Now that I’m back from Switzerland (will post pictures soon), it’s time to think about Witch Week! This is my fourth annual celebration of fantasy books and authors (actual witches need not be involved). According to the book of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones, this magical week starts on Halloween and runs until Guy Fawkes Day. What better time to look at our favorite magical books?
This year’s theme is Dreams of Arthur, focusing on literature that draws on the Arthurian legend (whether in a fantasy or historical-fiction mode). Guest posts have always been an important part of Witch Week, and this year I thought for a change I’d send out an open call for anyone who might like to contribute. Some of the topics I’ve thought of include:
The Leader – Arthur as an archetype of the good leader who brings his people into a brief but brilliant golden age is one reason why this legend has such a powerful hold on our imaginations. How does this image resonate with us today? How does it play out through various retellings?- The Wizard – Merlin is a fascinating figure who has been envisioned in many different ways. Was he truly magical, or simply a good manipulator? What was his motivation in bringing Arthur to the throne?
- The Women – The women of the Arthurian legend represent multiple faces of the feminine. What do they tell us about our own experience and our own power?
- The Knights – The circle of knights around Arthur also venture down many paths, leading to trials as well as triumphs. What can we learn from these adventures?
- The Enemy – Mordred, the ill-begotten son who brought down the glory of Camelot, is the inevitable worm in the apple. How does he fill a necessary role? In some re-imaginings, he is made a sympathetic character — does this feel satisfying?
If you are inspired to write about one of these topics, or any variation thereof, please send me a description of your idea (lory at emeraldcitybookreview dot com) by August 15, and I will get back to you with details. More than one proposal per topic may be accepted; the more participants the better, as far as I’m concerned! And if you want to go in a completely different direction, that’s fine too.
I hope I will hear from some new voices by putting out this call, but if nobody comes forward, I’ll ask some of my favorite bloggers once more. Looking forward … and I hope you are too.
The Emerald City Book Review Archive 
Hey, you know I’m interested! I’ll have to think of a good topic, I don’t know what I’d want to talk about…
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Yay! Just let me know if you come up with some inspiration.
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Ooh, I love this! I will have to have a think if I have absolutely anything to say for this Witch Week. I am sorry to report that I have never been a King Arthur person and haven’t read very many King Arthur media. So I will probably be like a very enthusiastic READER of Witch Week posts so I can become better versed in King Arthur stuff.
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That’s a great way to participate! However, coming at any Arthurian lit from a “newbie” perspective would also be cool. Or there’s always Hexwood … 😉
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Ah. I offered to write about modern takes on the Arthurian legend when you first mooted this, and promptly forgot to give it further thought! If you’re still interested — and I know it doesn’t fit your themes though I could angle it towards villains — I’ll put my mind to it forthwith…
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You did, and I would still love to have a post from you! My themes are just suggestions so do not take them as constraining in any way.
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I am not really a topic post writer, but I love the ‘Dreams of Arthur’ theme. Also, I recently got my hands on copies of all three books in Mary Stewart’s Merlin Trilogy, which would be perfect to read for this 🙂
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As mentioned to Chris, my topics are just suggestions to try to get at a range of perspectives. Something on the Merlin series would be very welcome – plus, linking up posts on your own blog is always part of the event, if you don’t come up with a guest post.
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Lory, I have a really good think about it and sadly I’m afraid I don’t think I can commit to being able to read the book/s and write a post in time with everything else I have on. I wish you all the best with this event 🙂
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No problem – I hope you will enjoy reading the posts in any case!
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GREAT subject for Witch Week, Lory!!
I have always had this thing for Sir Kay. Maybe I’ll poke around some and see what I can come up with.
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Sounds terrific! I love focusing on overlooked characters.
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I would love to – I studied Arthurian Legends at university!
It’s really weird how Arthur developed as a character – oh this should be fun, I’ve been meaning to reread The Sword in the Stone for ages!
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Great, I will look forward to hearing more.
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I loved participating last year and look forward to reading this year’s posts! Hope you had a great vacation.
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Thanks, I did! Now I have to get organized for the upcoming months – October will be here soon.
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I’m very late reading this, but I hope you got plenty of response! King Arthur is a fantastic subject!
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I did get some interesting responses, thanks. Watch for the posts starting on halloween!
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