Arthurian tales of chivalry and love have entertained readers for centuries. Beyond diversion, the literary figures of the king, queen, and the knight have provided focal points for cultures to work through their ambivalent feeling towards their society's power structures, institutions that on the one hand civilize, relieving individuals of constant fear of bodily harm, but on the other hand repress individual desire in favor of society. In our examination of various literary manifestations of Arthur, Guenevere, and the knights of the Round Table, we will consider how medieval society developed some of the givens of Arthurian legend to invent, as Frederic Jameson writes, “imaginary or formal ‘solutions’ to irresolvable social contradictions” created by competing claims of individual and social needs. The course is taught in two halves, according to the language of the text and the society from which it comes, but, throughout the semester, connections between texts—and sets of texts—are constantly acknowledged and explored. We will study some traditional Arthurian texts and watch several Arthurian films. The students will be encouraged to write on their favorite version of Arthur, in whatever form.