Queering Camelot

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A sequel to the Queering Fantastika issue, this is an open call for papers for a special issue of Fantastika Journal which will explore the queer side of Arthurian tales, adaptations, and fan-works including any and all media, whether directly adapting or only alluding to Camelot and Grail narratives. This issue will present a multivalent approach and is seeking both critical and critical practice-based research on this subject.

 

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Submissions can range from historic analyses of Medieval manuscripts up to and beyond analysis of fan-works published yesterday. This exploration seeks to acknowledge the ways in which Arthuriana has a legacy steeped in ideas of gender roles and relations; sexual encounters, taboos, and restraints; and the limitations that society and individuals place on themselves which break relationships and create toxic spaces. By exploring how adaptations, readings, games, and fan-works reframe these narratives and choose to explore more queer pairings (shipping in fanfiction) or the relationships already there (the polyamorous potential of Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere and the swinger Lord and Lady of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) this special issue will open up new investigations of adaptation practice, fan responses and reframing, and present new readings of these old tales by allowing scholars and authors alike to take the chivalric and question how we engage with it today.

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We welcome work on any kind of Arthurian narrative with a queer background in theory and/or praxis. These could be, but are not limited to, Dark is Rising (1965-1977), Mists of Avalon (1982), Fables (2002-2015), BBC's Merlin (2008-2012),  Once and Future (2019), Cursed (2020), The Green Knight (2021), or the tabletop role playing systems like Romance of the Perilous Lands (2019) and “The Lesbians in Avalon” setting for Advanced Lovers and Lesbians (2022). We are interested in all forms of media adaptation, allusion, and engagement. Subjects and ways of analysis may include, but are not limited to:

• Critical and queer readings of Arthurian adaptations (ex. lesbian Morgana in Cursed, the homoerotic tension in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight)

• Music and affect as queer and/or feminist influence in Arthurian adaptations

• The queerness of chivalry and the Arthurian body (ex. the Fisher King's body being bound to the land)

• Queering Camelot through casting

• Creative adaptations/retellings of Arthuriana

• Game worlds and player interactions in Arthuriana-inspired role playing, video games, and board games

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We are seeking articles and creative-critical works which should be between 5000-7000 words. All submissions must include a 100-word author biography and a 500 word abstract along with any required content warnings at the end if applicable (warnings are not included in word count).

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Creative-critical works should have a critical framework that informs its creative practice. This can either be critical discussion presented in a creative form following the tradition going back to Plato’s dialogues; or a creative piece that is accompanied by a critical reflective commentary (2000-4000 words). Submitted creative pieces must have a clear critical portion which contextualizes and highlights how the creative piece extends and responds to existing discourse on Queering Arthurian Legends. They should explore aspects of society, media and culture. For creative-critical abstracts, please explain the academic scope of the piece and how it relates to the theme of the journal. Feel free to email us if you have questions.

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The deadline for submission is 17 December 2022, but early submissions or expressions of interest are encouraged. Email us if you have any questions about critical-creative submissions. And please check https://www.fantastikajournal.com/submission-guidelines for further submissions guidelines, including information about copyright. Fantastika is an open access journal supported by a team of volunteers.

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The editors reserve the right to reject submissions that are not in keeping with the professional tones of Fantastika Journal or any which perpetuates a toxic environment. As well, we will not accept submissions arguing for the importance of studying Fantastika, and in the same vein we will not be accepting anything that argues for the importance of LGBTQIA+ representation and criticism. We take these arguments as a given and not open to debate. These ideas may of course be part of a larger and more nuanced analysis, but we do not accept submissions which have as its central aim arguing for its value.

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All submissions will be peer reviewed. As part of this process, we may request contributors also join in the anonymous peer review process by reviewing 1-2 submissions.

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Email all submissions to Rebecca Jones (she/they) and Sebastian Svegaard (he/him) at Queering.Camelot@gmail.com using the subject line ‘Queering Camelot Submission’. We invite you to include your preferred pronouns in your submission email and bionote.