Ms. Brennan

English 201

February 2009

King Arthur Project #1:

Oral Storytelling

The Bard was a repository of histories, stories, legends, songs and poetry of his people. Wherever the bard travelled, he was honoured and given certain diplomatic impunity. Before the invention of the printing press, books and scribes were very costly, and until recently news travelled very slowly and inaccurately. The bard, due to his education in oral tradition, could be relied upon to know the latest news from his court, whether crops had failed to the south, or which roads were safe to travel. For some villages and towns, the bard was the only reliable source of information.

                                                                        From The Bard’s Rest, Chris Thurtle

By now, you and your partner have chosen a tale in the Arthurian legend to explore.  Now it is time to get to work (and hopefully have some fun in the process)!  Here are the steps involved:

1. Research your tale.  Seek out as many versions as you can find, whether in book form or online (be sure to evaluate the credibility of your source, though!).  Some sources to begin your quest:
   • King Arthur:  Tales from the Round Table, Andrew Lang
   • The Story of King Arthur, Robin Lister
   • Tales of King Arthur students.mountainstate.edu/students/rsarver/index.htm

1. Compare the tales, using a graphic organizer.  What elements are common to many of the versions?  What is different?  Be prepared to address the choices you made where differences occur.

3. Synthesize your tale, again using a graphic organizer to gather elements into one basic work that you will share with the class.

4. Create your version of the tale.  Consider the examples we examined (“The 1913 Massacre”, “The Lady of Shalott”).  How will you tell your tale?  Will it rhyme?  Be set to music?  Remember that a bard’s role was to entertain as well as inform.

5. Practice, practice, practice! Real bards underwent training to master their art.  Your presentation will be much more successful and enjoyable if it is rehearsed.  Check out the online Bardic primer at http://www.pbm.com/pipermail/minstrel/1996/007140.html or see me for a copy if you’d like extra support with this.

You will be sharing your tale on Tuesday, March 10th.  As it was common for bards to share their stories during feasts, I will bring in a snack and encourage anyone who can to do the same.

You will need to turn in:

·        A complete list of sources for your tale, in works cited format.

·        The graphic organizers for steps 2 and 3.

·        A hard copy of your version of the tale.

·        Any written explanation of the breakdown of responsibility, if the project was not a truly collaborative effort.

This will count as one test grade.

*Need to work on your document but can’t get together?  Try using Google documents (found under “More” on the Google home page).  You can create an online document that can be accessed and edited by multiple users.  Better yet, create your own wiki!  Go to pbwiki.com, create an account, and follow the simple steps to create a wiki.  You can add users by going to "Settings" and clicking on "Users".