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Meg Roland
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Former English professor at Marylhurst University for 16 years, then Concordia University. I taught writing, medieval literature, humanities, maps and literature, and history of the book. After five years as a Dean of arts and humanities at Linn-Benton Community College, I am now a writer and an instructor at Willamette University – Pacific Northwest College of Art.
Archives
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Recent Posts
- The Trace of Rome II (St. Giles Hill, Winchester) March 24, 2026
- The Trace of Rome I (St. Giles Hill, Winchester) March 15, 2026
- Just out! “Arthurian Literature and the Global Middle Ages” in The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and Culture March 12, 2026
- The Table Round, at Winchester March 10, 2026
- The Once and Future Manuscript March 2, 2026
Category Archives: Uncategorized
The Trace of Rome II (St. Giles Hill, Winchester)
[Reader, if you are just joining this journey, click on the “About” tab for context. The chronological posts begin in January 2026.] Now, the clouds around the hill have solidified to a leaden presence, closing off the views. I head … Continue reading
The Trace of Rome I (St. Giles Hill, Winchester)
[Reader, if you are just joining this journey, click on the “About” tab for context. The chronological posts begin in January 2026.] In Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur, Arthur meets with his knights in a tower to determine how to … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Charlotte Higgins, europe, Guy de la Bédoyère, history, King Arthur, Le Morte Darthur, roman-britain, roman-mosaics, Rome, Thomas Malory, travel, travel-memoir, Winchester
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Just out! “Arthurian Literature and the Global Middle Ages” in The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and Culture
Exciting news! I wrote a chapter, “Arthurian Literature and the Global Middle Ages,” for The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and Culture, just out from Cambridge University Press (2026). Related to this blog, I explore the global economic links of … Continue reading
The Table Round, at Winchester
[Reader, if you are just joining this journey, click on the “About” tab for context. The chronological posts begin in January 2026.] Early references to the Round Table in Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur explain its origin and use: [Arthur … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged books, camelot, fantasy, King Arthur, Le Morte Darthur, Round Table, Thomas Malory, travel-memoir, via-francigena, Winchester
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The Once and Future Manuscript
[Reader, if you are just joining this journey, click on the “About” tab for context. The chronological posts begin in January 2026.] Walter F. Oakshott, the former librarian at Winchester College, tells a fascinating and delightful story of the manuscript’s … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 15th-century, arthurian-legend, cs-lewis, early books, j-r-r-tolkien, King Arthur, Le Morte Darthur, Lev Grossman, manuscripts, mary-stewart, old-books, Roman War episode, t-h-white, The Bright Sword, Thomas Malory, thomas-maory, Travel Writing, travel-writing, Via Francigena, via-francigena, Winchester, Winchester manuscript, winchester-cathedral, winchester-manuscript
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Of Cathedral and College
[Reader, if you are just joining this journey, click on the “About” tab for context. The chronological posts begin in January 2026.] An intriguing aspect of Winchester Cathedral, aside from its beautiful interior, medieval nave, and as the resting place … Continue reading
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Tagged jane-austen, King Arthur, Le Morte Darthur, literature, map, Thomas Malory, travel, Winchester, winchester-college, winchester-manuscript
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“Swere upon a book:” Winchester and the Arthurian legend
[Reader, if you are just joining this journey, click on the “About” tab for context. The chronological posts begin in January 2026.] Hit befelle whan Kyng Arthur had wedded Quene Gwenyvere and fulfyled the rounde Table, and so aftir his … Continue reading
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Tagged book-review, books, history, King Arthur, Le Morte Darthur, thoma-malory, travel, Winchester, winchester-cathedral
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“Here in this world, he changed his life:” literary geography and an itinerary
Literary geography—an imaginative, creative, or literary responses to landscape and place. It is also an awareness of the ways in which “spaces” are produced, created, or culturally sanctioned. Writing about travel and geography, whether real or imagined, has a long … Continue reading
King Arthur and the Roman what?
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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Tagged books, fantasy, harry-potter, King Arthur, Le Morte Darthur, Meg Roland, once-and-future-king, reading, Rome, Thomas Malory, via-francigena
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Going that way anyway
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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Tagged claudius-ptolemy, geography, medieval-maps, Roman War, Thomas Malory, travel, via-francigena
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A Passionate Geography: Romancing King Arthur’s Roman War 