Really Interesting How Arthur Reflects Camelot - Tumblr Posts
the following sleep deprived rambles have every chance of being a total doozy. you have been warned.
okok SO. I just finished listening to the podcast Camlann and I have THOUGHTS bc I always have THOUGHTS when I consume Arthurian retellings and/or adaptations. it's such a unique approach to things so I honestly wasn't expecting the characters to carry on the characterization core through-line that most thoughtful retellings do. I'm in the process of identifying each of the core traits for various characters but those are my academia rambles not my chaotic Tumblr ones lol.
but anyway bc of Camlann's core concept about names drawing them into the associated stories after the cataclysm (I think it was called that. idk started w cat. big bad no bueno thing!!) I assumed pretty early on that this would be more along the lines of this cast, these individuals, resisting and defining themselves as Not Like Them. for an overly simplistic example, if Gwen was adamantly like "no!! I'm nothing like Guinevere!! I'm not a cheater!!" and the whole arc was around her proving that. which is actually a not uncommon (and often well done, despite my tone) approach to Arthurian type stories, namely the reincarnation return type ones. but in that case, the Arthurian characters remain... distant. legendary. a worldbuilding backdrop that don't function with the agency of true characters in the narrative. a shadow cast by the true main characters bc all that matters is being different from them. Arthurian characters are deeply flawed, it's a tragedy in many ways, and so people gravitate to "but I would be better than them!!" and it can be a good story but it doesn't really encapsulate the beauty of the flawed that I personally love about arthuriana.
now, despite that ramble, that is NOT what Camlann did, despite what I expected! that would be the easy way out! instead I was emotional over Gawain bc, since he's the Arthurian character I've researched the most, I'm keenly aware of the character's core characteristics that transcend retellings. and Gawain was still so Gawain. impulsive, held up as the flawed one in the cast, but ultimately so full of love and loyalty and agjsjfjsb he's my baby boy in academia. the Merlin character keeping secrets and pulling the strings for a convoluted mixture of protection for loved ones and protection for himself? checks out. Guinevere fervently wishing she didn't have to behave queenly and could just be wild and powerful in her own right?? YES. I had thoughts on the others too but! sleep deprivation brain go soupy!!
anyway, all this fascination w core traits, but I ultimately would like to dive into arthur. he's at the center of the narrative in so many ways. there's so much more to analyze for him tho! anyway I'm especially intrigued by Arthur's ability to be both hero and villain depending on the narrative while still being so distinctly ARTHUR, not just *insert king character here*. he's the archetypal hero, and I do like that myself, but that's why good villainous arthurs are so fascinating to me. think King Arthur from Legendborn and Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn. that series is what got me thinking about what could be his universal trait. and even after just a bit of Camlann's Arthur, I really do think it's innately tied to the portrayal of Camelot in the narrative. and Arthur is always trying to defend it. if it's BBC Merlin's Camelot, it's flawed but ultimately good and worth trying to save. its Arthur reflects that. if it's legendborn's Camelot where it is an exclusionary system representative of societal oppression and control, its Arthur reflects that. and in Camlann? Camelot is a bunch of dudes using the power of their names to live out a game of thrones aesthetic, and is functionally a power fantasy constructed to make people feel falsely safe in a dire circumstance. so, Camlann Arthur is fundamentally someone who will go to the ends of the earth to defend his Camelot.
but idk I need more content to know for suresies so anyway pls go listen to it bc I rlly want a season 2.
anyway good night.