Holly E. Stokes

ENGL 112B

Dr. Warner

07 December 2005

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur�s Court by Mark Twain

Fantasy and Arthurian Legend in YA Lit: an Annotated Bibliography

I chose A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur�s Court by Mark Twain as my centerpiece because of the variety of topics and genres it can introduce to students. It c an easily be used as an entertaining and humorous initiation to the works of the canonical American author Mark Twain. It can also be used as a springboard for units on genres or topics such as Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance Literature, Arthurian Legend, and Satire to name a few.

The story itself is about Hank Morgan, a Yankee from Connecticut that is knocked unconscious by a blow to the head from one of his workers in his great arms factory. He wakes up in England in the time of King Arthur�s legendary rule. Of course, Hank spends much of his time hoping to discover a way to return to his time, but in the meantime, he uses his knowledge of science and technology to persuade that people of Camelot that he is a wizard of greater power than Merlin. He uses his �powers� to bring technology to the dark ages so that he can live comfortably in modern convenience. Although much of the story is full of a humorous depiction of a highly romanticized period in history, some very serious topics that can all be transferred to the modern world are encountered through the course of Hank�s fantastical adventure such as poverty, slavery, the destructive power of technology, blind belief in �ideals,� mass murder, war, and disease.

For my annotated bibliography, I decided to focus on Fantasy in Young Adult Literature. I specifically chose Pieces that used a similar method of time travel or an alternate world to comment on our modern world or on universal human characteristics. There are a few books that are merely quest oriented, but the rest mostly offer retellings of various Arthurian stories or backgrounds to the origins of the Arthurian legend. Obviously, these books, especially the centerpiece can easily be used in conjunction with (or as a more accessible introduction to) foundational pieces of Arthurian literature such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight or Thomas Malory�s Le Morte D�Arthur.

Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan. The White Company. New York: Dover Publications, 2004.

The White Company is historical fiction placed in the early part of the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Two young men in 14th-century England are leaving a monastery. One, Alain, is an orphan from a landed family who was raised in the monastery when his parents died. The other, Hortle John, is a young tough whose language and actions the monks find intolerable. As the two seek their fortunes, they meet and go off to war together in the White Company under Sir Nigel Loring, one of the leading knights of the era. This tale of adventure, with a little romance, takes the listener to Spain and France and into battles with pirate ships, archers and peasant rebellions. (Offner, Susan. Rev. of The White Company [Audiobook], by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. KLIATT Review 39.2 (2005).)

Jones, Diana Wynne. Dark Lord of Derkholm. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1998.

The annual Pilgrim Parties are making most of the inhabitants of Blade's world miserable. Adventure vacations for offworld tourists, the Pilgrim Parties are a drain on their resources, and no one, from wizards to elves, thieves to trolls, demons to dragons is happy about them. But the offworlder Mr. Chesney has an age-old contract that seems impossible to break. So while he gets rich on Chesney's Pilgrim Parties year after year, farmland is ravaged, homes are destroyed, and the death toll mounts. All for the sake of giving the "pilgrims" a convincing show. This year Blade's father, Derk, has been chosen as Dark Lord, and Blade himself has been chosen to lead one of the pilgrim tours. Refusing is out of the question--they were chosen by Querida, High Chancellor of Wizards' University. The Dark Lord is responsible for overseeing the many facets of the adventures for offworld tourists, from managing marauding armies to conjuring up a demon. Derk seems an unlikely choice for such a job. He is an outcast from the wizard establishment, more concerned with his brilliant and original experiments than the traditional rules of conjuring. Derk has created pigs that can fly, horses that can talk and fly, carnivorous sheep and Friendly Cows (they go all moony eyed and slobbery with affection). And five of his seven children are griffins, each one a talented and distinct individual formed from the cells of lion and eagle as well as Derk and Wizard Mara, his wife. But what neither Derk nor Blade know is that Querida has chosen them based on the advice of the oracles as a means to end the Pilgrim Parties once and for all. A highly entertaining story with captivating characters and a page-turning plot is set in a world that is being exploited by one that sounds suspiciously like our own. There's no heavy-handed message here, however, just delightful satire for anyone who cares to find it. (Rev. of Dark Lord of Derkholm, by Diana Wynne Jones. Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices 1998.)

Jones, Diana Wynne. The Merlin Conspiracy. New York: HarperTrophy, 2004.

Roddy, daughter of the Court's weather wizard, and her friend, Grundo, find things amiss in an alternative England where the king and his retinue travel continually to preserve the magic of the Kingdom of Blest. As a crowd gathers in a wet wind at the Scottish border for a meeting between rulers, the English king's Merlin mysteriously drops dead, initiating a series of events that shift the magical control of the kingdom into malicious hands. Witness to a clandestine ceremony, only the children know the identities of the conspirators involved, but because they have no proof, no one believes them. Then Nick stumbles into Roddy's world, bringing a powerful friend named the Romanov, whose magic transcends Blest. As the instability in Blest's magic begins to affect other worlds, Nick, Grundo, and Roddy perfect their own magical powers to restore and heal their kingdom. Fun, fresh, and innovative, this book is a delightfully fast-paced read. Hand it to your teens waiting for the next Harry Potter book or to fans of the Dark Is Rising series. Roddy's witchy aunts, Mini the talking elephant, and the mysterious incendiary salamanders are reminiscent of J. K. Rowling's imaginative details, and the ancient dragon embedded in the mountains of Wales and Roddy's allegorical grandfather suggest Susan Cooper's mythological allusions. (Wallace, Nancy K. Rev of The Merlin Conspiracy, by Diana Wynne Jones. VOYA 26.3 (2003).)

Matthews, John. The Barefoot Book of Knights. Cambridge: Barefoot Books, 2002.

Tom of Warwick is sent to the castle to be a page and to learn the ways of knights and chivalry. While there, the young boy hears seven stories of knights from around the world from Master William, the Armorer. The frame for the knights� tales--Master William tells them to the pages and squires to illustrate some pointed message about knighthood and the chivalric code--is a bit purposive, but it doesn�t detract from the tales themselves. Matthews� retellings, from the tale of King Arthur�s Kitchen Knight to the story of a Japanese samurai, employ vivid images that will capture readers and listeners. (Del Negro, Janice M. Rev. of The Barefoot Book of Knights, by John Mattews. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 56.1 (2002).)

Matthews, John and Caitlin Matthews. The Wizard King And Other Spellbinding Tales.

Cambridge: Barefoot Books, 1998.

Nine magical tales from around the world are retold in this impressive book. The collection includes legends from France, Russia, Armenia, and two Native American nations. Young readers will have their fill of wizards, fairies and magic spells by the time they finish the book. They will learn that fairies inherit magical power, while wizards acquire powers through apprenticeship. The illustrations capture the spirit of the text, which moves the reader ever onward toward the finish of each fantastical tale. The authors retell the story of Merlin's early life, before he became King Arthur's magician, and the story of a sick wizard, who learns much about human nature during his illness and recovery. (Pettenati, Jeanne K., J.D. Rev. The Wizard King And Other Spellbinding Tales, by John Matthews and Caitlin Matthews. Children's Literature 7 December 2005 <http://clcd.odyssi.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/cgi-bin/member/search/f?./temp/ ~GlyTVX:1>.)

Matthews, John. Wizards: The Quest for the Wizard from Merlin to Harry Potter.

Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron�s, 2003.

Here is a beautifully illustrated guide to wizards and wizardry, a volume tracing wizardry�s origins and legends, and charting wizards� activities and powers over the centuries and across many cultures. The book�s six chapters examine and discuss�the history of wizards, including Siberian shamans, the classical Roman poet Virgil, wizards of the medieval and Renaissance eras including Dr. John Dee (1527�1608), famous fictional practitioners of wizardry such as Tolkien�s Gandalf, and today�s shamans in South America and India . . . The traditional role of the wizard as prophet and visionary . . . The wizard as master of nature�s elements, and the genius who works with nature to transform himself and others . . . The good versus the evil wizards in history and legend, from the medieval Gilles de Rais to the modern Star Wars legend of the Emperor versus Obi wan Kenobi . . . The wizard as alchemist, with special attention to figures such as Merlin, the wizard of the Arthurian legends . . . The wizard as a keeper of knowledge and a seeker of truth . . . . The author also suggests meditations and practices readers can use to foster their own potential for wizardry. (Rev. of Wizards: The Quest for the Wizard from Merlin to Harry Potter, by John Matthews. Amazon.com 7 December 2005 <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764156373/qid=1133964780/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/ 002-2872579-6348022?s=books&v=glance&n=283155>.)

Paolini, Christopher. Eragon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf: Distributed by Random House,

2003.

Paolini takes a little Tolkien, a little McCaffrey, a coming-of-age quest, and combines them with some wicked good storytelling in this first book of his trilogy. Fifteen-year-old Eragon, a poor farmer's foster son, finds a gem-like blue stone that turns out to be a dragon egg. Instead of providing riches for his family, the egg's hatchling and her bond to Eragon give birth to a new generation of the legendary Dragon Riders, the noble magic-users who stood for good and justice throughout the land until betrayed and destroyed by one of their own, who has claimed ultimate power as the Empire's evil king. Eragon's simple life is destroyed as he must flee or be captured by the king's dark servants. He is accompanied on his journey by Brom, the town's old storyteller who is much more than he seems. Eragon, Brom, and the dragon Saphira travel throughout the vast land, seeking safety from the king's minions and answers about Eragon's future. On the journey, Eragon learns of love and loss, loyalty and treachery, while he explores his emerging powers. Ultimately Eragon finds himself caught in the middle of the brewing war between the king who seeks him and the Varden, the king's sworn enemies. Fantasy buffs will find themselves immersed in a world of magic and sword fighting among creatures of legend, eagerly awaiting Book Two. Paolini's Empire is well mapped for readers, and he includes a glossary of terms in the various languages his creatures speak. (Winship, Michele. Rev. of Eragon, by Christopher Paolini. KLIATT Review 37.5 (2003).)

Paterson, Katherine. Parzival: The Quest of The Grail Knight. New York: Lodestar Books,

1998.

Multiple-award-winning author Paterson offers something different from her usual realistic historical and contemporary fiction in this retelling of one of the lesser-known Arthurian tales. Parzival, the son of a king, has been raised in ignorance of his heritage. When he learns of his family's past and the wrongs done his mother and father, he sets out to avenge them and become one of Arthur's knights. His cheerful ignorance of the rules of chivalry and good society cause him to disgrace a lady of the court, and he sets off on quest to attempt to right this wrong and learn to be a proper knight. He has many adventures but continues, humanly, to make errors of judgment, the most serious of which leads him to lose a chance of healing the pain of his uncle Anfortas, called the Fisher King, who is the keeper of the Holy Grail. Finally, having learned true compassion, Parzival succeeds to his uncle's crown and holy trust. Paterson's source for this story is a thirteenth-century epic poem by the German Wolfram von Eschenbach, a version of the story less well known to English-language readers than the related stories of Sir Percival. Paterson, clearly, was attracted to Parzival by the deep spiritual emphasis of the story; the hero's progression from a childish "Who is God?" questioning to a really mature understanding of the compassionate behavior Christianity demands stands at the heart of the story. The style of this retelling--spare, brief, and rather formal, though not weighed down by forsoothy language--fits the nature of the story. While the approach is very different from something like Robin McKinley's The Outlaws of Sherwood (Ace, 1989), in which the legendary characters believably take on very contemporary personalities within the framework of their story, either approach can appeal to readers who have some familiarity with the stories, and may encourage other YAs to begin their own quests for more of the larger tale. The format of this small volume (a slim hardcover about the size of a mass market paperback) will not hurt its appeal, projecting both by size and by cover art the aura of a medieval Book of Hours. (Miles, Margaret. Rev. of Parzival: The Quest for the Grail Knight, by Katherine Paterson. VOYA 21.2 (1998).)

Reiss, Kathryn. Paint By Magic. San Diego: Harcourt, 2002.

Award-winning author Kathryn Reiss concocts a delicious tale of art, action, and adventure in this Time Travel novel. Something very weird is happening with Connor's mom. Connor comes home from school one day and there's no TV, no computer, and no phone left in the house. His mother seems to have altered her personality overnight. Connor traces the mystery to an art book his mother has been studying. How on earth could Mom's image be in a painting that is over 80 years old? Investigating the strange art book, Connor inadvertently follows in his mother's footsteps--right into the past. 1926 to be exact. Connor is befriended by a nice family, who, with the exception of Uncle Fitz, the painter who seldom leaves his studio, take Connor in as one of their own. They explain how they miss Pammie, the woman who seemed to come from nowhere, whom Uncle Fitz called "his muse." Pammie--Connor's mother--disappeared from 1926 as suddenly as she came. Unraveling a web of evil that spans all the way to fifteenth century Italy, Connor struggles to learn the secrets of the magic paint that could save his life, and his mother's. This book is notable not only for its skillful plotting and action scenes, but also for its exploration of how an artist lives on through his work, and how modern families have lost sight of the simple pleasantness of days gone by. (Moning, Christopher. Rev. of Paint By Magic, by Kathryn Reiss. Children's Literature 7 December 2005 <http://clcd.odyssi.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/cgibin/member/search/f?./ temp/~iC6rG9:1>.)

Springer, Nancy. I Am Mordred: A Tale From Camelot. New York: Philomel Books, 1998.

In a riveting prologue, Arthur, goodly king of Camelot, takes his place alongside murderers of innocents like Herod and Pharaoh when he sends a coracle-load of male infants to certain death in an attempt to murder this story�s narrator: Mordred, bastard son of Arthur and Morgause, fated to be the death of Arthur and the end of Camelot. This is not Mordred the evil conniver as found in Tennyson, T. H. White, or even Lerner and Loewe--this is a young man seeking the blessing of his father and an escape from a prophesied doom. Springer handles the language of fantasy with ease, from sword fight to magical transformation, as she propels the sympathetically drawn Mordred inexorably toward his fate. The characters of Arthurian legend are precisely and delicately evoked--Arthur, generous and kind, and prisoner of his fate as surely as Mordred is prisoner of his; Nyneve, who saves Mordred from a life of obscurity when she retrieves him from the fisherwoman who fostered him; Morgan le Fay and Merlin, sorcerers who would use him for their own ends--but next to the complexity of Mordred, they are distant if effective figures. The swift action is propelled by Mordred�s voice (which conveys an agony of moral and emotional conflict), and the tragedy of Camelot is here given yet another facet. Readers will find themselves hoping against hope for a different ending to the foregone conclusion. (Del Negro, Janice M. Rev. of I Am Mordred: A Tale From Camelot, by Nancy Springer. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 51.10 (1998).)

Velde, Vivian Vande. Heir Apparent. San Diego: Harcourt, 2002.

The terrifying implications of virtual reality gone awry get a lighthearted spin in Velde's latest novel, which is set in a technologically advanced future. Smart, alienated Giannine decides to celebrate her fourteenth birthday at a computer gaming center, where she chooses an elaborate, virtual-reality role-playing game. Set in medieval times, the game turns Giannine into an exiled princess who must stay alive until she can return to court and assume the throne. As Giannine plays, a group of censorship advocates break into the computer system, and Giannine suddenly discovers that she must complete the game in the allotted time or die. The evocative details, plausible technology, and Giannine's sharp-witted narration will completely immerse readers in Giannine's world as she makes life-threatening decisions and evades danger. The thrilling sf drama and intricate game details will capture the Dungeons and Dragons set, and the slapstick humor, tough girl protagonist, and fairy-tale plot will widen the audience. This also raises interesting questions about censorship. (Engberg, Gillian. Rev. of Heir Apparent, by Vivian Vande Velde. Booklist 99.11 (2003).)