Thinking Queerly: Medievalism, Wizardry, and Neurodiversity in Young Adult Texts

252 Pages·2021·1.353 MB·English

by  Jes Battis

JesBattis
ThinkingQueerly
Premodern Transgressive
Literatures
Edited by
Alicia Spencer-Hall
Editorial Board
BlakeGutt,UniversityofMichigan,USA
CarissaHarris,TempleUniversity,USA
JonathanHsy,GeorgeWashingtonUniversity,USA
RobertaMagnani,SwanseaUniversity,UK
ElizabethRobertson,UniversityofGlasgow,UK
Volume 1
Jes Battis
Thinking Queerly
Medievalism, Wizardry, and Neurodiversity in Young
Adult Texts
ISBN978-1-5015-2189-8
e-ISBN(PDF)978-1-5015-1533-0
e-ISBN(EPUB)978-1-5015-1535-4
ISSN2702-9824
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Acknowledgments
Inmanyways,theacknowledgmentsforthisbookcouldbetheentirebook.So
many people helped along the way, checked in, answered questions, kept me
on track, and reminded me why I wanted to write this in the first place. I fin-
ishedthedraftmanuscriptatthestartofaglobalpandemic,whichmeantthatI
hadlimitedaccesstoresearchmaterials.Luckily,Ididstillhaveaccesstoalovely
a communityofscholarson Twitter. So many people were willingto reach out,
answerquestions,helpwiththornytranslations,andevensendalongPDFscans
oftexts.Thesecolleaguesinclude,butarenotlimitedto:CarolyneLarrington,
ShilohCarroll, Jonah Coman,JamesGifford,Katie DeCoste, EllisAmity Light,
Dainy Bernstein, Blake Gutt, Claudia Wittig, Kara Maloney, Steven Kruger,
MattMcCall,GabrielleM.W.Bychowski,BrookeFindley,JuliettedeBertole,Cur-
tisRunstedler,KaraMcShane,AnneBrannen,TaylorDriggers-McDowall,Steven
Bruso,A.E.Whitacre,KavitaMudanFinn,andEstherLibermanCuenca.I’malso
gratefulfortheongoinganti-racistworkofmedievalistslikeDorothyKim,Jona-
than Hsy, and Mary Rambaran-Olm. The medieval analysis in this book would
nothavebeenpossiblewithoutallofyou,andIloveourcommunity.
Thisisalsoabookaboutdisabilityandneurodiversityacrosstime,andI’m
particularlyindebtedtoworkonmedievaldisabilitystudiesbyCameronHunt
McNabb,JoshuaEyler,andWillRogers.Myownanalysishasalsobeenenriched
by the work of disabled and neurodivergent scholars: Alison Kafer, Eli Clare,
MelanieYergeau,JuliaMieleRodas,MargaretPrice,andPetraKuppers.Special
thanks to Travis Chi Wing Lau for sending me his work on cripping academic
time,andJohnLoeppky,forallhiseffortstoamplifycreativeworkbydisabled
artistsinRegina(andforalwaysbeingtheonetosendagentletextorDMasking
me howI’m doing).Kathryn Nogue’skeen editorialeye alsohelped toshape the
book’sintroduction,andI’mgratefulforherownscholarlyandcommunitywork.
Many of the ideas for this book emerged from classroom conversations,
wheremystudentsofferedbrilliantandcriticalreadingsofdisabilityrepresen-
tation in pop culture. I’m especially thankful for the contributions of Hannah
Grover, Kris Ferguson, Taylor Gilkes-Reed, Joshua Kopriva, Yasmin Woolridge,
Quinn Hosking, Amy Langen, Hannah Eiserman, Eric Piapot, and Carrie Fehr.
I’ve been inspired by the fantasy literature of my creative writing students, in-
cludingCourtneyStroh,LaetitiaAdams,FarronAger,andMattMacDonald,as
wellasscholarshipongenderandheroismbyApollineLucyk.I’mgratefulfor
CodyJackson’sworkonqueerdisabilitystudies,andRosemaryMcAllister’swork
onfandomandneurodiversity.
There were multiple podcasts that helped shape this book’s discussion.
Hazel&Katniss&Harry&StarrwasinvaluableforitstreatmentofYAliterature
https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501515330-202
VI Acknowledgments
(andthepreciousbanterbetweenJoeLipsettandBrennaClarkeGraywasabalm
whenIwasrecoveringfromsurgery).ClarkeGray’seducationaltechnologypod-
cast,YouGotThis,alsohelpedmetoinnovatemyonlineteaching.WitchPlease,
hostedbyHannahMcGregorandMarcelleKosman(producedbyArianaMarti-
nez) offered fascinating discussions of the Potterverse and its impact on YA
genres.MattBaume’sSewersofParispodcastwasasourceoffascinatinginter-
views, including a perfect discussion with Anthony Oliveira about medievalism
inHe-Man.AndrewGurza’sDisabilityafterDarkalsoinfluencedmydiscussionof
disability representation, and Queer As Fact provided some great historical and
literaryexamples.
MyfriendsandcolleaguesattheUniversityofReginahaveinspiredandsus-
tained me throughout this project. Medrie Purdham, there aren’t enough words
forhowmuchIloveyouandyourfamily.MarkLajoie,thanksforalwaysbeinga
voice of reason (I’m devastated I missed out on your mulled wine this year).
RowanLajoie,youoncetoldmethatIshouldlifteveryoneIlovetoseethemoon,
and I’vetried tokeepdoing that—I’m continually inspired by the person you’re
growinginto.VictorLajoie,yourenergyisboundless,andyoucandoanything.
Alexis McQuigge, your friendship is invaluable to me, and I love that you can
crackmeupwithalook.ThanksforrenewingmyinterestinLadyMaryWortley
Montagu,andforintroducingmetootherfascinatingeighteenth-centuryauthors.
Jon Wight, thanks for always being available to talk about spaceships, and for
the time you drove me to the hospital late at night (Alexis drove me twice that
sameyear—itwasabanneryearforemergencyvisits).
Susan Johnston, thanks for your excellent work on Tolkien and Game of
Thrones,andforthemanyconversationswe’vehadaboutfantasyliteratureover
theyears.MarcelDeCoste,thanksforyourkindnessasdepartmentheadwhenI
washavingaparticularlyroughtime,andforyoursenseofhospitality.JasonDe-
mers,thanksforyourvitalpublicscholarshiponincarceration,andforthemany
quickbutsweetconversationsbythephotocopier(inthebeforetimes).Melanie
Schnell,thanksforyourwriting,andforalwayslettingmemeltintoapuddleof
anxiety. Troni Grande, thanks for your poetry, and for all the support you’ve
givenmeovertheyears.MichelleCoupal,thanksforyourworkonthelegacy
ofresidentialschools,andforallthatyoubringtoourdepartmentandcommu-
nity.JeanHillabold,thanksforyourgenerosityasawriterandreviewer,andfor
allyourcommunitywork.
WestCoastthanksgotoJuneScudeler,foralltheconversationswe’vehad
overtheyearsaboutacademiaandbeyond.AndtoShelleyBoyd,forourchats
overdinner,andforincludingmyoddballessayonqueerfoodstudiesinyour
excellent volume, Canadian Culinary Imaginations. To Bea, for all the reasons.
To my parents, for instilling in me a love of reading, research, and medieval
Acknowledgments VII
history.ToGuinevere,whosemedievalistnameonlyfueledhertenacityasacat
(sheoncedispelledanactualdragonfrommybedroom).
Iwrotethisbookasasettlerscholarlivingonmultipleterritories.Treaty4:
traditionalhomelandsoftheNêhiyawak,Anihšināpēk,Dakota,Lakota,andNa-
kodapeoples,aswellastheMétisNation.AndUncededCoastSalishterritory:
traditional homelands of the Musqueam, Squamish, Stó:lō, and Tsleil-Wautuh
nations.IacknowledgethatIamaguestontheseterritories,andthatIamin-
vestedinworkingtowardseffortsofdecolonization,bothintheclassroomand
beyond.
Finally,thisbookisalovelettertoqueer,trans,nonbinary,andneurodiver-
gent scholars, students, readers, and viewers. I hope you keep seeing yourself
inthediverseMiddleAges.

Contents
Acknowledgments V
Introduction:Wizardry,Medievalism,andQueerThinking 1
Origins 1
MedievalAdolescence:Or,WaxingupSideways 4
MedievalandMedievalistNeurodiversity 10
MedievalistYA 20
Chapter1
MySo-CalledMerlin:WizardryandNeurodiversity 27
MedievalMagicandtheWizard 31
MerlinintheArthurianTradition 32
DeBoron:Merlin’sChildhoodandAdolescence 33
Monmouth’sVitaMerlini:MerlinLookingBackwards 39
TheMiddleEnglishMerlin 43
TheSwordintheStone 48
OnceandFuture 51
RedScrollsofMagic 53
Chapter2
TheFuturesofMorganleFay:SolidarityandKnowledgeinSabrina
andTiffanyAching 59
MedievalMorgans 61
SabrinaSpellman 74
TiffanyAching 82
Chapter3
WizardsinSchool:QueeringtheMagicalAcademy 93
MedievalMagicSchoolsandtheSpell-CastingTradition 94
MedievalRootsoftheWizardSchool 95
EarthseaandtheRokeSchoolofWizardry 99
TheMagicians:MagicandDisappointment 102
CarryingonwithQueerWizards 113
X Contents
Chapter4
BadMagic:WizardryandQueerFailuresofCommunication 127
FailingintheMiddleAges 128
TheLastUnicorn 135
ElliotSchaferinSarahReeseBrennan’sInOtherLands 142
OscarandAutisticMedievalisminTheRealBoy 146
Chapter5
DoYouReallyWanttoSnyrtMe?QueerAdolescenceinSirGawain
andtheGreenKnight 157
TheRiseofGawain 159
Gawain’sOffshoots 162
QueerYouthinSirGawainandtheGreenKnight 165
JustaKiss? 167
Green,G,orPG-13? 175
Epilogue:Gandalf’sCharm 189
Appendix:TextsandMedia 203
Bibliography 219
Index 235