthur (or perhaps Geoffrey) seems to be very uncomfortable with rule in the absence of conflict. As we discussed in class, there is this quick mention of the 12 years of peace, and the creation of the idealized Arthurian multi-cultural court, and his new standard of courtliness (222). And then Arthur must intervene in a war of succession, and then immediately after go off to Gaul, apparently unprovoked, which sets the final conflict with Rome and the emperor Lucius into motion.

Lucius musters an army of all the “Kings of the Orient” to attack Britain (236) – for this read “infidels” and “Saracens” – accessing the enmity and xenophobia from the Crusades.

Is Geoffrey perhaps linking the fatal mistake of handing over his kingdom to Mordred with his imperialist war of aggression?

The great battle speech, reminiscent of Calgacus (British warlord in Tacitus’ Agricola): “Remember your ancestors, whom the Romans, at the height of their powers, made tributaries . . . ” (255) – this is either an extreme example of grudge holding, or has something to do with GM’s apparent ambivalence toward Rome.

Arthur’s non-death gets only one sentence (261): “our renowned King, was mortally wounded and carried off to the Isle of Avalon” There is not much hope held out for his return, but his death is left an open question. It’s not clear to me if GM knew of the tradition of Arthur’s burial site at Glastonbury Abbey – he doesn’t mention it: leads me to suspect that those tombs were installed after Geoffrey wrote his book which became a medieval best-seller.

The Saxon Domination
Malgo, whom GM describes as a great warrior but “bloodthirsty” is excoriated by GM for “the vice of homosexuality” (263). An astonishing revelation from Geoffrey who normally seems a bit squeamish about sex. Arthur’s apparent bloodthirstiness is different, apparently.

The Saxons accomplish their final domination of the island with the help of Gormund, King of the Africans. It seems the Saxons can’t finally take over Britain without either British complicity (Vortigern) or outside help.

Perhaps the saddest episode of all is the story of Cadwallo and Edwin. One is reminded about the two dragons sleeping peacefully in Merlin’s prophecy who would become mortal enemies. Despite GM’s obvious distaste for all things Saxon, the fact that the prophecy concerns 2 dragons who are merely different colors (race again, perhaps?) suggests the possibility for recognition of their commonality. Cadwallo and Edwin are raised as brothers, and there is a brief hope for peaceful coexistence and joint rule over Britain. They are both too young to care about the now decades old feud between Saxon and Briton. But it doesn’t take long for things to fall apart (281-82).

It takes an Angelic Voice to finally force the Britons to (again, almost voluntarily) give up Britain. Geoffrey ends more in sorrow than in anger.

week2.zip