On female knights: the (re)creation of the medieval in Cornelia Funke

Abstract

In the context of children's and young adult literature in contemporary German language, Cornelia Funke's production stands out. Born in Dorsten in 1958, the author - or, more specifically, the storyteller (Erzählerin), as she likes to be called -, brings together in the texts her ability as an illustrator. Since the worldwide success of the Tintenherz (Inkheart) trilogy, Funke became a successful figure in the children's and young adult universe. In most of her works there is the latent presence of the Western imaginary about the Middle Ages. However, that is a reception of the Middle Ages, either through the (re)creation of images or the (re)structuring of themes from the courtly universe. The article here proposed analyzes three works of Funke, namely Die geraubten Prinzen (1994), Igraine ohne Furcht (1998) and Der geheimnisvolle Ritter Namenlos (2001), taking as a starting point interviews of the author herself about this theme; in other words, it is the relationship between fact and fiction which will be considered. By focusing on the issue of the reinterpretation of the Middle Ages, this paper seeks to understand the reframing of the Middle Ages both through recreated images and the insertion of a new kind of hero, female protagonists.

Keywords:
Cornelia Funke; children's and young adult literature; reception of the Middle Ages; feminine figures