Knighting and Nostalgic Affect: Medievalism in The House at Pooh Corner
Title and/or Affiliation
Adjunct professor/Grace College and Seminary
Presenter Bio
Dr. Redman teaches courses in writing, literature, film and culture at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. Her teaching and research interests include the Medieval and Medievalism in contemporary culture, the speculative fiction of Tolkien, Lewis and the Inklings, Anglo-Irish studies, children’s and YA literature, and performativity in pedagogy for the college classroom.
Session
Critical Perspectives on Pooh
Start Date
11-7-2026 1:45 PM
End Date
11-7-2026 3:00 PM
Abstract
This paper argues that the Milne turns to a nuanced medievalism in this final scene in The House at Pooh Corner, in order to increase nostalgia and poignancy, which turns this capstone piece into an affect machine. First this paper will define the medieval, medievalism, neomedievalism theory paradigm from medievalist M.J. Toswell. Then it will discuss the medievalisms evident in the location of Galleons Lap, the dialog between Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin, and finally the knighting scene where Winnie the Pooh (neé Edward Bear) receives his third name, and becomes Sir Pooh de Bear. The knighting of Pooh transforms him into a protector and in Christopher Robin’s words, “most faithful of all my knights.” The knighted Pooh becomes himself a kind of medievalism or even neomedievalism, especially important against the backdrop of Milne’s own childhood, which occurred during the from the great Victorian Age of medievalizing. The result of this medievalism capstone to this already nostalgic piece and indeed as an end to the entire Winnie the Pooh legendarium, is that Milne increases the jarring and powerful emotional impact of his enchanted creation, which functions as an emotional “affect machine.”
Knighting and Nostalgic Affect: Medievalism in The House at Pooh Corner
This paper argues that the Milne turns to a nuanced medievalism in this final scene in The House at Pooh Corner, in order to increase nostalgia and poignancy, which turns this capstone piece into an affect machine. First this paper will define the medieval, medievalism, neomedievalism theory paradigm from medievalist M.J. Toswell. Then it will discuss the medievalisms evident in the location of Galleons Lap, the dialog between Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin, and finally the knighting scene where Winnie the Pooh (neé Edward Bear) receives his third name, and becomes Sir Pooh de Bear. The knighting of Pooh transforms him into a protector and in Christopher Robin’s words, “most faithful of all my knights.” The knighted Pooh becomes himself a kind of medievalism or even neomedievalism, especially important against the backdrop of Milne’s own childhood, which occurred during the from the great Victorian Age of medievalizing. The result of this medievalism capstone to this already nostalgic piece and indeed as an end to the entire Winnie the Pooh legendarium, is that Milne increases the jarring and powerful emotional impact of his enchanted creation, which functions as an emotional “affect machine.”