Ceræ extends our congratulations to Dr. Jacob Herrmann, the winner of our Volume 10 essay prize for his article, ‘Myths and Memories of the Arthurian Empire in The Awntyrs off Arthur’, which examines the role of collective memory in The Awntyrs off Arthur.
Dr. Herrmann’s article argues that the poem ‘both absorbs and reflects the historical memory of the English-Scottish border conflict, and in turn, functions as a social and cultural reflective tool for later readers’ (60), and he nuances his argument in explaining that this memory is complex and non-linear, ultimately encouraging the happy subjugation of the Scottish by Arthur’s court. While the poem remembers the past, interweaving the present and future, it remembers in specific ways, for specific purposes. This, Herrmann writes, ‘cast[s] a dark shadow over the empire of the larger Arthurian mythos’ (61).
Herrmann’s article can be read both in the full edition of Volume 10, and as an individual article. Go forth and read! Volume 10, themed, ‘Memory‘, contains so much talent—we were astounded by the work of all of our published authors.
We extend our thanks to all authors for their contributions, and we ask that you join us in congratulating Dr. Herrmann for his exceptional work.
All of our past essay prize winners can be found listed here, and all of our previous volumes, which are open access, can be located under The Journal menu tab at the top of our website. Our journal is fully independent, and we depend on the goodwill and support of our readers. If you want to help us stay afloat, please consider donating to Ceræ today, through either our PayPal or Ko-Fi. Your dontation will allow us to continue offering prizes to our exceptional authors, and to continue publishing quality, open access, peer-reviewed research.
Featured Image: Yale Beinecke MS 229 f. 272v.