Re: MR-Disc: TlB & Arthur

[Henry Best <jstrauss@gmu.edu>]

Poster: Henry Best <jstrauss@gmu.edu>

On Tue, 13 Aug 1996 edh@ascc01.ascc.lucent.com wrote:

> This episode raises several questions in my mind:
> 
> * The translator's footnote says of this episode, "It
> is identified as a masque rather than a supernatural element
> both by the fact that it begins as the meal ends and by the
> words [...] 'They were dazzled by what they had seen, for
> everything _seemed_ done by magic' [italics mine]" ['italics
> mine' his].  Is the translator correct or was it really a
> supernatural element to the book?

I agree with the translator. My take on your excerpt BEFORE reading the 
footnote matches. I assumed it was a masque. For additional 
corroboration, the guests are all reacting as if it was a masque 
staged for their diversion rather than a genuine supernatural event.  

> * Has King Arthur ever appeared at an SCA event, as part of
> either a masque or a supernatural element?

Not to my knowledge; but the SCA is a big roomy place. Beornheard and I 
were collaborating on a quest for Atlantian 15 Year that would require 
actors to play Arthur, Guinivere, Lancelot, and Merlin on a masque 
basis; but we had to set the project aside temporarily for real world 
workloads. 

Incorporating the supernatural into the SCA experience is not impossible, 
though it is not a thing to do casually. I once appeared as Death at an 
event. It worked out pretty well. The Layers of Reality <tm> were many 
fold that day.


> * Did Morgana's role in the legend start out good and
> gradually change to evil?

I think the Red Sox owner said the same thing about Hitler, recently.

> 
> * Who is Breunis Saunce Pite'?

That translates to "flatbread with brown gravy".

> * Tirant lo Blanc is neither a tyrant nor blanc. Discuss.

He was so named because he was exceptionally picky about his white wines.


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| Ld Henry Best		| "People don't quit playing because they   |
| John Strauss		| grow old. They grow old because they quit |
| jstrauss@gmu.edu	| playing." 	    -Oliver Wendell Holmes  |
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