<i>Raptus</i>, Ravishment, and “Self-Divorce”: The Heterotopic Space of Malory’s Morgan le Fay

Morgan le Fay is an “outsider” character in Malory’s Morte Darthur. Despite being closely connected to Camelot, Morgan quickly sets herself apart from Camelot both legally and physically, establishing herself as an antagonist to Arthur’s rule. Using Michel Foucault’s concept of heterotopia, I argue that Morgan le Fay’s act of setting herself apart from Camelot results in the creation of a heterotopic space around her, and that this space extends and enhances her own agency while also allowing for a consideration of how her character disrupts the chivalric order of Camelot. Alongside this, I explore how Morgan’s abduction of Launcelot and his forced entrance into her heterotopic space allows for an examination of the lack of language as it pertains to a male victim in the Pentecostal Oath and in medieval English laws of raptus and ravishment.