Arthurian Fiction

Arthurian Fiction

Summary

This research tool provides information on medieval Arthurian narratives and the manuscripts in which they are transmitted throughout Europe. The tool discloses a database consists of linked records on over two hundred texts, more than thousand manuscripts and two hundred persons. The database is work in progress: a considerable number of records have yet to be completed, while fresh discoveries of narratives and manuscripts invite new entries. The compilers of the database hope that this tool will contribute to further research into Arthurian fiction as a pan-European phenomenon.

Background

The Arthurian Fiction web application enables searching for manuscripts, narratives and persons from the Arthurian Fiction narratives and manuscripts metadata database Arthurian Fiction Data. Each of these object types can be searched for using facets specific to the object type. These include:

• for manuscripts: institute, date, origin, physical form, extant leave, leaf sizes, illustration type, scripts, scribe, patron and several more
• for narratives: date, origin, languages, cycle, manuscript, author, patron, verse type, meter, length, intertextuality properties and many more
• for persons: name, gender, subtype, background, manuscript, and narratives

The user can, if desired, select a subset of the facets to work with. In addition, keyword search is possible for all fields, query results can be sorted by a variety of keys and queries can be saved. There is also a web service with an API for the Arthurian Fiction narratives and manuscripts database. This web service makes use of SOLR queries via HTTP POST requests. Documentation on this API can be found here: Arthurian Fiction API doc.

Contacts

• Project leader: Dr. Bart Besamusca (Utrecht University)
• CLARIN center: Huygens ING
• Help contact: info@arthurianfiction.org

Links

• Arthurian Fiction Data Description: Arthurian Fiction Data
• Web-sites: http://www.arthurianfiction.org/
• User scenario's, screencast: http://vimeo.com/40508976
• Showcase: http://www.clarin.nl/node/373
• Project movie: http://youtu.be/t0y-ecrVD5w
• Manual: n.a.
• Tool/Service link: https://service.arthurianfiction.org/static/index.html#current=manuscripts
• Publications:
  • Besamusca, A.A.M. & Quinlan, J. (2012). The Fringes of Arthurian Fiction. Arthurian literature, 29, 191-241.
  • Boot, P. (2012), Manuscripten koning Arthur op tafel, E-Data & Research 7(1), 2012.
  • Dalen-Oskam, K. van and Besamusca, B. (2011), Arthurian Fiction in Medieval Europe: Narratives and Manuscripts, presentation held at the CLARIN-NL Kick-off meeting Call 2, Utrecht, February 9, 2011.
  • Dalen-Oskam, K. van (2011), ArthurianFiction, presentation held at the Call 3 information session, Utrecht, August 25, 2011.