(urth) Castleview and Arthuriana

[Craig Brewer]

(A bit of a long one, but after teaching Malory not
long ago *and* having reread it along with some
students, I thought I'd share some of my
questions/ideas.)

I know there have been many questions in the past
about what exactly happens at the end of Castleview.
In the archives, the two most compelling versions were
that 1) the whole Arthurian “good vs. evil” turns out
to be just a pagan renewal of seasons (with King
Geimhreadh – Gaelic “winter” – killing the Green Man
“to die so that you and many another may live”) or 2)
that it’s a mysterious battle between Faeries which
mortals don’t and can’t really understand (and a lot
of the confusion is therefore mortal confusion on
perceiving the “feckless” fey).

But I’m not sure the pagan renewal story goes far
enough, and the Arthurian resonances seem strong
enough that “vague battle” of Faeries can be tied to
the prophetic future of the Arthur myths more
strongly. Much of the end suggests to me that we’re
witnessing some kind of larger battle between forces
for which Arthur’s coming is necessary. But I’m not
sure that we’ve actually seen that final battle yet,
and my real opinion is that the book is really about
changing what we thought the Arthurian myths are
“really” about.

I’m still not exactly sure what that “really” is, or
why these groups of Faeries were after each other. I’m
not even sure, to be honest, whether both sides were
“Faerie.” 
 after all Dr. von Madadh seems to be on
some kind of anti-Faerie side, not only by saying that
he and “his people” have been searching for a way into
Faerie for a long time, but also by his battle cry
(after I assume he kills Shields) that “The king is
dead and the world lives! The end is not yet!”
Morgan’s voice then calls out “
and will live again!”
So do we have some kind of anti-Faerie forces
(although perhaps still magical
? Or even alien—see
below?) behind Dr. vM? One side gains from killing
Arthur and having the “world” live on after him, the
other for keeping his return a promise. Is this still
an Arthurian dynamic or something incredibly
different?

But as for the Arthur figure, is Shields really
Arthur? Or is he the Fisher King (who seems strikingly
absent from the book)? Or maybe (the idea I rather
like) he’s one of many Arthurs. (Further, his name is
“Sheilds,” not “swords,” and he never uses
Excalibur
Gawain is the only knight predominantly
associated with his shield.) Yes, Morgan says he’s her
brother. But Wrangler’s name is “Artie,” and, in the
car on the way back, Bob Richards suggests that
Wrangler should have been their champion, but he was
too hurt at the moment. Thus, Shields stood in his
place. (“They asked us to pick out a champion,
remember? The best we had. So we sent Mr. Shields.
That cowboy’s still pretty weak; so’s Seth, and Seth’s
too young, anyhow
”). Further, Seth ends up with
Excalibur (or the “alien” sword). Does this make him
Sir Bedivere or, for that matter, the Lady of the
Lake? Or is he another Arthur? (Would that make Tom
Howard the Uther and Sally the Igraine? If so, then
Dr. vM by perhaps “marrying” Igraine at the end,
becomes King Lot King who will, with Igraine, give
birth to Gawain, Mordred, and two other G knights
(?)
after all, Seth does wonder “what his half
brothers and sisters might be like, if there were
any.” And, early in the legends, Lot is Arthur’s
enemy, although he’s later his ally.)

What intrigues me, however, is how much Arthurian
material doesn’t seem to be here: the Grail? A grail
knight (Galahad/Percival)? A Lancelot? A Gawain? An
Uther? A Merlin? A Fisher King? A Dolorous Stroke?
I’ve always wondered with this book if I’ve been shown
enough of the Arthurian myth that the rest is supposed
to be there as well. I’m still not sure. I am
reasonably sure that we’re in a world where the
mysteries won’t be solved just by mapping characters
onto the old tales. The many Arthur suggestion is one
reason. Another is how the legend of the Wild Hunt
changes: any mortal, particularly women, who view it
are supposed to die or be killed. But Phyllis Sun “had
witnessed the Wild Hunt and lived.” So are we still in
a world in which Arthur is a champion and Camelot is
an ideal?

I’m always torn with this one whether to agree with
the idea that the “mysteriousness” is just part of
interacting with Faerie or whether there’s enough from
myth/folklore to piece together a bigger narrative.
But the clues never seem coherent enough as the Sun
books to piece together more than speculations.

(And Excalibur as technology from a planet that was
destroyed where the asteroid belt is now? I like the
idea that we see Faerie either as Indians (Sally’s
neighbor) or sasquatches/yetis, or aliens depending on
our cultural imagination. But that was Morgan telling
Judy, who apparently can see Faeries as they really
are, about the extraterrestrial sword? Are we seeing
through “mortal” or “fey” perception there? So is the
“truest” version of this that we’re in some kind of
X-Files battle of extraterrestrial forces? Ugh
If so,
then I have no idea what to make of what I’ve read. ;D
 )

Ah, well. I'd love hashing some of this stuff out if
anyone's game for returning to an older one (although
with new Latro and TWK still new, there's still plenty
of fresh fodder as well).

-Craig


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