Literary Theory - Blog Posts

these are some books that i've bought recently. expecting lispector and camus of me should be common sense by now. and of course, literary theory. 🤍

I love speculating about medieval Welsh poetry! As a Cauldron Kids enthusiast, I'd like to elaborate a little about the poetic bit with Creirwy and Garwy Hir. Here it is in Welsh and English:

Whether Hywel ab Einion Llygliw (yes, a different Hywel) is drawing a parallel between his feelings for Myfanwy Fychan and Garwy's feelings for Creirwy or whether he's referencing two unconnected characters, one known for being beautiful and the other known for an unhappy love life or just a lot of generalized woes, is kind of ambiguous, so while I would be happy to have more Creirwy lore, unless there's some other source which mentions this, I don't think we can say that it's supposed to mean they were in a relationship for certain. There's also another Creirwy, daughter of Saint Gwen the Triple-Breasted, though I don't think she's as likely to be the one referenced here.

I'd also like to add that one really dubious Wikipedia entry claims Myfanwy married Goronwy ap Tudur Hen. This is a fun tidbit because he's yet another guy named Goronwy, though almost certainly not the "Cad Goddeu" poet's pal Goronwy, and because if it were true, that would make her a direct ancestor of the House of Tudor.

Hello, it's me. I am back again to bore you all to utter DEATH.

Okay, so I was doing some reading in my lil book nook and I came across this poem:

(Sorry it's sideways. I hate it too.)

It's Ode Five by Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd (who is awesome in his own right. Might do a post about him if anybody would like it.) Anyways, there are two (2) things that jumped out straight off that I have highlighted:

1. The reference to Ogrfan Fawr who is Gwenhwyfar's dad. It's super interesting to me that it reads a bit like Hywel (or whoever is narrating the poem) uses Ogrfan to imply that he's being kept apart from his lover. (Presumably the fair - pls remember Gwen is another word for fair, or white, in Welsh - shy girl lady he mentions in the second line.)

Who's got fair in their name? Gwenhwyfar. "Okay, Sarah," I imagine you're saying. "Cool stuff. But what the fuck does this have to do with a twelfth-century poet dude and a fictional queen?"

Ah, okay. WELL. LEMME REFER U TO GARWY HIR:

He's the father of Indeg who is one of Arthur's mistresses, AND lover of Creirwy, daughter of Cerridwen. Now, I find the author's insinuation that the poem is specifically about Garwy Hir to be a bit of a stretch, because why tf is Ogrfan mentioned in the same breath as Garwy? They have little connection to each other in all honesty. (And I have never heard of Ogrfan, Garwy, being Cerridwen being connected.)

Well, there's a Very Prominent Lad who is connected to both of those ladies.

ARTHUR!!!!!

Husband to Gwenhwyfar, lover of Indeg. The dumbass boi himself. (Respectfully. He is just... look, a lot of Welsh sources are mixed about him. Gildas has Proper Beef with Arthur cuz he killed his brother. Also, this is the same man who called Maelgwn Gwynedd, 'a sodomitical grape.' So. He's not fuckin about.)

It sounds like - to me - this Ode could be perceived as a quest - much like his quest to Annwfn (Not outside of Hywel's subject matter. Man LOVED to intertwine war and love. Read his Gorhoffedd. You'll see what I mean.) - that's been forgotten about over the intervening centuries. One that Arthur went on to get Gwenhwyfar from her father's hall. Perhaps this is also - maybe - a far older version of the Gwenhwyfar/Guinevere and Melwas/Melegaunt myth, but idk. I cannot say for certain.

Now. You can think that this is all a bit tenuous. It very much is, I grant you. In 'The Arthur of the Welsh,' O.J. Padel suggests that Hywel is imagining himself as a suitor for Gwenhwyfar's hand (entirely fair. Right there with you, fella. I too would want to be a suitor for Gwenhwyfar.) But I think it makes a little more sense for the Ode to be Arthur.

Also, yes, I admit the reference to Gwenhwyfar is an indirect one, and I am running on 12 cups of coffee, and this didn't go anywhere, but still. It's FUN.

Now, go read about Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd, pls!!!!! His dad, Owain Gwynedd, gets compared to Cai, Cynyr, Gwalchmai, and Dillus in an elegy by Cynddelw, while his court at Gwynedd is seen to be like Arthur's at Celli Wig. (Cynddelw did a praise poem about Hywel too, which also contains lots of Arthurian references.)

Let's talk about fanfiction real quick, and more specifically the "reader" character and why I think it's absolutely genius.

You've created a premise, you've created a person to experience this world that you have created, then created the option for your readers to experience it one of two ways: as though it's actually them or as just another character. Literally that's amazing writing and an absolutely marvel of writing creativity.

In other stories, a reader could immerse themselves but there will always be that disconnect. In fanfiction, with "y/n" that disconnect is lessened or totally not there. And to be able to create a reader!character well is a sign of absolute mastery over writing imo.

Idk, the fanfiction community has me in a chokehold. I love y'all, keep doing what you do <3

It's me ya boi

Anyway can we talk about how many parallels there are towards death and the strong themes of cheating death present in the DA games?

DAO: Cousland cheats death the first time by escaping their castle or whatever. Don't remember the other back stories but I know they also evade consequences or death. THEN you evade death AGAIN when you become a Warden. Then once more at the betrayal, when you get saved by Morgan and Flemeth. Then if you complete the dark ritual you manage to slay and survive the Archdemon. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IS the entire point of being a Warden is to die. To slay dark spawns until you get killed or go insane -in which case you die anyway- Your whole premise is to be an honorable sacrifice, to die and take as many dark spawn as you can with you so that no one else has to. By surviving over and over again you're not only forsaking your purpose but spiting the wardens that came before you. How dare YOU be the one to survive? How dare you cheat your death over and over and over again? What about you makes you so special? More important than the other wardens? How fucking dare you?

Da2: So first Hawke survives the hordes of dark spawn in Fereldan, they survive the ogre attack in place of their sibling, then the trip to Kirkwall and then the entry into Kirkwall. How many died during those events, how many different times did Hawke cheat death in those instances? Hundreds of times, definitely. One wrong move and Hawke would've been killed, but they weren't. How lucky. Then in the deep roads, Hawke can lose their OTHER sibling to the taint. Then they lose their mother. What was all that surviving for if they were just going to lose all of their family, be left in this world without the people Hawke had worked so hard to save and to care for? Champion of Kirkwall, what a heavy title to bear with all the deaths of people Hawke couldn't save. They cheat death once more at the end, against Meredith.

DAI: Inky is sent to the chantry, and it blows up. You should've died but you didn't, instead you're given a key to close the rift and a woman saves you. Then you are found, imprisoned for terrorism. You should've been executed, good thing you have that key. Good thing you were the one to try and save Justinia, right? Good thing it was you who survived and not the thousands of others. Then comes the reinstitution of the Inquisition, a portion of the chantry long since dead -for good reason- that rises up from the ashes with you. Then in that one mission you get sent forward in time, in which everyone dies for you to get you to fix the disastrous consequences of you NOT defeating Corypheus. There are more moments but fast forwarding to the dragon secret and defeating Corypheus. You should not have been able to get that secret, but you did, the same way that key imbedded in your hand/arm. By all means, you were always meant to be dead. There was nothing special about Inky, there was no reason they should have survived any of what happened to them but they did. And that can be viewed as either happy, bittersweet, or outright tragic. Then, at the very end, the one thing that made you special, the key, has to be CUT OFF because it is killing you. You should have died but good thing Solas is there to take your arm, to help you cheat death again -which is a great parallel to how he helped you in the very beginning-

I stand by the idea that Dragon Age is a tragedy. The MC, whether that's Warden, or Hawke, or Inky has to give up EVERYTHING, their families, their lives, everything, to be forced into positions of power and save the world. And whether their willing or not, it doesn't matter because they will be forced into that position. Forced to be Hero of Fereldan, Champion of Kirkwall, or Inquisitor. You will be robbed of everything and forged into what people need you to be. That's the consequence of cheating death and being at the right place at the right time. But it's a good thing youre special, huh?

And you know the thing about being a Main Character is that you will cheat death over and over and over again, and the only consequence is that someone is going to be there to take your place, someone is going to die for you, eventually. There's nothing you can do about it except watch your life be taken away from you and watch all the people you love and care for die.