As far as modern day interpretations of Arthurian legends go, I think King Arthur and the Knights of Justice does a decent job. We talked a bit in class about why Arthuriana has endured over history, and I think in part it's because Arthur and his knights are simply appealing and rich material for adaptations. I appreciate, for example, how the Knights of Justice compare the knights of the round table to the fraternity, and team-work of a football team, or how the title of the show itself demonstrates how the complex secular and religious knightly ideals we've examined in our class have been distilled into one supreme virtue--Justice. The pure entertainment value of the tales surely has a large influence in their ability to endure as well. Tales about knight and enchantresses are simply fun, for adults and as this show proves, for children as well. We've seen Arthurian legend adapted to romances and religious polemics, why not children's entertainment, too?
If you all are interested, check out this site; it has a list of all the characters, many of which are recognizable, and the King's motto, and the lyrics to the theme song.
Coincidentally, I just read about a YA novel that transposes the Arthurian triangle to the football field! It's a bit more traditionally tragic, however, as the coach is the Arthur-figure, his QB is the Lancelot-figure, and the coach's wife is the Guenevere figure. I'll see if I can find the reference and share more details!
ReplyDeleteAmanda, I loved this show... even though I hated (still do...) football when it aired. I thought it was interesting in the show that a modern Arthur was going to be able to do things the original Arthur couldn't... or rather, that it was a good idea to conflate the two.
ReplyDeleteAs to it being children's entertainment... isn't that where Arthur has survived? I feel like that's where he always lives even when he's out of the popular and/or literary eye. Maybe it's just because I read Arthurian stories as a kid, but it seems like you can't get away from Arthuriana in kiddie lit. Whether it's Rowling throwing in references or people rewriting Merlin's childhood for YA novels it seems like no matter what adults say/ think about the validity of Arthur, kids will always get the need for him!