"What Camelot Means": Women and LGBTQ+ Authors Paving the Way for a More Inclusive Arthuriana through Young Adult Literature

Author

Jeddie Mae Bristow, Missouri State UniversityFollow

Date of Graduation

Spring 2021

Degree

Master of Arts in English

Department

English

Committee Chair

Lanya Lamouria

Abstract

Arthurian literature has long been regarded as the domain of “dead white men,” dominated by Thomas Malory and Lord Alfred Tennyson. However, since medieval times, women have also been producing Arthurian literature that not only treats the women characters of the story more equitably, but makes social commentary on how the marginalized of their societies are treated. More recently, women and LGBTQ+ authors (basically, authors who are not cisgender white men) have answered the call for more diverse Young Adult literature with an Arthuriana that has a place for all, both creating a more diverse and equitable Camelot and giving its marginalized characters, especially young women, the power to change their societies for the better. These women and LGBTQ+ authors of YA Literature are the driving force behind not only a more diverse and accepting Camelot, but a more equitable Arthuriana for all readers and scholars.

Keywords

Arthuriana, young adult literature, women, Camelot, feminism, diversity, inclusion

Subject Categories

Children's and Young Adult Literature | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | Literature in English, British Isles | Modern Literature | Other English Language and Literature | Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Women's Studies

Copyright

© Jeddie Mae Bristow

Recommended Citation

Bristow, Jeddie Mae, ""What Camelot Means": Women and LGBTQ+ Authors Paving the Way for a More Inclusive Arthuriana through Young Adult Literature" (2021). MSU Graduate Theses. 3593.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/3593