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 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2021932151 BibliographicinformationpublishedbytheDeutscheNationalbibliothek TheDeutscheNationalbibliothekliststhispublicationintheDeutscheNationalbibliografie; detailedbibliographicdataareavailableontheinternetathttp://dnb.dnb.de. ©2021WalterdeGruyterGmbH,Berlin/Boston Coverimage:valentinrussanov/E+/GettyImages Typesetting:IntegraSoftwareServicesPvt.Ltd. Printingandbinding:CPIbooksGmbH,Leck www.degruyter.com 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