Author Archives: M. Roland

King Arthur and the Roman what?

Posted on February 9, 2026 by M. Roland

King Arthur’s Roman War campaign?  Most people have never heard of it. Almost everyone is familiar with the major plot outlines of the Arthurian story—a birth engendered by lust and magic, the iconic sword-and-the-stone episode, the Knights of the Round … Continue reading →

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Going that way anyway

Posted on February 2, 2026 by M. Roland

As the landscape of northern France flies dizzyingly past the train window, I am struck by the thought that somehow I got myself here, against a lot of odds.  In the past four years, my part-time faculty position became full time, … Continue reading →

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Quest

Posted on January 26, 2026 by M. Roland

2011: I am on the Eurostar train, streaming from London to Paris in just over two hours. My friend, Padeen, is dozing on a seat nearby. I’ve been awarded a faculty grant to follow the itinerary of the medieval story … Continue reading →

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In Malory’s Le Morte Darthur–a challenge is issued and a journey begins

Posted on January 26, 2026 by M. Roland

It befell when King Arthur had wedded Queen Guinevere and fulfilled the Round Table, and so after his marvellous knights and he had vanquished the most part of his enemies– . . . then so it befell that the Emperor … Continue reading →

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An update on Passionate Geography, January 2026

Posted on January 26, 2026 by M. Roland

Friends, if you once subscribed to this seemingly long-lost blog, you will start to see that I am tinkering and revising and hopefully finishing this project. If you would like to unsubscribe, please feel free to do so! If you … Continue reading →

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a passionate geography

Posted on January 26, 2026 by M. Roland

Between perception and a response emerges a zone of feeling, a resonance, a vibration, a powerful affect that inaugurates the passionate geography evoked in Guiliana Bruno’s ‘Atlas of Emotion’ . . .  –Iain Chambers, “Maritime Criticism and Theoretical Shipwrecks,”  PMLA, … Continue reading →

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