Summary
When it was first published in its entirety in 1958, T.H. White's masterly, incomparable, vastly entertaining epic novel about King Arthur and his round table was hailed by critics as an instant classic. And so it became; widely acknowledged as one of the definitive works of the fantasy genre, THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING is a retelling of the Arthurian legend that is at once both comic and political, enchanting and educational. While it works on one level as a highly entertaining saga of knights, battles, magic, and heroes, the novel also presents a conscientiously researched historical interpretation of the round table as a civilizing force that brought England out of the Dark Ages through the notion of chivalry. Divided into four books (originally published separately) which detail Arthur's boyhood, the building of his empire, his doomed friendship with Lancelot, and his undoing through the boy Mordred, White's novel re-imagines several of these well-known characters in unconventional ways, painting Arthur as sweet and in many ways simple, Lancelot as a complex and deeply troubled man with an ugly face, and several older knights of the table as sympathetic or even comic Good Old Boys, blundering amiably around in creaky armor as they support their young king without entirely understanding him.
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Media Reviews
"...woven together with literary genius, archeological authority, and a freshness which is as bright as the dawn and the memories we associate with a golden age. It is hard to say at which level White's greatness is most special." -- Erwin D. Canham
-- Christian Science Monitor
"This ambitious work, so long in the building, now stands complete. It will long remain a memorial to an author who is at once civilized, learned, witty and humane."
-- Times Literary Supplement
"White's book is an extraordinary achievement in that he has told the familiar story with almost complete fidelity to the main plot and characters of Malory, and yet has made the well-worn Matter of Britain more exciting, and the tragedy more apparent, than they have ever been before. His success is due to a happy blend of imagination, scholarly research, psychological insight and humor." -- J. R. Cameron
-- Humanities Association Bulletin
Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Putnam Pub Group
Published date: 1958
Size: 6 x 8.75 inches
Weight: 1.7 pounds
Publisher's Notes
The world's greatest fantasy classic is the magical epic of King Arthur and his shining Camelot, of Merlyn and Guinevere, of beasts who talk and men who fly, of wizardry and war. It is the book of all things lost and wonderful and sad. It is the fantasy masterpiece by which all others are judged.
Other Editions
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