Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2022

Love and Duty: Narrative Construction of the Jedi Knight in SWTOR & the Medieval Knight in Lancelot

Résumé

The character of the Jedi Knight is, it seems, an understudied medievalism. Though, according to George Lucas, the Jedi code was inspired by Eastern philosophies, it remains the case that the “knight” recalls a specific figure in the Western collective imaginary. Furthermore, it appears that the Jedi code is as much influenced by Christian theology as it is Eastern philosophy—which is perhaps not so surprising when we consider the Christianisation of chivalry in medieval literature that created an implicit link between Christian mores and the chivalric code. In Star Wars: The Old Republic (an MMO), the Jedi Knight is one of eight playable classes, and at key moments during the game’s narrative the player has to choose between Light and Dark side options to “develop” the character and move the narrative along. In this paper, I propose a study of the boundaries between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ in SWTOR’s Jedi Knight storyline through a comparative reading with Chretien de Troye’s Lancelot. In particular, this paper will consider the similarities between the cart scene (Love vs. Reason) in the medieval romance and some key Light or Dark side moments in SWTOR. Is there room for grey in the medieval chivalric code and/or the Jedi code? What are the similarities and differences in how that ambiguity manifests for each of the knightly figures? What does this say about the character of “the knight” and his morals as they are perceived and disseminated in modern media? The aim of the paper is to bring attention to the way medievalisms have manifested in modern games and culture beyond overtly “medieval-esque” media.

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Dates et versions

hal-03939227 , version 1 (14-01-2023)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-03939227 , version 1

Citer

Hannah Victoria. Love and Duty: Narrative Construction of the Jedi Knight in SWTOR & the Medieval Knight in Lancelot. International Medieval Conference, Jul 2022, Leeds, United Kingdom. ⟨hal-03939227⟩
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