"De rappels en prédictions, savoir convaincre et savoir agir : le rôle ambigu de Merlin, de la naissance d'Arthur à son accès au trône de Bretagne (dans le Merlin en prose et la Suite Vulgate)"

Bénéficiant de la connaissance du passé, du présent et du futur, Merlin ne se contente pas de rappeler, observer, ou prédire, mais il agit et influence le cours de l'histoire en favorisant la conception problématique d'Arthur. L'étude porte sur la nature et la portée de son investissement dans une trame narrative où il n'a de cesse d'argumenter, de convaincre, et de se justifier.

Friendly amendment: a commentary on Doyle and Ford's proposed re-definition of 'mental model'

Some amendments are proposed to a recent redefinition of the mental model concept in system dynamics. First, externalised, or articulated mental models should not be called cognitive maps; this term has a well established, alternative meaning. Second, there can be mental models of entities not yet existing beyond an individual's mind; the modelling of planned or desired systems is possible and recommended. Third, saying that mental models maintain social systems connects with some exciting research opportunities for system dynamics; however, it is probably an accidental distraction from the intended meaning of the redefinition. These minor criticisms apart, the new definition of mental model of a dynamic system is welcomed as a useful contribution to both research and practice.

Entre histoire et fiction: la représentation du règne d'Arthur dans le manuscrit enluminé du Brut en prose, Londres, Lambeth Palace 6 (c. 1480)

The manuscript London, Lambeth Palace 6, contains the Middle English prose Brut, a text which benefited from a great popularity throughout the fifteenth century. It was copied by an English scribe and richly illuminated by the Master of Edward IV and his assistants at Bruges around 1480. This article studies the representation and integration of the reign of Arthur in the historical framework of the Brut or Chronicles of England, including its fictional aspects: Arthur emerges as a historical character but also as a chivalric and mythical figure. The analysis covers the miniatures ranging from the plot leading to the conception of Arthur to the end of his reign (fols. 36-66). The textual and iconographic choices of the prose Bruts are highlighted by comparisons with Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae, Wace’s Brut, and later prose rewritings in the Lancelot-Grail romance cycle, especially Merlin and its Vulgate Sequel. They show the continuous interest raised by Arthur in the aristocratic and royal circles of late fifteenth century England and the relationship be¬tween continental and insular historiographical, literary and artistic traditions.

Arthur et ses barons rebelles: la fin remaniée et abrégée de la Suite Vulgate dans le manuscrit du cycle du Graal, Paris, BNF fr. 344

The ms. Paris, BnF, fr. 344 was produced in Lorraine at the end of the thirteenth century and contains the whole Lancelot-Grail cycle. It presents an abridged version of the end of the Vulgate Sequel to Merlin. The rewriting of the end of the sequel glosses over the romantic episodes of the common version and focuses on the figure of Arthur, a legitimate sovereign and skilful war leader confronted by his barons’ dissidence. From the end of f° 182 to f° 184v°, BnF, fr. 344, narrates the departure of Kings Ban and Bohort for the Continent, the embassy of King Loth and his sons, and the fight against the Saxons of the Christian coalition gathered at Logres for the feast of the Holy Cross. This article shows the ideological implications of the abridgement and the illustration used at the end of the Vulgate Sequel in ms. fr. 344, as it exalts Arthur’s kingship and insists on the rallying, penance and submission of his rebelled vassals.

Playing Kant at the Court of King Arthur

This article contrasts the sense in which those whom Bernard Williams called ‘political realists’ and John Rawls are committed to the idea that political philosophy has to be distinctively political. Distinguishing the realist critique of political moralism from debates over ideal and non-ideal theory, it is argued that Rawls is more realist than many realists realise, and that realists can learn more about how to make a distinctively political vision of how our life together should be organised from his theorising, although it also points to a worrying tendency among Rawlsians to reach for inappropriately moralised arguments. G. A. Cohen’s advocacy of socialism and the second season of HBO’s The Wire are used as examples to illustrate these points.

'The debatable territory where geology and archaeology meet': reassessing the early archaeobotanical work of Clement Reid and Arthur Lyell at Roman Silchester

The first large-scale archaeobotanical study in Britain, conducted from 1899 to 1909 by Clement Reid and Arthur Lyell at Silchester, provided the first evidence for the introduction of Roman plant foods to Britain, yet the findings have thus far remained unverified. This paper presents a reassessment of these archaeobotanical remains, now stored as part of the Silchester Collection in Reading Museum. The documentary evidence for the Silchester study is summarised, before the results are presented for over a 1000 plant remains including an assessment of preservation, identification and modern contamination. The dataset includes both evidence for the presence of nationally rare plant foods, such as medlar, and several archaeophytes. The methodologies and original interpretations of Reid and Lyell’s study are reassessed in light of current archaeobotanical knowledge. Spatial and contextual patterns in the distribution of plant foods and ornamental taxa are also explored. Finally, the legacy of the study for the development of archaeobotany in the 20th century is evaluated.

Aesthetical and narrative uses of the trench in the Hollywood cinema of 1918-1930

Throughout history of painting, the representation of landscape has been considered a laboratory for the human gaze on the world. The First World War and its new approach to the battlefield altered deeply the classical forms of representation, and replaced them with a mechanised and fragmentary vision, which was related with the development of photography and cinema. As Vicente J. Benet has analysed, Hollywod cinema used these deep changes in its filmic versions of the conflict, although it organised them following a narrative logic. In this text we intend to study how the battlefield and, particularly, the trench, are inserted in this logic of the history of landscape painting. We do so through some Hollywood films from the period 1918-1930. Firstly, we approach the trench as a composition value which can structure the image and guide the camera movement. In the second place, we study how it creates a dialog between its inside, melodrama scenery, and the outside, battlefield and danger. In both cases, we conclude that the trench as a form and as a narrative element plays a structuring and integrative role with the storytelling logic.

Missionsförbundets ungdomsförening i Borlänge 1930-1950

Denna uppsats studerar hur en lokal avdelning inom SMU i Sverige påverkas av det som försiggår i omvärlden mellan 1930-1950. De faktorer som studeras är världskriget, sekulariseringen, ungdomsdebatten, bibelsynsfrågan och depressionen. Undersökningen speglar makrofrågor ur ett mikroperspektiv. Uppsatsens resultat är att SMU i Borlänge påverkas väldigt lite under perioden. Verksamheten inom SMU i Borlänge är förhållande vis lika från år till år. Den största förändringen är att församlingen tappar en stor del av sina medlemmar. Minskningen av medlemsantalet är större än motsvarande minskning inom SMF i Borlänge och SMF nationellt. Förutom medlemsminskningen framförs ett krav på ökade bibelstudier och andra aktiviteter av andlig natur 1942. Orsaken till detta krav är svår att fastställa men det finns anledning att tro att samtliga undersökningspunkter kan har varit bidragande faktorer. Troligtvis har debatten om ungdomens moraliska förfall och sekulariseringen varit de mest betydelsefulla faktorerna.

Marxist Comrades or Capitalist Pigs? : From Musical Proletarians to Musical Capitalists in Roddy Doyle's The Commitments

Marxist themes of Roddy Doyle’s The Commitments have not often been looked at. Yet, they are decidedly prominent. The band make use of a Marxist image and of collectivist easy-played, easily-understood music in order to gain working class listeners. In fact, the band itself is based on an egalitarian structure, until it, due to an increasing individualist wish for success, falls apart. The aim of this essay is thus to argue, through pointing to the Marxist rhetoric of the band and the hypocrisy around it, and through a comparative reading between The Commitments and Orwell’s Animal Farm, that The Commitments has an allegorical value, much like Animal Farm does, when it comes to depicting the way Marxism has worked and failed as it has been practised in reality.

Fostransanspråk : En studie om Tunabygdens lärarklubbs fostransanspråk i samhälleliga fält mellan åren 1930-1953

Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka lärares yrkesidentitet i Tunabygdens lärarklubb mellan åren 1930-1953, och se om deras självuppfattningar och föreställningar om sin yrkesroll som fostrare inom olika samhälleliga fält har förändrats under klubbens verksamhetshistoria. Frågeställningarna arbetet har utgått ifrån har varit: Vad anses i Tunabygdens lärarklubb vara lärarens angelägenheter i sin roll som fostrare, vad ingår i lärarens fält? Hur reflekterar lärarna i Tunabygdens lärarklubb över sin roll som fostrare inom de olika samhälleliga fälten? Samt, sker det någon förändring under klubbens verksamhetshistoria gällande vad som uppfattas vara lärares angelägenheter i sin roll som fostrare, samt hur lärarna reflekterar över sin egen roll som fostrare? Om så är fallet, vad kan detta bero på? Ett flertal slutsatser kan dras utifrån det berörda källmaterialet. En slutsats är att lärarnas fostransanspråk på samhälleliga fält grundar sig bland annat på en funktionell syn på läraryrket och skolan, där skolan och lärarna förväntas tillgodose vissa samhällsbehov. Ytterliga slutsatser är att lärarnas självreflektion kring den egna fostrande rollen påverkas i hög grad av samhällets utveckling.

Plikttrogen och duglig : En studie av lärar- och lärarinneideal i dödsrunor åren 1928-1930

Undersökningens syfte är att studera läraridealgenom dödsrunor för att se vilka ideal som den avlidne framställdes i samt sehur dessa skiljer sig åt i ett genusperspektiv. Minnesrunorna finns publiceradei Sveriges allmänna folkskollärarföreningstidningsorgan Svensk läraretidningoch undersökningsperioden är åren 1928- 1930. Undersökningen visade på att bådeden manlige och den kvinnliga läraren framställdes i stort sett lika även omdet skiljer sig åt procentuellt sett. Läraridealet för denna tid var enpliktrogen och nitiskt lärare/lärarinna som på ett dugligt, intresserat ochsjälvuppoffrande sätt utförde sitt kall. Därtill tillkom ideal såsom glad,avhållen och godhjärtad. Manliga lärarideal var även redighet samt att dennekunde ses som försynt. För den kvinnlige läraren framhålls ideal såsom moderligoch fostrarinna.