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This study re-examines Morgan le Fay in early medieval and contemporary Arthurian sources, arguing that she embodies the concerns of each era even as she defies social and gender expectations. Hebert uses leFay as a lens to explore traditional ideas of femininity, monstrousness, resistance, identity, and social expectations for women and men alike.
List of contents
Introduction: To be a Shapeshifter 1. For the Healing of His Wounds? The Seeds of Ambiguity in Latin Sources 2. Sisters of the Forest: Morgan and Her Analogues in Arthurian Romance 3. Morgan in Malory 4. Morgan's Presence-in-Absence in Renaissance, Romantic, and Victorian Works 5. Imprisoned by Ideology: Modern and Fantasy Portrayals Conclusion: Beyond Limits
About the author
Jill M. Hebert is an assistant professor of English at the University of Saint Mary.
Summary
This study re-examines Morgan le Fay in early medieval and contemporary Arthurian sources, arguing that she embodies the concerns of each era even as she defies social and gender expectations. Hebert uses leFay as a lens to explore traditional ideas of femininity, monstrousness, resistance, identity, and social expectations for women and men alike.
Additional text
"[A] useful reference for students and Morgan enthusiasts for its sheer ability to synthesize so much prior scholarship and provide intertextual readings of a wide range of Arthurian literature . . . Morgan le Fay, Shapeshifter regularly inspired me to want to turn to the texts or delve into the issues and questions Hebert raises. I have no doubt that the book ill spark further investigations into the character of Morgan and her changing status during various eras of Arthurian literature." - Medievally Speaking
"Advanced scholars will find this book enlightening for the transhistorical connections it provides, but students new to the study of this enigmatic figure will find Hebert's text invaluable . . . Hebert is committed to an expansive approach that probes boundaries rather
than creating them, forcing readers to interrogate their deeply entrenched expectations." - Speculum
"Hebert's book will have widespread interest, especially for advanced undergraduates and graduate students majoring in literature a
and/or women's studies, art history, and media studies. It will serve as a resource for Hebert's analysis and judgments regarding various works and also as a model of one scholarly way to examine a magnetic character - Morgan le Fay - over several centuries of primary works and through various historical, philological, and myth-centered approaches as well as various genres." - Sue Ellen Holbrook, Professor of English, Southern Connecticut State University
Report
"[A] useful reference for students and Morgan enthusiasts for its sheer ability to synthesize so much prior scholarship and provide intertextual readings of a wide range of Arthurian literature . . . Morgan le Fay, Shapeshifter regularly inspired me to want to turn to the texts or delve into the issues and questions Hebert raises. I have no doubt that the book ill spark further investigations into the character of Morgan and her changing status during various eras of Arthurian literature." - Medievally Speaking
"Advanced scholars will find this book enlightening for the transhistorical connections it provides, but students new to the study of this enigmatic figure will find Hebert's text invaluable . . . Hebert is committed to an expansive approach that probes boundaries rather
than creating them, forcing readers to interrogate their deeply entrenched expectations." - Speculum
"Hebert's book will have widespread interest, especially for advanced undergraduates and graduate students majoring in literature a
and/or women's studies, art history, and media studies. It will serve as a resource for Hebert's analysis and judgments regarding various works and also as a model of one scholarly way to examine a magnetic character - Morgan le Fay - over several centuries of primary works and through various historical, philological, and myth-centered approaches as well as various genres." - Sue Ellen Holbrook, Professor of English, Southern Connecticut State University
