Session 4

UR - Myth

What it is (and why we're doing Arthur so heavily - Arthur is the UR-myth of the English speaking world)

Also - Arthur is BOTH myth & legend (true of many UR-myths)


The King is not always/necessarily the hero of a fantasy story, though the matter of kingship often is

  • Give some examples, please?

We cannot write Kingship in English or in an English context w/o unconsciously invoking Arhtur

Kingship is Identity

The true King must be indentified and must take on that identity willingly

Éminance grise - Richelieu

(The metaphor made concrete, after all)

Archetypes in Arthur (NOT Mists!!!)

It is ALWAYS valid to retell a myth or to use/steal/extract a part of it (or a character)

It is exciting and path-breaking to reimagine any piece of a myth

What does Arthur have to do with:

  • The Lord of the Rings?
  • Game of Thrones

How many TROPES here?

  • (What is a trope?)

Learning/apprenticeship

  • for the King
  • for the narrator/viewpoint

Go over some basics of Arthur

Does destiny=identity???

What you do changes you

Do an wanna, not gonna!

Arthurian Characters in Jungian Terms

  • Arthur
  • Merlin
  • Lancelot
  • Guinevere
  • Morgaine
  • Ector
  • Cai

So where do you as a writer START?

It's big & heavy so let's start!

Morph exercise 1

Villian exercise

STEALING

Morphing