Frank Brandsma wins James Randall Leader Prize 2019
It was recently announced that Dr Frank Brandsma (Languages, Literature and Communication) has won the prestigious for his paper entitled "'Al was hi sward, wat scaete dat?': Emotions and Courtly Cultural Exchange in the Roman van Moriaen".
The James Randall Leader Prize
The James Randall Leader Prize is awarded each year by the North American branch of the International Arthurian Society. The prize rewards the best work on an Arthurian subject from the previous year. Because of this year's strong entries, two prizes were awarded: one for faculty members and one for retired participants. Brandsma won the first.
The Roman van Moriaen
Brandsma's winning piece is about the Middle Dutch Roman van Moriaen, which features the black knight Moriaen as its protagonist. His skin colour elicits all kinds of emotional reactions from Arthur's knights as well as common people. His looks, lineage and prowess eventually overrule the negative reactions to his otherness. According to the jury, the piece shows "both Brandsma’s solid knowledge of Middle Dutch Arthurian texts and his skillful usage of audience reception theory".