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THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING
The Once and Future King is a timeless retelling of the Arthurian legend by T.H. White that transports readers to the enchanting realm of Camelot. Through White's lyrical prose and vivid imagination, the epic tale unfolds, tracing the journey of the legendary King Arthur from his humble beginnings as a young squire to his ascension as the noble ruler of a united kingdom. Alongside Arthur, readers encounter a cast of unforgettable characters, including the valiant Sir Lancelot, the wise Merlin, and the enchanting Guinevere, as they navigate the complexities of love, honor, and destiny. Set against the backdrop of medieval England, The Once and Future King is a sweeping epic that explores timeless themes of chivalry, loyalty, and the quest for truth and justice. With its rich symbolism and profound insights into the human condition, this classic masterpiece continues to captivate readers of all ages, inspiring countless adaptations and interpretations across literature and popular culture.
834 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2024
367 people are currently reading
1983 people want to read
About the author
T.H. White
108 books1,480 followersBorn in Bombay to English parents, Terence Hanbury White was educated at Cambridge and taught for some time at Stowe before deciding to write full-time. White moved to Ireland in 1939 as a conscientious objector to WWII, and lived out his years there. White is best known for his sequence of Arthurian novels, The Once and Future King, first published together in 1958.
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July 19, 2022
Érase una vez un mago que se llamaba Merlín que preparó a un joven apodado Verruga para un futuro inimaginable en el que se aliaría con los caballeros más célebres del mundo, conocería a una mítica reina y sería coronado como Arturo, rey de Camelot.
Bla, bla, bla, bla.. colorin colorado este cuento lo he abandonado.
Este libro es un recuento de la famosa leyenda artúrica, con muchas ideas modernas y también anacronismos. Se publicó originalmente como cuatro libros individuales y fue inspiración para una película Disney.
Hay algunos libros que cuando pasas las página con avidez y te acercas al final, deseas más, y quieres sumergirte más aún en ese mundo.
Este no es uno de esos libros. Pero ha logrado algo hasta hoy impensable. Mi primer abandono desde que empecé a leer.
Su autor cogió una de las historias más clásicas y longevas, (también demasiado quemada) y la hizo aburrida. Densa y aburrida donde debería haber tenido una trama absorbente formando una epopeya de espadas, caballeros, dramas y algo de salseo con toques de traiciones y magia..
PERO parece ser que para T.H. White, el ingrediente de la pócima mágica que faltaba era moralizar. Todo en el puñetero libro es una demasiado larga y más aún tediosa reflexión sobre cómo deberíamos ser las personas, que está muy bien pero aquí ahoga. Y claro, la pócima ha sido incomible.
Es denso, es a partes extraño, va dando tumbos por todos lados. Tiene momentos muy buenos pero por cada momento bueno vienen tres malos y encima los vuelve densos. Mientras pasaba las páginas con cada una se cubría más y más una capa de mierda aburrida, densa y sorprendente no precisamente en el buen sentido.
Quise dejarlo muchas veces pero intenté seguir. El primer libro lo terminé, si ya el primero os aburre, os es denso y chocan ciertas cosas que hasta convierten el libro en algo extraño, ni se os ocurra seguir.. estáis locos..
Es terrible, el primero es a ratos entretenido, pero hablamos de un nivel "ojos como un búho" y "dame una maldita garrafa de café para poder aguantar". Los personajes se vuelven molestos cual moscas. Tiene páginas y más páginas de lo que sólo puedo describir como un ahogamiento involuntario y sin piedad, filosófico y moralista. Y bueno, que final, todo terminado y cerrado en cinco páginas que deja una sensación general de.. "Porfavor, que alguien termine con mi sufrimiento. Quitarme el libro, lleváoslo lejos"
Bla, bla, bla, bla.. colorin colorado este cuento lo he abandonado.
Este libro es un recuento de la famosa leyenda artúrica, con muchas ideas modernas y también anacronismos. Se publicó originalmente como cuatro libros individuales y fue inspiración para una película Disney.
Hay algunos libros que cuando pasas las página con avidez y te acercas al final, deseas más, y quieres sumergirte más aún en ese mundo.
Este no es uno de esos libros. Pero ha logrado algo hasta hoy impensable. Mi primer abandono desde que empecé a leer.
Su autor cogió una de las historias más clásicas y longevas, (también demasiado quemada) y la hizo aburrida. Densa y aburrida donde debería haber tenido una trama absorbente formando una epopeya de espadas, caballeros, dramas y algo de salseo con toques de traiciones y magia..
PERO parece ser que para T.H. White, el ingrediente de la pócima mágica que faltaba era moralizar. Todo en el puñetero libro es una demasiado larga y más aún tediosa reflexión sobre cómo deberíamos ser las personas, que está muy bien pero aquí ahoga. Y claro, la pócima ha sido incomible.
Es denso, es a partes extraño, va dando tumbos por todos lados. Tiene momentos muy buenos pero por cada momento bueno vienen tres malos y encima los vuelve densos. Mientras pasaba las páginas con cada una se cubría más y más una capa de mierda aburrida, densa y sorprendente no precisamente en el buen sentido.
Quise dejarlo muchas veces pero intenté seguir. El primer libro lo terminé, si ya el primero os aburre, os es denso y chocan ciertas cosas que hasta convierten el libro en algo extraño, ni se os ocurra seguir.. estáis locos..
Es terrible, el primero es a ratos entretenido, pero hablamos de un nivel "ojos como un búho" y "dame una maldita garrafa de café para poder aguantar". Los personajes se vuelven molestos cual moscas. Tiene páginas y más páginas de lo que sólo puedo describir como un ahogamiento involuntario y sin piedad, filosófico y moralista. Y bueno, que final, todo terminado y cerrado en cinco páginas que deja una sensación general de.. "Porfavor, que alguien termine con mi sufrimiento. Quitarme el libro, lleváoslo lejos"
August 13, 2019
This is one of the earliest fantasy series, written in the late 1390s and early 1940s. The first volume, The Sword in the Stonegot Retro Hugo Award in 2014.
Each of the volumes is quite distinct in style and intended readership. While broadly based on the earlier works on Arthurian legend, it tries to re-set it as a tragedy.
The first volume, The Sword in the Stone, clearly reminds of Disney’s cartoons and I don’t mean only the movie version of this book, but other works: all those taking utensils, slapstick comedy and fairy tale version of fantasy. The book describes the childhood of Arthur (named Wart at the moment) and his study under Merlyn. There is a lot of magic transformations to get into many shoes so to speak, a lot of juvenile adventure. Despite what the title suggests, the sword story is at the very end of the book.
The second volume, The Witch in the Wood or The Queen of Air and Darkness is about adult Arthur and about Orkney clan, who are both bloodily related to the king and hate him and Englishmen. There are four sons, Gawaine, Agravaine, Gaheris and Gareth and their mother, queen Morgause. The story takes more morbid tones (the queen boils a cat at the start!) and while it has its fun moments, there is a clear premonition of bad times.
The third volume, The Ill-Made Knight is about Sir Lancelot, who loved both the king and his queen and was ashamed by it. A much more psychological story with nervous breakdowns and quests to redeem oneself.
The fourth volume, The Candle in the Wind shows the failure of the new system, introduced by Arthur. He made Knights of the Round table, so that might is no longer automatically right, the rule of law, not the power. However, this makes him to go on trial with his own wife and the country is split by civil strife. Arthur sees his project slowly failing apart.
The final, fifth volume, The Book of Merlyn, isn’t always published with the rest. For it is a treaty into reasons for human actions and war and oppression. It tries to find alternative names for Homo Sapiens, for s/he is truly not wise and heavily criticized totalitarian systems, both fascism and communism. Surprisingly enough it is somehow reminiscent of The Road to Serfdom, which was published roughly in the same time.
Each of the volumes is quite distinct in style and intended readership. While broadly based on the earlier works on Arthurian legend, it tries to re-set it as a tragedy.
The first volume, The Sword in the Stone, clearly reminds of Disney’s cartoons and I don’t mean only the movie version of this book, but other works: all those taking utensils, slapstick comedy and fairy tale version of fantasy. The book describes the childhood of Arthur (named Wart at the moment) and his study under Merlyn. There is a lot of magic transformations to get into many shoes so to speak, a lot of juvenile adventure. Despite what the title suggests, the sword story is at the very end of the book.
The second volume, The Witch in the Wood or The Queen of Air and Darkness is about adult Arthur and about Orkney clan, who are both bloodily related to the king and hate him and Englishmen. There are four sons, Gawaine, Agravaine, Gaheris and Gareth and their mother, queen Morgause. The story takes more morbid tones (the queen boils a cat at the start!) and while it has its fun moments, there is a clear premonition of bad times.
The third volume, The Ill-Made Knight is about Sir Lancelot, who loved both the king and his queen and was ashamed by it. A much more psychological story with nervous breakdowns and quests to redeem oneself.
The fourth volume, The Candle in the Wind shows the failure of the new system, introduced by Arthur. He made Knights of the Round table, so that might is no longer automatically right, the rule of law, not the power. However, this makes him to go on trial with his own wife and the country is split by civil strife. Arthur sees his project slowly failing apart.
The final, fifth volume, The Book of Merlyn, isn’t always published with the rest. For it is a treaty into reasons for human actions and war and oppression. It tries to find alternative names for Homo Sapiens, for s/he is truly not wise and heavily criticized totalitarian systems, both fascism and communism. Surprisingly enough it is somehow reminiscent of The Road to Serfdom, which was published roughly in the same time.
May 13, 2015
There are some books which, when you flip the final page, overwhelm you with emotion. You wish for more, for the universe you've been immersed in to continue and take you along with it. For just one more page of adventure.
This was not one of those books.
White took one of the most classic, long lived stories and made it boring. This should have been a gripping epic of romance, drama, and sword-fighting! It had knights! Treachery! Magic! Forbidden love! What more could you ask for in story-fodder? Apparently, in White's mind, the missing component was moralizing. The entire book is one long rumination on how the human race should be run, from the perspectives of the unnamed narrator, Merlyn, a few enlightened individual characters, and several anthropomorphised animals. Even badgers and owls know what's wrong with the human race. And they'll spend pages and pages beating you over the head with it. (Hint: it's because of national property. Only species that own property in common go to war. The ones that just have private property are all pacifists.(810) At least, that's the conclusion Merlyn spent the last chapter of the book forcing down my throat. Although he did say glands may have been part of it.(828)) White seems to gloss over any event that could have been the least bit interesting to leave more room for pedantry. He spends more time railing at Guenever for getting old and wearing too much make up than he does actually describing her relationship with Lancelot. Who, by the way, is not subjected to the same vitriol over being a normal human being with a normal lifespan as what White dumps on Guenever. And White makes a point of mentioning that they are the same age, so if Guenever is old and wrinkly Lancelot is too. (Whenever Lancelot refers to Guenever as "Jenny" I picture him as Forrest Gump talking to the woman he had a crush on. This didn't help me take the book seriously.) But White's scorn for Guenever is nothing compared to his disdain for Lancelot's unwanted admirer Elaine, who has the further audacity to get old and fat, instead of staying "pale and interesting" (457). I'm glad White mentioned that, I was hoping to find sexism and ageism sprinkled on top of my moralizing. I like the crunch.
Even when White has the opportunity to expand on a plot event which should be exciting he ignores it. The kind of events a normal writer would get a whole novel out of, White just glosses over and moves along.
I can see in places where White made attempts to add dimension to his characters, since we follow many of them over a lifetime we should see at least a couple personality changes. But it doesn't seem successful, and his characters rarely seem to react authentically to anything. They're all paper dolls, they don't exist. Which may sound obvious, but when you consider praise of a book often includes discussing how the characters seem to "come alive on the page", it's an apt point. There's not enough room for the character to breathe and grow. They're too confined by White's moralizing. As if he doesn't want us to get emotionally involved with his creation. So I'd recommend that you don't get involved. Don't read it. There's better stuff out there.
This was not one of those books.
White took one of the most classic, long lived stories and made it boring. This should have been a gripping epic of romance, drama, and sword-fighting! It had knights! Treachery! Magic! Forbidden love! What more could you ask for in story-fodder? Apparently, in White's mind, the missing component was moralizing. The entire book is one long rumination on how the human race should be run, from the perspectives of the unnamed narrator, Merlyn, a few enlightened individual characters, and several anthropomorphised animals. Even badgers and owls know what's wrong with the human race. And they'll spend pages and pages beating you over the head with it. (Hint: it's because of national property. Only species that own property in common go to war. The ones that just have private property are all pacifists.(810) At least, that's the conclusion Merlyn spent the last chapter of the book forcing down my throat. Although he did say glands may have been part of it.(828)) White seems to gloss over any event that could have been the least bit interesting to leave more room for pedantry. He spends more time railing at Guenever for getting old and wearing too much make up than he does actually describing her relationship with Lancelot. Who, by the way, is not subjected to the same vitriol over being a normal human being with a normal lifespan as what White dumps on Guenever. And White makes a point of mentioning that they are the same age, so if Guenever is old and wrinkly Lancelot is too. (Whenever Lancelot refers to Guenever as "Jenny" I picture him as Forrest Gump talking to the woman he had a crush on. This didn't help me take the book seriously.) But White's scorn for Guenever is nothing compared to his disdain for Lancelot's unwanted admirer Elaine, who has the further audacity to get old and fat, instead of staying "pale and interesting" (457). I'm glad White mentioned that, I was hoping to find sexism and ageism sprinkled on top of my moralizing. I like the crunch.
Even when White has the opportunity to expand on a plot event which should be exciting he ignores it. The kind of events a normal writer would get a whole novel out of, White just glosses over and moves along.
I can see in places where White made attempts to add dimension to his characters, since we follow many of them over a lifetime we should see at least a couple personality changes. But it doesn't seem successful, and his characters rarely seem to react authentically to anything. They're all paper dolls, they don't exist. Which may sound obvious, but when you consider praise of a book often includes discussing how the characters seem to "come alive on the page", it's an apt point. There's not enough room for the character to breathe and grow. They're too confined by White's moralizing. As if he doesn't want us to get emotionally involved with his creation. So I'd recommend that you don't get involved. Don't read it. There's better stuff out there.
June 15, 2021
Tre stelline e mezzo (giudizio medio, alcuni dei 5 libri meritano di più)
Quando mi sono accinta a leggere questa raccolta di volumi, avevo qualche conoscenza di T.H. White e del suo ciclo arturiano, ma non immaginavo che il primo libro fosse proprio quello su cui si basò Walt Disney per il suo celebre film animato La Spada nella Roccia".
E invece è proprio così, l'ho scoperto con vero piacere.
Il primo racconto (proprio "The Sword in the Stone") uscito nel 1938, si ritrova quasi tutto nel film, a partire dal protagonista Wart detto Bitorzolo, (nel film divenuto Semola), giovane figlio cadetto di sir Ector, nonchè fratellastro di Kay (anche se va detto che il Kay del libro non è così male...), che cerca di crearsi un piccolo spazio nella vita del castello della Foresta Selvaggia, mentre tutti pensano solo a educare l'erede che dovrà divenire un giorno cavaliere.
Così, tentando di riprendere un falco fuggitivo, il nostro ragazzino fa la conoscenza di un mago bianco (di magia e di barba) e del suo gufo Archimede.
Non è è proprio un incontro casuale: Merlino ha già intravisto un po' di futuro e deciso di istruire il futuro Artù con tecniche anticonvenzionali e non proprio aderenti all'epoca. White era un appassionato naturalista, per cui le lezioni "di vita", chiamiamole così, vengono impartite da insegnanti speciali, come un luccio, un'oca, le formiche e persino messer tasso.
Di volta in volta il nostro Wart si ritrova trasformato, ospite nella falconara, in un formicaio o in volo con lo stormo, e spesso lo stile è buffo e divertente.
C'è pure spazio per il Ragazzo dei Cani, un'apparizione di Robin Hood e di fata Morgana, in un mix tra medioevo e annotazioni molto moderne che rendono gradevole la lettura, anche se certamente si avverte tanto lo stile degli anni '30-40.
Nel senso che ci sono lunghe e dettagliate descrizioni, molti dialoghi parecchio superflui per le esigenze della trama, riferimenti a poesie o canzoni popolari e che magari al tempo erano note (ma a noi lasciano indifferenti).
Per questo motivo ho trovato parecchio pesante il secondo libro (La regina dell’aria e delle tenebre) che ha un titolo evocativo, ma poi procede in modo caotico e quasi a salti, tra le gesta della corte di Artù e quelle dei nemici di Cornovaglia.
Nota finale: forse - errando - credevo che questo fosse un libro pensato in origine per un pubblico di ragazzi, ma poi mi sono dovuta ricredere, perchè ci sono riferimenti (torture di animali, stupri, ecc.) che in un romanzo moderno richiederebbero quanto meno warning speciali.
Per cui lo preciso di mio: non è esattamente una lettura per ragazzi.
Quando mi sono accinta a leggere questa raccolta di volumi, avevo qualche conoscenza di T.H. White e del suo ciclo arturiano, ma non immaginavo che il primo libro fosse proprio quello su cui si basò Walt Disney per il suo celebre film animato La Spada nella Roccia".
E invece è proprio così, l'ho scoperto con vero piacere.
Il primo racconto (proprio "The Sword in the Stone") uscito nel 1938, si ritrova quasi tutto nel film, a partire dal protagonista Wart detto Bitorzolo, (nel film divenuto Semola), giovane figlio cadetto di sir Ector, nonchè fratellastro di Kay (anche se va detto che il Kay del libro non è così male...), che cerca di crearsi un piccolo spazio nella vita del castello della Foresta Selvaggia, mentre tutti pensano solo a educare l'erede che dovrà divenire un giorno cavaliere.
Così, tentando di riprendere un falco fuggitivo, il nostro ragazzino fa la conoscenza di un mago bianco (di magia e di barba) e del suo gufo Archimede.
Non è è proprio un incontro casuale: Merlino ha già intravisto un po' di futuro e deciso di istruire il futuro Artù con tecniche anticonvenzionali e non proprio aderenti all'epoca. White era un appassionato naturalista, per cui le lezioni "di vita", chiamiamole così, vengono impartite da insegnanti speciali, come un luccio, un'oca, le formiche e persino messer tasso.
Di volta in volta il nostro Wart si ritrova trasformato, ospite nella falconara, in un formicaio o in volo con lo stormo, e spesso lo stile è buffo e divertente.
C'è pure spazio per il Ragazzo dei Cani, un'apparizione di Robin Hood e di fata Morgana, in un mix tra medioevo e annotazioni molto moderne che rendono gradevole la lettura, anche se certamente si avverte tanto lo stile degli anni '30-40.
Nel senso che ci sono lunghe e dettagliate descrizioni, molti dialoghi parecchio superflui per le esigenze della trama, riferimenti a poesie o canzoni popolari e che magari al tempo erano note (ma a noi lasciano indifferenti).
Per questo motivo ho trovato parecchio pesante il secondo libro (La regina dell’aria e delle tenebre) che ha un titolo evocativo, ma poi procede in modo caotico e quasi a salti, tra le gesta della corte di Artù e quelle dei nemici di Cornovaglia.
Nota finale: forse - errando - credevo che questo fosse un libro pensato in origine per un pubblico di ragazzi, ma poi mi sono dovuta ricredere, perchè ci sono riferimenti (torture di animali, stupri, ecc.) che in un romanzo moderno richiederebbero quanto meno warning speciali.
Per cui lo preciso di mio: non è esattamente una lettura per ragazzi.
Read
January 11, 20221. La spada nella roccia 5*
2. La regina dell'aria e delle tenebre 4*
3. Il cavaliere malcreato 5*
4. La candela nel vento 5*
5. Il libro di Merlino 3*
2. La regina dell'aria e delle tenebre 4*
3. Il cavaliere malcreato 5*
4. La candela nel vento 5*
5. Il libro di Merlino 3*
January 1, 2023
T.H. White e Thomas Malory sono i pilastri della letteratura bretone. Due autori assoluti protagonisti della mia tesi di laurea sul cinema, in quanto hanno stravolto e cambiato la percezione odierna della leggenda di Re Artù. È l’argomento che più mi appassiona sin da quando sono bambina, e che ho continuato a coltivare nel tempo. Il mio amore per il re di Britannia non conosce limiti spazio-temporali.
Le dinamiche del memorabile sovrano affondano le radici molti secoli prima dei loro scritti, in annali e manuali di storiografia. Ma sono stati loro due a dare vita al filone che ci appassiona oggi. Se possiamo avere film, serie tv e molto altro sull’argomento, è merito di questi due autori che hanno fatto la storia.
E per godersi questo Drago immenso della Oscar Vault, va letto proprio con questa predisposizione.
Sapendo di avere davanti un testo che affonda le radici secoli e secoli fa.
Una prosa elegante, raffinata, sublime e aulica.
Difficile. Così come è particolarmente difficile è impossibile considerarla una lettura “per passare il tempo.”
Duelli, giochi di potere, intrighi di corte, dame e cavalieri, descrizioni e introspezioni padroneggianti e memorabilità assicurata. Ascesa e rovina di una leggenda.
Un’opera non per tutti, ma solo per chi ha la pazienza di immergersi e il coraggio di osare.
Una pietra miliare della letteratura mondiale, consapevole della sua immortalità. E io, invece, ancora una volta confermo il mio amore per lui. Il Re che Fu.
Camelot sarà sempre viva nei cuori dei credenti.
Le dinamiche del memorabile sovrano affondano le radici molti secoli prima dei loro scritti, in annali e manuali di storiografia. Ma sono stati loro due a dare vita al filone che ci appassiona oggi. Se possiamo avere film, serie tv e molto altro sull’argomento, è merito di questi due autori che hanno fatto la storia.
E per godersi questo Drago immenso della Oscar Vault, va letto proprio con questa predisposizione.
Sapendo di avere davanti un testo che affonda le radici secoli e secoli fa.
Una prosa elegante, raffinata, sublime e aulica.
Difficile. Così come è particolarmente difficile è impossibile considerarla una lettura “per passare il tempo.”
Duelli, giochi di potere, intrighi di corte, dame e cavalieri, descrizioni e introspezioni padroneggianti e memorabilità assicurata. Ascesa e rovina di una leggenda.
Un’opera non per tutti, ma solo per chi ha la pazienza di immergersi e il coraggio di osare.
Una pietra miliare della letteratura mondiale, consapevole della sua immortalità. E io, invece, ancora una volta confermo il mio amore per lui. Il Re che Fu.
Camelot sarà sempre viva nei cuori dei credenti.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2021
Like its central character, The Once & Future King matures from essentially a children's book, in the beginning, to conclude in a Platonic debate. In between, the reader will encounter action, romance, and, in the case of Lancelot, one of the most intriguing character studies I have ever encountered. Throughout his brilliant narrative, White manages to interweave profound thoughts regarding subjects such as war and justice. While I virtually never reread a book, I enjoyed this second read so much that I can foresee revisiting this magnificent tome yet again one day.
July 9, 2019
The second read didn't change my feeling about the book.
Intellectually I can give credit for the work, but emotionally it just doesn't touch me. The characters are too caricatural (which of course is the point of the book) that I found myself caring for anybody of them, and though White writes about important topics his take is too preachery for my taste.
I read it (twice), I know it now, I can appreciate it - but that's as far as I go.
Intellectually I can give credit for the work, but emotionally it just doesn't touch me. The characters are too caricatural (which of course is the point of the book) that I found myself caring for anybody of them, and though White writes about important topics his take is too preachery for my taste.
I read it (twice), I know it now, I can appreciate it - but that's as far as I go.
January 26, 2022
Sono sempre stata affascinata dalle produzioni legate al ciclo bretone e, poiché esistono varie versioni della storia, lo scorso anno ho pensato di dedicarmi alla lettura di quella che mi è parsa tra le più fedeli alla leggenda originale, ovvero “Le gesta di Re Artù e dei suoi nobili cavalieri”. Peccato che John Steinbeck, autore dell’opera, sia morto prima di concludere l’intera storia, pertanto mi sono ritrovata a cercare un nuovo testo: è così che ho iniziato “IL RE CHE FU, IL RE CHE SARÀ – IL CICLO DEL RE IN ETERNO”, dove Terence Hanbury White racconta effettivamente tutta la vicenda di Artù & Co.
Questo tomo è la raccolta di cinque volumi, dei quali il primo è La Spada nella Roccia, diventato famoso grazie al film di animazione Disney.
Devo però ammettere che, nonostante il fascino della tematica, non l’ho trovato una lettura poi così coinvolgente, tranne che per i commenti anacronistici di White e per le sue riflessioni sulla guerra, sulla pace e sulle politiche di governo.
Non del tutto soddisfatta, quindi, credo che riaffronterò il tema affidandomi alla narrazione di qualcun altro…
Questo tomo è la raccolta di cinque volumi, dei quali il primo è La Spada nella Roccia, diventato famoso grazie al film di animazione Disney.
Devo però ammettere che, nonostante il fascino della tematica, non l’ho trovato una lettura poi così coinvolgente, tranne che per i commenti anacronistici di White e per le sue riflessioni sulla guerra, sulla pace e sulle politiche di governo.
Non del tutto soddisfatta, quindi, credo che riaffronterò il tema affidandomi alla narrazione di qualcun altro…
August 14, 2020
This book is made of 5 books published under one volume. At times I thought I'd rate this low. The Sword in the Stone (the first book) was difficult to get through initially. I was and am a huge admirer of the Disney film which takes lots of inspiration from this book with some changes. The book takes the first 5 (I'd have to check again but it really is only the first few) pages of Malory and transforms them into 200+ pages of Arthur's Education. When you read these with The Book of Merlyn they make sense but if you're trying to read them in a hurry it isn't the most fun I have to say. That being said these two books, while they are important and thoroughly thought-provoking, aren't as good as the rest. They are also problematic and so are some of the others but less so. It definitely takes away from the volume but there are still some parts that are enjoyable.
The three middle books (The Witch in the Wood, The Ill-made Knight and The Candle in the Wind) are brilliant. Each unique in their own way and progressively darker as they go on. I felt at times I was reading Game of Thrones, I couldn't help but see comparisons. This is why I had to rate The Once and Future King so highly because they are enjoyable. I laughed at the characters and felt for them too.
Reading the afterword by Sylvia Townsend Warner who describes how the books were written before, during, and after WWII made the anti-war sentiment that is present in the book make a lot of sense. T.H. White as well becomes an even more interesting figure and really adds a different light on what he wrote.
I have too many thoughts that I can't communicate because my head is so muddled from finishing this in a hurry. I thought I was going to dislike this and it would become another book I was forced to read for university. It has turned out to be the opposite. I think I shall keep coming back to this book for a long time.
The three middle books (The Witch in the Wood, The Ill-made Knight and The Candle in the Wind) are brilliant. Each unique in their own way and progressively darker as they go on. I felt at times I was reading Game of Thrones, I couldn't help but see comparisons. This is why I had to rate The Once and Future King so highly because they are enjoyable. I laughed at the characters and felt for them too.
Reading the afterword by Sylvia Townsend Warner who describes how the books were written before, during, and after WWII made the anti-war sentiment that is present in the book make a lot of sense. T.H. White as well becomes an even more interesting figure and really adds a different light on what he wrote.
I have too many thoughts that I can't communicate because my head is so muddled from finishing this in a hurry. I thought I was going to dislike this and it would become another book I was forced to read for university. It has turned out to be the opposite. I think I shall keep coming back to this book for a long time.
May 13, 2017
The Sword in the Stone 3
One of my bookish pet peeves is when the meaning of the title comes clear too late in the book. In this one? 15 pages before the end (out of 232). Of course I saw the movie, so I knew where it was going, but still.
I was very surprised to see that some of the more whimsical aspects of the movie were originally present in the book.
The Witch in the Wood 2.25
So... Not that much Arthur, eh?
I switched to an audio version because I'm not that into it. I don't know if that was a good decision or not, because I'm not as focused on the audiobook, and I'm guessing I'm missing quite a bit of the plot...
The Ill-Made Knight 3.25
I rather enjoyed this one. I'm still getting used to the fact that the whole thing is not centred around Arthur, but Lancelot's story was interesting too.
The Candle in the Wind 2.25
This one went over my head a bit. I'm not sure what happened in it... I just remember the part where Lancelot is being warned that he should not go to Guinevere's chambers because there's a plot to catch them together and have them killed, and he's all like "Naahhh. Thanks bro for your treason against your King, but I'm not buying it". Dude. Come on.
The Book of Merlyn 2
So much geese. What?
One of my bookish pet peeves is when the meaning of the title comes clear too late in the book. In this one? 15 pages before the end (out of 232). Of course I saw the movie, so I knew where it was going, but still.
I was very surprised to see that some of the more whimsical aspects of the movie were originally present in the book.
The Witch in the Wood 2.25
So... Not that much Arthur, eh?
I switched to an audio version because I'm not that into it. I don't know if that was a good decision or not, because I'm not as focused on the audiobook, and I'm guessing I'm missing quite a bit of the plot...
The Ill-Made Knight 3.25
I rather enjoyed this one. I'm still getting used to the fact that the whole thing is not centred around Arthur, but Lancelot's story was interesting too.
The Candle in the Wind 2.25
This one went over my head a bit. I'm not sure what happened in it... I just remember the part where Lancelot is being warned that he should not go to Guinevere's chambers because there's a plot to catch them together and have them killed, and he's all like "Naahhh. Thanks bro for your treason against your King, but I'm not buying it". Dude. Come on.
The Book of Merlyn 2
So much geese. What?
June 19, 2024
I really loved re-reading this book - yet again! [And again, she adds some years later in 2024...]
As I have blogged about elsewhere, this is really my key Arthurian text. This is the take on the legends that I grew up with, and I love it to pieces. I assume it's only to be expected that our own take on the legends will always be influenced by our formative encounters with them. (Unless we have a later epiphany!) These novels present a particularly complex Arthur and Lancelot, and a particularly sympathetic approach to the tragedy of their shared loves and friendships. In the books, White freely admits that he doesn't understand Guenever so well, but he does his warm-hearted best for her, and we readers can (if we wish) embroider further.
Arthur's self-denying nobility, and his compassionate understanding of his two best-loved friends. Lancelot's very equal and passionate love for his faith and for Guinevere; his sense of honour, his sense of failure, and his self-torturing madness. The quiet, gently bittersweet, mature and very real love between Lancelot and Guinevere - hard-won over decades only to be betrayed - and their equally very real love for Arthur. None of these things have ever been bettered.
As I have blogged about elsewhere, this is really my key Arthurian text. This is the take on the legends that I grew up with, and I love it to pieces. I assume it's only to be expected that our own take on the legends will always be influenced by our formative encounters with them. (Unless we have a later epiphany!) These novels present a particularly complex Arthur and Lancelot, and a particularly sympathetic approach to the tragedy of their shared loves and friendships. In the books, White freely admits that he doesn't understand Guenever so well, but he does his warm-hearted best for her, and we readers can (if we wish) embroider further.
Arthur's self-denying nobility, and his compassionate understanding of his two best-loved friends. Lancelot's very equal and passionate love for his faith and for Guinevere; his sense of honour, his sense of failure, and his self-torturing madness. The quiet, gently bittersweet, mature and very real love between Lancelot and Guinevere - hard-won over decades only to be betrayed - and their equally very real love for Arthur. None of these things have ever been bettered.
September 12, 2015
This summer, my parents and I went on holiday to Cornwall and visited Tintagel Castle, which was supposedly the place where King Arthur was conceived. It’s a popular tourist attraction, surrounded by gift shops where you can buy your kids a toy Excalibur or Merlin’s pointy hat. Since I love to buy books in the place where they are set or were written, I decided to buy a copy of T.H. White’s The Once and Future King (and a beautiful hardcover edition of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca). I knew that it told the story of King Arthur, that it was on every single list of best fantasy books, and that my sister-in-law, who is an avid fan of Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, and Terry Goodkind, had been begging me to read it for years. I figured that it would be an epic fantasy story with lots of drama and violence – which it is. It is also nothing like that at all.
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August 6, 2018
Once and Future King
Una muy Buena e interesante lectura del mito de Arturo, con un ultimo libro cargado de filosofía.
LA espada en la piedra es divertido de leer, La historia de Arturo cuando niño, llena de aventura y asombro, un Merlín maestro. Se puede ver la conexión a la película de Disney. Lo único extraño es la mezcla con el mito de Robin Hood.
La bruja en el bosque, dos historias a la par, el inicio de la mesa redonda, las discusiones de Arturo y Merlín entre el Poder y lo correcto, los ideales de la caballería. Por otro lado los hijos de Morgause, construcción de personajes, con algo divertido por lo de Pelinore y la bestia.
El caballero mal habido, este es Lancelot principalmente, y es un excelente libro que nos permite ver el conflicto interno de Lancelot. También es donde aparece la búsqueda del Santo Grial.
La vela en el viento- El inicio hacia el final, intriga y dolor. Interesante mención a Malory.
El libro de Merlín- Aquí es donde vía Arthur, Merlín y sus últimos tutores el autor expone su opinión a el concepto de destino, de honor, de la guerra, de que es el ser humano. Aunque distinto al resto creo que cierra de manera excelente la obra.
A very nice, interesting to read take on the Arthurian myth, with quite a lot of philosophical discussion for the last included book-part.
By each
The stone in the stone. This is fun to read, is the story of Arthur as kid(wart) and being taught by Merlin, via transforming him into animals. It mixes with the Robin Hood myth, which was a bit weird. We also see Pelinore and his quest, and lots of daily life in Sir Ector castle, going up to where Arthur takes the sword out and becomes King. One can see the connection to the Disney movie. This is a fun and joyfull read, with bits of comedy and adventure.
The Witch in the Wood.
This has 2 story lines. On one we see Arthur is now King, but has to defend his kingdom against King Lot. Here we see Arthur building his idea of the Round Table, his Might vs Right. In here we begin to see the building of this ideal that became the Kinghthood of the Myth. On another side we see Morgause(Lot Wife) , his 4 children (Gawaine, Agravaine, Gaheris, and Gareth) and a bit of their family history, also that part with the unicorn start to show their personalities, then Pellinore and two other Knights arrive, Pellinore is sick with love, lots of fun moments on that story line. In the end Arthur is victorious, and the night were Mordred was conceived happens. Both great story building and baseline for the Knights.
The Ill Knight- Ok this is mostly Lancelot, and yes the adventures part are incredible, Lancelot really does shine in it, but you also can see the conflict in his heart, the pain of his love for Guinevere and that it is a betrayal of Arthur’s thrust and love. And later with the Elaine story, this battle of thought he has, for he has in his mind while losing his virginity also lost his ability as the miraculous knight. Once he return to Guinevere and tells her, we see a bad side to her, that jealousy she shows portrays her in a bad light. That causes people to start the suspicion of the relation between Lancelot-Guinevere. At the same time, after being victorious in several wars, and returning to reign, Arthur starts o question the purpose and right of the Round Table, and start the search for the Holly Grail, the quest is nice to read, but is really the questioning that Arthur does about this need of the Knights, to use their might, and what to use it for when there is no more right to do, that makes this part a nice thought piece.
The Candle in the Wind – This is where the four Morgause kids, now full Knights along with Mordred go and tell Arthur of the affair, this causes the Round Table to break, for Lancelot and Guinevere are found guilty and now the Knight are divided between those supporting Lancelot, and those in the side of Arthur who doesn’t want to fight his friend but must. You can really see the pain in Arthur. Nice reference to Malory. The book ends one night before the final battle between Mordred and Arthur.
The book of Merlin – This final addition to the book, is where the Author uses Arthur, Merlin and the animals to expose his thoughts about duty, about war, about destiny. It starts in a really sad mode for Arthur, and goes even deeper in the pain he has for the way his round table ends, his soon to come battle with Mordred. And all that talk about the human and what is his true genus, really moves the line up for this work into another realm.
5 stars
Una muy Buena e interesante lectura del mito de Arturo, con un ultimo libro cargado de filosofía.
LA espada en la piedra es divertido de leer, La historia de Arturo cuando niño, llena de aventura y asombro, un Merlín maestro. Se puede ver la conexión a la película de Disney. Lo único extraño es la mezcla con el mito de Robin Hood.
La bruja en el bosque, dos historias a la par, el inicio de la mesa redonda, las discusiones de Arturo y Merlín entre el Poder y lo correcto, los ideales de la caballería. Por otro lado los hijos de Morgause, construcción de personajes, con algo divertido por lo de Pelinore y la bestia.
El caballero mal habido, este es Lancelot principalmente, y es un excelente libro que nos permite ver el conflicto interno de Lancelot. También es donde aparece la búsqueda del Santo Grial.
La vela en el viento- El inicio hacia el final, intriga y dolor. Interesante mención a Malory.
El libro de Merlín- Aquí es donde vía Arthur, Merlín y sus últimos tutores el autor expone su opinión a el concepto de destino, de honor, de la guerra, de que es el ser humano. Aunque distinto al resto creo que cierra de manera excelente la obra.
A very nice, interesting to read take on the Arthurian myth, with quite a lot of philosophical discussion for the last included book-part.
By each
The stone in the stone. This is fun to read, is the story of Arthur as kid(wart) and being taught by Merlin, via transforming him into animals. It mixes with the Robin Hood myth, which was a bit weird. We also see Pelinore and his quest, and lots of daily life in Sir Ector castle, going up to where Arthur takes the sword out and becomes King. One can see the connection to the Disney movie. This is a fun and joyfull read, with bits of comedy and adventure.
The Witch in the Wood.
This has 2 story lines. On one we see Arthur is now King, but has to defend his kingdom against King Lot. Here we see Arthur building his idea of the Round Table, his Might vs Right. In here we begin to see the building of this ideal that became the Kinghthood of the Myth. On another side we see Morgause(Lot Wife) , his 4 children (Gawaine, Agravaine, Gaheris, and Gareth) and a bit of their family history, also that part with the unicorn start to show their personalities, then Pellinore and two other Knights arrive, Pellinore is sick with love, lots of fun moments on that story line. In the end Arthur is victorious, and the night were Mordred was conceived happens. Both great story building and baseline for the Knights.
The Ill Knight- Ok this is mostly Lancelot, and yes the adventures part are incredible, Lancelot really does shine in it, but you also can see the conflict in his heart, the pain of his love for Guinevere and that it is a betrayal of Arthur’s thrust and love. And later with the Elaine story, this battle of thought he has, for he has in his mind while losing his virginity also lost his ability as the miraculous knight. Once he return to Guinevere and tells her, we see a bad side to her, that jealousy she shows portrays her in a bad light. That causes people to start the suspicion of the relation between Lancelot-Guinevere. At the same time, after being victorious in several wars, and returning to reign, Arthur starts o question the purpose and right of the Round Table, and start the search for the Holly Grail, the quest is nice to read, but is really the questioning that Arthur does about this need of the Knights, to use their might, and what to use it for when there is no more right to do, that makes this part a nice thought piece.
The Candle in the Wind – This is where the four Morgause kids, now full Knights along with Mordred go and tell Arthur of the affair, this causes the Round Table to break, for Lancelot and Guinevere are found guilty and now the Knight are divided between those supporting Lancelot, and those in the side of Arthur who doesn’t want to fight his friend but must. You can really see the pain in Arthur. Nice reference to Malory. The book ends one night before the final battle between Mordred and Arthur.
The book of Merlin – This final addition to the book, is where the Author uses Arthur, Merlin and the animals to expose his thoughts about duty, about war, about destiny. It starts in a really sad mode for Arthur, and goes even deeper in the pain he has for the way his round table ends, his soon to come battle with Mordred. And all that talk about the human and what is his true genus, really moves the line up for this work into another realm.
5 stars
November 23, 2016
I have to say writing a review about this series is a bit difficult. I have been taken through a whole series of thoughts, ideas, emotions, and ideas. From childish to quite deep and complex issues. This series covers so much territory, it makes it quite hard to cover it all.
I began this series with Author as a child being taught by Merlin. I was immediately taken mentally, to the Walt Disney cartoon version of this book. As I read it, all that came to mind was the animated Disney movie I remember from childhood. It was all that I could visualize. With that said, I have to complement Disney for staying so close to the original book.
But everything changes after that when Author becomes King by removing the sword from the stone. Here is where Disney left off, but the bulk of the series continues. And I have to say, the tone and nature of the series matures.
For the rest of the series, you will explore a whole series of issues; friendships, relationships, government, politics, intrigue, life, fulfillment, heartbreak, the list goes on. Keeping in mind, that T.H. White wrote this series from 1936 - 1943, a time in which Britain, was being tested to the very core of her survival, entering war with Germany, the blitz, Dunkirk, children moved throughout the country with strange families to protect them. Britain was on the very brink, the edge of her survival, and her future looked very very bleak. Could she survive.
I saw all this being reflected in this series. T.H. White's reflections and questions as to why there is a war, the struggles between countries, the purpose of government, the purpose of friendships and relationships, all comes roaring to the forefront. After all, everything was in peril.
The result of his examinations, wonderings, and reflections, culminates in a well thought out, interestingly presented, and a well told story of Author and the Knights of the round table. You have a myriad of characters centered around three main characters; Author, Lancelot, and Guinevere, all told with the intrigues of life, the mistakes of life, the good and bad decisions we all make, what are the fundamental principles of government and the people whom under that government. What is true friendship, love, and hate. All told in a serious reflection upon the world and life.
I was truly drawn in to the story. At times, so serious, and at others, so fanciful, free, and entertaining. A whole litany of thoughts and emotions will be experienced and ventured. In the end, you will be left pondering many things, but having enjoyed a delightful and well written story that makes you think.
I began this series with Author as a child being taught by Merlin. I was immediately taken mentally, to the Walt Disney cartoon version of this book. As I read it, all that came to mind was the animated Disney movie I remember from childhood. It was all that I could visualize. With that said, I have to complement Disney for staying so close to the original book.
But everything changes after that when Author becomes King by removing the sword from the stone. Here is where Disney left off, but the bulk of the series continues. And I have to say, the tone and nature of the series matures.
For the rest of the series, you will explore a whole series of issues; friendships, relationships, government, politics, intrigue, life, fulfillment, heartbreak, the list goes on. Keeping in mind, that T.H. White wrote this series from 1936 - 1943, a time in which Britain, was being tested to the very core of her survival, entering war with Germany, the blitz, Dunkirk, children moved throughout the country with strange families to protect them. Britain was on the very brink, the edge of her survival, and her future looked very very bleak. Could she survive.
I saw all this being reflected in this series. T.H. White's reflections and questions as to why there is a war, the struggles between countries, the purpose of government, the purpose of friendships and relationships, all comes roaring to the forefront. After all, everything was in peril.
The result of his examinations, wonderings, and reflections, culminates in a well thought out, interestingly presented, and a well told story of Author and the Knights of the round table. You have a myriad of characters centered around three main characters; Author, Lancelot, and Guinevere, all told with the intrigues of life, the mistakes of life, the good and bad decisions we all make, what are the fundamental principles of government and the people whom under that government. What is true friendship, love, and hate. All told in a serious reflection upon the world and life.
I was truly drawn in to the story. At times, so serious, and at others, so fanciful, free, and entertaining. A whole litany of thoughts and emotions will be experienced and ventured. In the end, you will be left pondering many things, but having enjoyed a delightful and well written story that makes you think.
July 31, 2023
"- Santo cielo, quanto sei sciocco! - esclamò lei - non ci sono confini tra le oche.
- Che cosa intendi per confini, per favore?
- Linee immaginarie tracciate sul terreno, mi pare. Come facciamo ad avere confini, se voliamo? Quelle tue formiche... e gli uomini, anche... dovrebbero ben smettere di combattere, alla fine, se si alzassero nell'aria.
- A me piace combattere - disse Wart - è cavalleresco.
- Perché sei un bambino."
Piaccia o non piaccia, è una saga molto, molto particolare: al suo interno, mischia la classica narrativa moderna con la tipologia di racconto puramente medievale, il tutto in una cornice che abbatte la "quarta parete" temporale e crea continui (ma voluti) anacronismi.
Lo scopo stesso dell'autore sembra proprio quello di parlare del suo tempo - all'interno della Seconda Guerra Mondiale - e in generale dell'essere umano, calando questioni etiche, politiche e religiose alla corte di Re Artù: la guerra è necessaria? E l'uomo è prevalentemente buono o malvagio?
In generale, mi sono piaciuti di più i momenti più propriamente narrativi, perché a mio avviso nelle parti più "filosofiche" (l'ultimo libro, ad esempio, è totalmente incentrato su questa dimensione) il discorso tende a diventare pesante e poco scorrevole; stupende invece le pagine di narrativa vera e propria, soprattutto quelle legate ai cavalieri delle Orcadi.
- Che cosa intendi per confini, per favore?
- Linee immaginarie tracciate sul terreno, mi pare. Come facciamo ad avere confini, se voliamo? Quelle tue formiche... e gli uomini, anche... dovrebbero ben smettere di combattere, alla fine, se si alzassero nell'aria.
- A me piace combattere - disse Wart - è cavalleresco.
- Perché sei un bambino."
Piaccia o non piaccia, è una saga molto, molto particolare: al suo interno, mischia la classica narrativa moderna con la tipologia di racconto puramente medievale, il tutto in una cornice che abbatte la "quarta parete" temporale e crea continui (ma voluti) anacronismi.
Lo scopo stesso dell'autore sembra proprio quello di parlare del suo tempo - all'interno della Seconda Guerra Mondiale - e in generale dell'essere umano, calando questioni etiche, politiche e religiose alla corte di Re Artù: la guerra è necessaria? E l'uomo è prevalentemente buono o malvagio?
In generale, mi sono piaciuti di più i momenti più propriamente narrativi, perché a mio avviso nelle parti più "filosofiche" (l'ultimo libro, ad esempio, è totalmente incentrato su questa dimensione) il discorso tende a diventare pesante e poco scorrevole; stupende invece le pagine di narrativa vera e propria, soprattutto quelle legate ai cavalieri delle Orcadi.
July 20, 2017
This book. Is weird. It's a retelling of the Arthurian legend, with a lot of modern (as of the 1950's) ideas and anachronisms thrown in. It was also originally released as 4 individual books (with a 5th written later but not part of the main collection). It was also the inspiration for Disney's The Sword in the Stone and the musical Camelot (not Spamalot, probably).
It's dense, it's odd, it meanders all over. I wanted to give it up many times, indeed I kept putting it aside to read other books, but for some reason I kept going back to it. I really enjoyed the first book, it is the best of the lot. But the tone gets darker, and the humour leaves the further you go. By the end my eyes were glazing over and I just wanted to get it done. If anything I'd say read the first book, and then go read something else.
It's dense, it's odd, it meanders all over. I wanted to give it up many times, indeed I kept putting it aside to read other books, but for some reason I kept going back to it. I really enjoyed the first book, it is the best of the lot. But the tone gets darker, and the humour leaves the further you go. By the end my eyes were glazing over and I just wanted to get it done. If anything I'd say read the first book, and then go read something else.
December 16, 2021
Io ho tanti problemi ed uno tra questi, è la difficoltà nel leggere libri pubblicati nel 1958 (anche prima, e pure un pò dopo). Quando mi fu proposto questo libro, accettai con molta curiosità ma anche un filo di timore; l’unico Artù che conosco è quello della Disney, quindi come sarebbe stato leggere di questo? La risposta mi è stata chiara fin dalle prime pagine.
Lo dico senza troppi giri di parole, perchè almeno mi tolgo il sassolino dalla scarpa e poi tutto è in discesa. Che due maroni.
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Lo dico senza troppi giri di parole, perchè almeno mi tolgo il sassolino dalla scarpa e poi tutto è in discesa. Che due maroni.
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May 30, 2021
Se nota mucho que son 5 libros. En general me gustó, menos el último que se me hizo insoportable.
La espada en la piedra ☆☆☆☆
La bruja de los bosques ☆☆☆
El caballero malhecho ☆☆☆☆
Una vela al viento: ☆☆☆
El libro de Merlín: ☆
La espada en la piedra ☆☆☆☆
La bruja de los bosques ☆☆☆
El caballero malhecho ☆☆☆☆
Una vela al viento: ☆☆☆
El libro de Merlín: ☆
May 20, 2021
In summary, this is a wonderful, moving collection of books, well worth reading in sequence in their entirety.
The Sword in the Stone is a fantastic children’s story, with plenty of excellent nature writing and humour. The middle books are readable, but workmanlike; however, they are necessary for the overall tragic arc of the stories, which is brilliantly achieved in The Candle in the Wind.
Well worth its place on James Mustich’s 1,000 books to read before you die list.
The book is divided into four parts:
• The Sword in the Stone (1938), detailing the youth of Arthur
This is a jolly, humorous story, which to my surprise is fairly closely followed by the Disney film (as I recall it from years ago), but which also includes other delightful tales, such as the adventure with Robin ‘ood (Wood) and Little John to rescue Friar Tuck from Morgan le Fay.
The book is set in a legendary time, after the Norman conquest of England (1066), whilst the Saxons (earlier invaders of England) were still identifiable, so perhaps 1100 to 1350 (twelfth century, or whenever it was, and in a remote castle on the border of the Marches (English Welsh border)), whilst chivalry was the highest ideal and Uther Pendragon (1066-1216!) was king.
White writes in an easy but verbose style, including many details of the English countryside and chivalry which deepen the story, making it a richer tale, but perhaps making it difficult to read fluidly for a modern reader. However as an older British reader, the book brilliantly conjures up the simple heroic English history that I was taught at school. This is a story of an England that never existed, except in our folk memory, although the deeds of chivalry are now mimicked by the jousting tournaments held occasionally in the summer at English castles and stately homes for the delight of tourists and children.
As first published in 1938, the humorous horror of being transformed into an ant, hearing Antland, Antland Over All being sung and lectures about war, patriotism and the economic situation, would have very pointed contemporary references. This lightly hidden political criticism is immediately followed by an approving description (without apparent irony) of the feudal system and the farm labourers (villeins as they were called) with their freedom of spirit liking their servitude in this medieval rural idyll, compared favourably to town workers.
It is fun to try and work out the hymn or song tunes to match the rhythm of White’ verses included from time to time, which is easy with the Battle Hymn of the (US) Republic.
The countryside and nature writing, especially about the white fronted geese, is wonderful and accurate as well (lyo-lyok is the slightly yodelling call they give), although necessarily anthropomorphic for the purposes of Wart’s education. I am an amateur ornithologist, so all the bird descriptions appealed to me.
However, Wart’s animal education ends with the badger: ”Which did you like best,” he asked, “the ants or the wild geese?”
The winter journey to London following Uther Pendragon’s death is followed, briefly, by a tournament of the knights of England, and Wart’s pulling of the sword from the stone, aided by his friendship with the animals.
I really enjoyed this book, familiar as it might be in outline from the eponymous Disney film, due to its humour, brilliantly descriptive writing and close observation of nature.
• The Queen of Air and Darkness (1939), originally published separately in somewhat different form as The Witch in the Wood
Well, here’s a thing, this second book, which was published separately in somewhat different form as The Witch in the Wood originally, has no witch in the woods in The Once and Future King! I cannot cheaply come by a copy of the original 1939 book of that title, but it has been rewritten substantially, as it is only half the length of the original.
This is a darker book in alternating chapters, which:
White develops these two storylines:
• the expected story of King Arthur battling against the rebellion of the Gaels (the old people, Picts, Cornish, Welsh and Scottish, also called Celts) against the Gauls (Normans and Saxons); and
• the story of Igraine’s four Orkney grandsons: Gawaine, Agravaine, Gaheris and Gareth.
Although abounding in surviving prehistoric and later monuments, it is difficult now to consider the Orkneys as a leading medieval kingdom if you look at the small size of the islands off the northern coast of mainland Scotland. However after the initial viking raids, it became the centre of a wide ranging seafaring kingdom which stretched south through the western isles of Scotland to the Isle of Man and Dublin.
Although it might be construed as condescending, I love White’s use of anachronistic, but appropriate, language to conjure up the various characters, particularly in his choice of the occasional archaic word. White uses Halidome, which apparently means a sacred place (Middle English from Old English hāligdōm, from hālig holy + -dōm -dom) and Shillelagh (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shillel..., where I remember the threat of I’ll give you shillelagh from my youth).
Overall this book was less satisfying for me, as it reads as a prologue (much more so than The Sword in the Stone) to the coming tragedy, and it is explicit at this stage that it will be a predestined tragedy, with apparently no free will to alter events, even with Merlyn’s foresight.
• The Ill-Made Knight (1940), dealing mainly with the character of Lancelot
We have moved forward some years from the second volume in the quartet, The Queen of Air and Darkness, and this is mainly a story of Lancelot, the eponymous ill-made knight.
White assumes familiarity with Malory’s fifteenth century story of Arthur, Le Morte d’Arthur, which may be acceptable, as modern Western readers are probably aware of the general outline of the Arthur story, but I was concerned that it would reduce White’s storytelling. By the end of the book, I thought that it reduced the effort to explain character development for Arthur, who chooses to ignore Merlyn’s warnings about Lancelot and Guinever, and a general lack of character development for Guinever, but the approach worked as an portrayal of Lancelot.
The development of Lancelot’s feelings (and Guinever’s) are explored in depth, but mainly by the author, rather than novelistically, and Lancelot’s feelings gain some depth, especially his feeling for holiness.
However, the author uses time jumps of two years, and then fifteen years, with little development of Arthur, Lancelot and Guinnever. I was unconvinced by this passage of time without emotional development in narrative terms, but White makes it work in terms of the legend, so that I eventually accepted (in storytelling terms) the tragedy as fated, although earlier in the book I didn’t expect to be carried by White’s retelling of the legend at this point.
There are a few chapters joyously recounting the adventures of the knights as they return, unsuccessfully, from the quest for the holy grail, railing against the pacifist, vegetarian, chaste and holy Galahad and Bors. White’s use of dialect to recreate these stories is comic genius, working really well for me, although it will not be to all tastes.
Overall, I felt the book too mannered, lacking emotional involvement, as it felt like an analysis by White of legendary Lancelot’s character, and I don’t think I would have read this as a stand-alone book.
• The Candle in the Wind, first published in the composite edition, 1958
A preordained tragedy, seemingly without dramatic tension over its conclusion, other than as to the “how” element.
Arthur, Guinever and Lancelot have reached old age and move towards their dooms with heavy inevitability, caught by the power of the law, that Arthur has created during his reign, and the “sin” of Mordred.
But then the book changes.
A final part called The Book of Merlyn (written 1941, published 1977) was published separately following White's death.
This book, which expands upon the events at the end of The Candle in the Wind, consists largely of a philosophical discussion between Arthur, Merlyn and animals from The Sword in the Stone regarding Man and his place in the world.
Although written in 1941, it was not published until 1977, after White’s death, and much of the best writing (about the ants and the white fronted geese) has been incorporated into The Sword in the Stone in 1958 when it was published as The Once and Future King.
There are several extra chapters on the white fronted geese which enjoyably fill out this story, and at the end there is a masterful quoting from William Blake’s Jerusalem, which are the words to a British hymn with music by Parry, which brilliantly encapsulates the argument that it is the striving towards the goal that is important, not the goal, which is unattainable without a loss of humanity.
I am glad to have read this immediately after The Once and Future King, but I think it does need to be read after, as it is more of a philosophical summation of the ideas in the earlier books.
The Sword in the Stone is a fantastic children’s story, with plenty of excellent nature writing and humour. The middle books are readable, but workmanlike; however, they are necessary for the overall tragic arc of the stories, which is brilliantly achieved in The Candle in the Wind.
Well worth its place on James Mustich’s 1,000 books to read before you die list.
The book is divided into four parts:
• The Sword in the Stone (1938), detailing the youth of Arthur
This is a jolly, humorous story, which to my surprise is fairly closely followed by the Disney film (as I recall it from years ago), but which also includes other delightful tales, such as the adventure with Robin ‘ood (Wood) and Little John to rescue Friar Tuck from Morgan le Fay.
The book is set in a legendary time, after the Norman conquest of England (1066), whilst the Saxons (earlier invaders of England) were still identifiable, so perhaps 1100 to 1350 (twelfth century, or whenever it was, and in a remote castle on the border of the Marches (English Welsh border)), whilst chivalry was the highest ideal and Uther Pendragon (1066-1216!) was king.
White writes in an easy but verbose style, including many details of the English countryside and chivalry which deepen the story, making it a richer tale, but perhaps making it difficult to read fluidly for a modern reader. However as an older British reader, the book brilliantly conjures up the simple heroic English history that I was taught at school. This is a story of an England that never existed, except in our folk memory, although the deeds of chivalry are now mimicked by the jousting tournaments held occasionally in the summer at English castles and stately homes for the delight of tourists and children.
As first published in 1938, the humorous horror of being transformed into an ant, hearing Antland, Antland Over All being sung and lectures about war, patriotism and the economic situation, would have very pointed contemporary references. This lightly hidden political criticism is immediately followed by an approving description (without apparent irony) of the feudal system and the farm labourers (villeins as they were called) with their freedom of spirit liking their servitude in this medieval rural idyll, compared favourably to town workers.
It is fun to try and work out the hymn or song tunes to match the rhythm of White’ verses included from time to time, which is easy with the Battle Hymn of the (US) Republic.
The countryside and nature writing, especially about the white fronted geese, is wonderful and accurate as well (lyo-lyok is the slightly yodelling call they give), although necessarily anthropomorphic for the purposes of Wart’s education. I am an amateur ornithologist, so all the bird descriptions appealed to me.
However, Wart’s animal education ends with the badger: ”Which did you like best,” he asked, “the ants or the wild geese?”
The winter journey to London following Uther Pendragon’s death is followed, briefly, by a tournament of the knights of England, and Wart’s pulling of the sword from the stone, aided by his friendship with the animals.
I really enjoyed this book, familiar as it might be in outline from the eponymous Disney film, due to its humour, brilliantly descriptive writing and close observation of nature.
• The Queen of Air and Darkness (1939), originally published separately in somewhat different form as The Witch in the Wood
Well, here’s a thing, this second book, which was published separately in somewhat different form as The Witch in the Wood originally, has no witch in the woods in The Once and Future King! I cannot cheaply come by a copy of the original 1939 book of that title, but it has been rewritten substantially, as it is only half the length of the original.
This is a darker book in alternating chapters, which:
White develops these two storylines:
• the expected story of King Arthur battling against the rebellion of the Gaels (the old people, Picts, Cornish, Welsh and Scottish, also called Celts) against the Gauls (Normans and Saxons); and
• the story of Igraine’s four Orkney grandsons: Gawaine, Agravaine, Gaheris and Gareth.
Although abounding in surviving prehistoric and later monuments, it is difficult now to consider the Orkneys as a leading medieval kingdom if you look at the small size of the islands off the northern coast of mainland Scotland. However after the initial viking raids, it became the centre of a wide ranging seafaring kingdom which stretched south through the western isles of Scotland to the Isle of Man and Dublin.
Although it might be construed as condescending, I love White’s use of anachronistic, but appropriate, language to conjure up the various characters, particularly in his choice of the occasional archaic word. White uses Halidome, which apparently means a sacred place (Middle English from Old English hāligdōm, from hālig holy + -dōm -dom) and Shillelagh (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shillel..., where I remember the threat of I’ll give you shillelagh from my youth).
Overall this book was less satisfying for me, as it reads as a prologue (much more so than The Sword in the Stone) to the coming tragedy, and it is explicit at this stage that it will be a predestined tragedy, with apparently no free will to alter events, even with Merlyn’s foresight.
• The Ill-Made Knight (1940), dealing mainly with the character of Lancelot
We have moved forward some years from the second volume in the quartet, The Queen of Air and Darkness, and this is mainly a story of Lancelot, the eponymous ill-made knight.
White assumes familiarity with Malory’s fifteenth century story of Arthur, Le Morte d’Arthur, which may be acceptable, as modern Western readers are probably aware of the general outline of the Arthur story, but I was concerned that it would reduce White’s storytelling. By the end of the book, I thought that it reduced the effort to explain character development for Arthur, who chooses to ignore Merlyn’s warnings about Lancelot and Guinever, and a general lack of character development for Guinever, but the approach worked as an portrayal of Lancelot.
The development of Lancelot’s feelings (and Guinever’s) are explored in depth, but mainly by the author, rather than novelistically, and Lancelot’s feelings gain some depth, especially his feeling for holiness.
However, the author uses time jumps of two years, and then fifteen years, with little development of Arthur, Lancelot and Guinnever. I was unconvinced by this passage of time without emotional development in narrative terms, but White makes it work in terms of the legend, so that I eventually accepted (in storytelling terms) the tragedy as fated, although earlier in the book I didn’t expect to be carried by White’s retelling of the legend at this point.
There are a few chapters joyously recounting the adventures of the knights as they return, unsuccessfully, from the quest for the holy grail, railing against the pacifist, vegetarian, chaste and holy Galahad and Bors. White’s use of dialect to recreate these stories is comic genius, working really well for me, although it will not be to all tastes.
Overall, I felt the book too mannered, lacking emotional involvement, as it felt like an analysis by White of legendary Lancelot’s character, and I don’t think I would have read this as a stand-alone book.
• The Candle in the Wind, first published in the composite edition, 1958
A preordained tragedy, seemingly without dramatic tension over its conclusion, other than as to the “how” element.
Arthur, Guinever and Lancelot have reached old age and move towards their dooms with heavy inevitability, caught by the power of the law, that Arthur has created during his reign, and the “sin” of Mordred.
But then the book changes.
A final part called The Book of Merlyn (written 1941, published 1977) was published separately following White's death.
This book, which expands upon the events at the end of The Candle in the Wind, consists largely of a philosophical discussion between Arthur, Merlyn and animals from The Sword in the Stone regarding Man and his place in the world.
Although written in 1941, it was not published until 1977, after White’s death, and much of the best writing (about the ants and the white fronted geese) has been incorporated into The Sword in the Stone in 1958 when it was published as The Once and Future King.
There are several extra chapters on the white fronted geese which enjoyably fill out this story, and at the end there is a masterful quoting from William Blake’s Jerusalem, which are the words to a British hymn with music by Parry, which brilliantly encapsulates the argument that it is the striving towards the goal that is important, not the goal, which is unattainable without a loss of humanity.
I am glad to have read this immediately after The Once and Future King, but I think it does need to be read after, as it is more of a philosophical summation of the ideas in the earlier books.
January 13, 2016
The Sword in the Stone: 3.5/5 stars
I don't know what I was expecting from this, but it wasn't what I got. In a good way. T.H. White's stories of King Arthur and his gaggle of knights are fantasy classics, and I suppose in my head I expected them to be like the others I've read. Not so. White's writing style takes a little getting used to and at times his prose is almost poetic, I really enjoyed it and it was fairly easy to read. The only parts I struggled with were when during dialogue words were written the way they were said in different accents, but it was much easier once I worked out what the accent was. I can see that this might be a little tricky for people who aren't English to understand. It was sometimes rambly and White is prone to give little bits of history throughout to explain things, and I guess because I already knew about that stuff it seemed like a bit of a tangent to me, but that's the only problem I had really.
This novel is so weird. Like, really random. The Wart (Arthur's nickname, given to him by Kay because it sounds vaguely like Art) gets turned into all sorts of animals by Merlyn for educational purposes, which at first I found really odd but I really enjoyed as I got into the swing of the story. I can see that by having the Wart experience all of these things it really opens his eyes and expands his view of the world.
The characters in this are superb. So hilarious. King Pellinore and the Questing Beast were so funny, Sir Grummore and Sir Ector drinking together at the beginning of the novel had me chuckling. But most of all, Merlyn. If you've ever seen Disney's The Sword in the Stone, Merlyn is very similar to that, if a little more eccentric. Also Robin Hood is in this, except he's Robin 'ood (pronounced Wood). The dialogue between characters was so funny and had me laughing so much.
The Sword in question, which is actually situated in an anvil and the stone which the anvil is on top of, doesn't appear until the last 15 pages, and I was starting to wonder if it would come up at all, but even left so late it was done really well. Written artfully and with doses of humour. I definitely recommend this one.
The Witch in the Wood: 3/5 stars
White's unique storytelling continues in The Witch in the Wood. This one is the shortest of the five novels within this book, and felt like a bit of a filler, in all honesty. It was a lot of fun and it gives us the first glimpse of many of the well-known characters we know and love in the Arthurian legends - Morgause, Gawaine, Garath, Gaheris, and we briefly hear of Igraine, Lancelot and Mordred.
While the humour continued in this novel, not a lot happened that I felt was integral to the story of King Arthur that I'm familiar with. The battle with King Lot read a lot like a history of the battle and I would have liked to have read about it from the perspective of someone in the midst of it. I also didn't much like any of Lot's family, especially Morgause and Agravaine, particularly the former. It almost brought the whole novel down for me, because a couple of the things they do, Morgause especially, go beyond disgusting to making me uncomfortable. The other three boys seemed just like cruel kids at times, but mostly they were pretty harmless.
Overall this was a well written and funny story, especially where the three knights and the Questing Beast in the north are concerned, but wasn't quite as good as the previous one.
The Ill-Made Knight: 4/5 stars
This was a strange one for me. I started to struggle about halfway through this one because it seemed to just be Lancelot feeling a lot of self-pity for a while. Lancelot is painted as the epitome of honour (despite having an affair with his best friend's wife but I guess we all let that slide) and so White has crafted this story in a way that makes us feel that that's true, we sympathise with young Lancelot and share his wonder and love for King Arthur. We relate to his insecurities and the feeling of having to make up for our ugliness and our failures (or at least I do). I couldn't quite forgive Lancelot for his misgivings, but I definitely felt for him.
Here's this guy, who feels hideous, who makes up for his failings by becoming the best at something, who inevitably falls for the first woman to show him love. Or, as I found myself looking at him, a man who has an affair with his best friend's wife for 20-something years, feels bad about it but not bad enough to stop, neglects the mother of his child, then doesn't bother with said child, and feels sorry for himself the entire novel. Listen, I relate to Lancelot, I love his character, I'm not a fan of Guenever, but I might be biased because I'm kind of head-over-heels for Arthur, but I feel like, while he's mostly a lovely man, he has done some awful things and it needs to be said.
I've gone up and down on what to rate this, but ultimately it comes down to the fact that White not only wrote this perfectly, but he made me emotionally connect to all of these characters. The Ill-Made Knight contains the search for the Holy Grail, and White masterfully related this famous Arthurian tale through accounts of some of the knights' personal quests, the tests they faced, while also subtly keeping Lancelot in the picture, since this is a story about him, after all. Best one yet, and I'm excited to continue.
The Candle in the Wind: 4/5 stars
In the original release of The Once and Future King this was the last story in the book, and it was such a brilliant end to Arthur's reign. I felt that this was the perfect place to leave it, so I'm curious as to what The Book of Merlyn will add to it.
The writing in this was beautiful, the story was incredible. While this lacked the humour of the previous books, I really enjoyed this darker instalment. I liked Mordred's madness, and I understood why he hated Arthur so much. Guenever and Lancelot annoyed me a little, but Gawaine really grew on me. He's been painted as a bit of a brute in the last three books and in this we really got to see his full personality, the loyalty and love he had for his family and king and how easily he was led astray by these things when really he wanted to be a peaceful man.
I'm also really happy that Arthur was in this one more. I really felt for him and sympathised with him, and I love the man that White made him into. I felt that the last chapter, where Arthur is really thinking about his reign and about war and how to stop it, which he's been trying all of his reign to do. The thought process was gorgeously written and I actually read it twice because I enjoyed it that much. While I don't think it's as simple as he concluded, it definitely gives the reader food for thought and a nice insight into Arthur's mind.
Best one of the series for me, at least so far.
The Book of Merlyn: 4/5 stars
This was a great ending to an epic story. The Book of Merlyn takes place over the course of the night before Arthur's battle with Mordred. Because of the revision of The Sword in the Stone to include some extracts from this book when the first four stories were originally published as The Once and Future King, there were some bits about the ants and geese that I had read already, but it didn't take away from the magic of this novel.
Because there is less going on in this novel, as well as it being over a much shorter time span than TSitS, White went into much more detail with Arthur's very last dealings with his education, and his attitude was different as an old man. I enjoyed jumping back into a story with all of the characters I was introduced to right at the beginning of this journey.
We conclude Arthur's life from an outside perspective, almost like we were starting to withdraw from our own imaginations, like waking up from a dream. And we hear how Arthur died, and where, and that he's still alive, depending on where you are in the world and who you ask. I felt like this worked extremely well and ended the novel beautifully.
King Arthur is a renowned legend. I, personally, was told stories about him as a kid, and for the longest time I just assumed that he had been a real person and a great leader. So many people know about this English hero and his Welsh tutor, Merlin, and I'm just happy to have finally read one of the most famous retellings of their story.
I don't know what I was expecting from this, but it wasn't what I got. In a good way. T.H. White's stories of King Arthur and his gaggle of knights are fantasy classics, and I suppose in my head I expected them to be like the others I've read. Not so. White's writing style takes a little getting used to and at times his prose is almost poetic, I really enjoyed it and it was fairly easy to read. The only parts I struggled with were when during dialogue words were written the way they were said in different accents, but it was much easier once I worked out what the accent was. I can see that this might be a little tricky for people who aren't English to understand. It was sometimes rambly and White is prone to give little bits of history throughout to explain things, and I guess because I already knew about that stuff it seemed like a bit of a tangent to me, but that's the only problem I had really.
This novel is so weird. Like, really random. The Wart (Arthur's nickname, given to him by Kay because it sounds vaguely like Art) gets turned into all sorts of animals by Merlyn for educational purposes, which at first I found really odd but I really enjoyed as I got into the swing of the story. I can see that by having the Wart experience all of these things it really opens his eyes and expands his view of the world.
The characters in this are superb. So hilarious. King Pellinore and the Questing Beast were so funny, Sir Grummore and Sir Ector drinking together at the beginning of the novel had me chuckling. But most of all, Merlyn. If you've ever seen Disney's The Sword in the Stone, Merlyn is very similar to that, if a little more eccentric. Also Robin Hood is in this, except he's Robin 'ood (pronounced Wood). The dialogue between characters was so funny and had me laughing so much.
The Sword in question, which is actually situated in an anvil and the stone which the anvil is on top of, doesn't appear until the last 15 pages, and I was starting to wonder if it would come up at all, but even left so late it was done really well. Written artfully and with doses of humour. I definitely recommend this one.
The Witch in the Wood: 3/5 stars
White's unique storytelling continues in The Witch in the Wood. This one is the shortest of the five novels within this book, and felt like a bit of a filler, in all honesty. It was a lot of fun and it gives us the first glimpse of many of the well-known characters we know and love in the Arthurian legends - Morgause, Gawaine, Garath, Gaheris, and we briefly hear of Igraine, Lancelot and Mordred.
While the humour continued in this novel, not a lot happened that I felt was integral to the story of King Arthur that I'm familiar with. The battle with King Lot read a lot like a history of the battle and I would have liked to have read about it from the perspective of someone in the midst of it. I also didn't much like any of Lot's family, especially Morgause and Agravaine, particularly the former. It almost brought the whole novel down for me, because a couple of the things they do, Morgause especially, go beyond disgusting to making me uncomfortable. The other three boys seemed just like cruel kids at times, but mostly they were pretty harmless.
Overall this was a well written and funny story, especially where the three knights and the Questing Beast in the north are concerned, but wasn't quite as good as the previous one.
The Ill-Made Knight: 4/5 stars
This was a strange one for me. I started to struggle about halfway through this one because it seemed to just be Lancelot feeling a lot of self-pity for a while. Lancelot is painted as the epitome of honour (despite having an affair with his best friend's wife but I guess we all let that slide) and so White has crafted this story in a way that makes us feel that that's true, we sympathise with young Lancelot and share his wonder and love for King Arthur. We relate to his insecurities and the feeling of having to make up for our ugliness and our failures (or at least I do). I couldn't quite forgive Lancelot for his misgivings, but I definitely felt for him.
Here's this guy, who feels hideous, who makes up for his failings by becoming the best at something, who inevitably falls for the first woman to show him love. Or, as I found myself looking at him, a man who has an affair with his best friend's wife for 20-something years, feels bad about it but not bad enough to stop, neglects the mother of his child, then doesn't bother with said child, and feels sorry for himself the entire novel. Listen, I relate to Lancelot, I love his character, I'm not a fan of Guenever, but I might be biased because I'm kind of head-over-heels for Arthur, but I feel like, while he's mostly a lovely man, he has done some awful things and it needs to be said.
I've gone up and down on what to rate this, but ultimately it comes down to the fact that White not only wrote this perfectly, but he made me emotionally connect to all of these characters. The Ill-Made Knight contains the search for the Holy Grail, and White masterfully related this famous Arthurian tale through accounts of some of the knights' personal quests, the tests they faced, while also subtly keeping Lancelot in the picture, since this is a story about him, after all. Best one yet, and I'm excited to continue.
The Candle in the Wind: 4/5 stars
In the original release of The Once and Future King this was the last story in the book, and it was such a brilliant end to Arthur's reign. I felt that this was the perfect place to leave it, so I'm curious as to what The Book of Merlyn will add to it.
The writing in this was beautiful, the story was incredible. While this lacked the humour of the previous books, I really enjoyed this darker instalment. I liked Mordred's madness, and I understood why he hated Arthur so much. Guenever and Lancelot annoyed me a little, but Gawaine really grew on me. He's been painted as a bit of a brute in the last three books and in this we really got to see his full personality, the loyalty and love he had for his family and king and how easily he was led astray by these things when really he wanted to be a peaceful man.
I'm also really happy that Arthur was in this one more. I really felt for him and sympathised with him, and I love the man that White made him into. I felt that the last chapter, where Arthur is really thinking about his reign and about war and how to stop it, which he's been trying all of his reign to do. The thought process was gorgeously written and I actually read it twice because I enjoyed it that much. While I don't think it's as simple as he concluded, it definitely gives the reader food for thought and a nice insight into Arthur's mind.
Best one of the series for me, at least so far.
The Book of Merlyn: 4/5 stars
This was a great ending to an epic story. The Book of Merlyn takes place over the course of the night before Arthur's battle with Mordred. Because of the revision of The Sword in the Stone to include some extracts from this book when the first four stories were originally published as The Once and Future King, there were some bits about the ants and geese that I had read already, but it didn't take away from the magic of this novel.
Because there is less going on in this novel, as well as it being over a much shorter time span than TSitS, White went into much more detail with Arthur's very last dealings with his education, and his attitude was different as an old man. I enjoyed jumping back into a story with all of the characters I was introduced to right at the beginning of this journey.
We conclude Arthur's life from an outside perspective, almost like we were starting to withdraw from our own imaginations, like waking up from a dream. And we hear how Arthur died, and where, and that he's still alive, depending on where you are in the world and who you ask. I felt like this worked extremely well and ended the novel beautifully.
King Arthur is a renowned legend. I, personally, was told stories about him as a kid, and for the longest time I just assumed that he had been a real person and a great leader. So many people know about this English hero and his Welsh tutor, Merlin, and I'm just happy to have finally read one of the most famous retellings of their story.
Here ends the book of the Onetime King, written with much toil and effort between the years of 1936 and 1942, when the nations were striving in fearful warfare. Here also begins - if perchance a man may in future time survive the pestilence and continue the task he has begun - the hope of the Future King. Pray for Thomas Malory, Knight, and his humble disciple, who now voluntarily lays aside his books to fight for his kind.
October 11, 2024
Book of Merlin masterpiece
December 23, 2023
È forse un 4-, perché come al solito questo sistema a stelline si scontra con i miei pensieri attorcigliati quando devo recensire un libro — specie se lungo come questo.
Ho letto ciò che mi aspettavo: una rivisitazione esaustiva della leggenda di re Artù, dalla sua giovinezza sotto il tutorato di Merlino alla corte di Camelot, dalla tormentata storia di Lancillotto e Ginevra all’inevitabile epilogo di decadenza. White, forte della sua cultura enciclopedica sulla letteratura medievale, fa scivolare tra le righe le numerose interpretazioni che sono state date ad Artù e ai suoi cavalieri nel corso dei secoli. Alcune mi erano ben note ed è stato un piacere ritrovarle; altre — come il collegamento Gawaine-Cú Chulainn — sono state una sorprendente scoperta.
Mi sono piaciute anche diverse cose che proprio non avevo previsto: «l’anacronismo controllato» di White assume contorni sempre meglio definiti man mano che si prosegue la lettura. Se all’inizio sembra solo un bizzarro espediente per mettere Artù a confronto con la brigata di Robin Hood, via via diventa sempre più un canto d’amore all’Inghilterra in tutte le sue forme, anche quelle che White stesso disprezza o disapprova (come l’epoca vittoriana, ma a volte prende bonariamente in giro anche i suoi contemporanei).
Passando a ciò che non mi aspettavo e non mi ha del tutto convinto, la seconda guerra mondiale preme sempre ai margini di questi libri e la forte avversione di White a qualsiasi forma di nazionalismo e totalitarismo lo porta ad assumere delle posizioni, nell’ultimo libro, che non mi sento di condividere. Ne apprezzo però il chiaro intento pacifista e capisco perché le sue teorie sulla natura dell’uomo non fossero molto popolari nel 1941.
Ho letto ciò che mi aspettavo: una rivisitazione esaustiva della leggenda di re Artù, dalla sua giovinezza sotto il tutorato di Merlino alla corte di Camelot, dalla tormentata storia di Lancillotto e Ginevra all’inevitabile epilogo di decadenza. White, forte della sua cultura enciclopedica sulla letteratura medievale, fa scivolare tra le righe le numerose interpretazioni che sono state date ad Artù e ai suoi cavalieri nel corso dei secoli. Alcune mi erano ben note ed è stato un piacere ritrovarle; altre — come il collegamento Gawaine-Cú Chulainn — sono state una sorprendente scoperta.
Mi sono piaciute anche diverse cose che proprio non avevo previsto: «l’anacronismo controllato» di White assume contorni sempre meglio definiti man mano che si prosegue la lettura. Se all’inizio sembra solo un bizzarro espediente per mettere Artù a confronto con la brigata di Robin Hood, via via diventa sempre più un canto d’amore all’Inghilterra in tutte le sue forme, anche quelle che White stesso disprezza o disapprova (come l’epoca vittoriana, ma a volte prende bonariamente in giro anche i suoi contemporanei).
Passando a ciò che non mi aspettavo e non mi ha del tutto convinto, la seconda guerra mondiale preme sempre ai margini di questi libri e la forte avversione di White a qualsiasi forma di nazionalismo e totalitarismo lo porta ad assumere delle posizioni, nell’ultimo libro, che non mi sento di condividere. Ne apprezzo però il chiaro intento pacifista e capisco perché le sue teorie sulla natura dell’uomo non fossero molto popolari nel 1941.
January 6, 2022
The best way of describing this book is that this is a retelling of the Arthurian legend by someone who clearly knew and loved the story and wanted to make its' narrative, themes and characters more relatable to the readers of his time. Through White's words, I experienced a sense of the soul of the legend - the sadness of the characters with their inward brokenness heading towards the end results of the choices driven by their desires, balanced with the the heroism and nobility of their actions as they tried to become better people and displayed their ability to love. White really understands the internal lives of people and this is clear in the ways he describes Lancelot's and Mordred's pain which drives them, as well as Arthur's persuit of the idea of improving humanity despite the many sacrifices he makes and obstacles in his way. And yet, this is a book which is also very clearly shaped by the author's own experience and by their place in history. Morgause as a mother and Lancelot as a flawed hero are written too deeply not to have relevance to the author's own experience and the shadow of modern warfare is everywhere in the book. Whilst the battles described are medieval, the futility and belligerence Arthur sees speak of White's hope and hopelessness, and the animal's commentary about facism, communism and capitalism reflect his own search for a meaning and solution. This was a long book and at points was hard to read, but a fascinating insight into the legend, the author and the times he lived in.
February 12, 2014
This book is a bit between like and really like for me. It started out great with the Sword in the Stone... passed to slightly disturbing in the next book... quite interesting in the Ill made knight but after than I sort of went on more because I wanted to finish it than anything else...
Quite possibly it was because I simply felt like reading something else by then, but I also think that with each book the story became heavier and more political and personaly I'm not particularly interested in politics so...
It got to be said though.. I loved Merlin, he was just such a bright spark in it all and that's one of the reasons why I loved the Sword in the stone, he was just brilliant. And for me the books lost a lot of their charm after he had gone.
But all in all I really liked this version of the Athurian legends, it was relatively fastpaced and funny to read and quite absurd in many ways. Unlike most Arthurian books I've come across so far which tended to be written in a heavy old english with sentences that would put the sun to sleep.-.-
I would gladly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Ledgend of King Arthur, it's definitely worth a go.^^
Quite possibly it was because I simply felt like reading something else by then, but I also think that with each book the story became heavier and more political and personaly I'm not particularly interested in politics so...
It got to be said though.. I loved Merlin, he was just such a bright spark in it all and that's one of the reasons why I loved the Sword in the stone, he was just brilliant. And for me the books lost a lot of their charm after he had gone.
But all in all I really liked this version of the Athurian legends, it was relatively fastpaced and funny to read and quite absurd in many ways. Unlike most Arthurian books I've come across so far which tended to be written in a heavy old english with sentences that would put the sun to sleep.-.-
I would gladly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Ledgend of King Arthur, it's definitely worth a go.^^
May 25, 2023
Leggendolo, mi ha ricordato una via di mezzo fra Terry Pratchett e C.S. Lewis, insomma, un tipo di libro che fingendo di volerti raccontare una storia è invece (in questo caso con ironia) di parlare di religione, storia o filosofia.
A mio parere però non riesce bene come gli altri due autori (benché alcune delle idee che cerca di far passare sull'aspetto politico possano essere condivise anche dagli atei più di quanto lo possano essere le metafore religiose di Lewis).
L'ironia di Pratchett è molto più sottile, mentre White, salvo alcuni momenti, si basa più sull'eccessivo, l'assurdo e il ridicolo. E il suo filosofeggiare è molto meno nascosto di quello di Lewis, al punto che l'ultimo libro è praticamente una sorta di trattato politico semplicemente usando i personaggi come voci di diverse idee.
Resta comunque un libro piacevole (e per le tematiche che tratta, non per ragazzi come si potrebbe pensare dalla lettura del primo volume) ma non all'altezza di altri.
A mio parere però non riesce bene come gli altri due autori (benché alcune delle idee che cerca di far passare sull'aspetto politico possano essere condivise anche dagli atei più di quanto lo possano essere le metafore religiose di Lewis).
L'ironia di Pratchett è molto più sottile, mentre White, salvo alcuni momenti, si basa più sull'eccessivo, l'assurdo e il ridicolo. E il suo filosofeggiare è molto meno nascosto di quello di Lewis, al punto che l'ultimo libro è praticamente una sorta di trattato politico semplicemente usando i personaggi come voci di diverse idee.
Resta comunque un libro piacevole (e per le tematiche che tratta, non per ragazzi come si potrebbe pensare dalla lettura del primo volume) ma non all'altezza di altri.
April 10, 2022
I would not have finished this if I were reading it. Neville Jason, though, is a very talented reader, and once he got me engaged, I found it easy to keep on listening.
I feel like it’s a story Umberto Eco would or should have found delightful. Long encyclopedic lists, discurses on all sorts of topics, serious characters, fantastical ones, too—sometimes at the same time, high drama and farce, metacommentary on the narrative … postmodern several decades before it was cool.
I feel like it’s a story Umberto Eco would or should have found delightful. Long encyclopedic lists, discurses on all sorts of topics, serious characters, fantastical ones, too—sometimes at the same time, high drama and farce, metacommentary on the narrative … postmodern several decades before it was cool.
May 30, 2021
1. Se nota mucho que son cinco libros.
2. A pesar de detalles, creo que los primeros tres tienen más pros qué contras y me gustaron bastante.
3. El cuarto es raro. Puntazo la aparición del Paje Tom.
4. La prosa de White es bella usualmente.
5. El quinto libro desentona y me hace alzar el puñito con rabia.
2. A pesar de detalles, creo que los primeros tres tienen más pros qué contras y me gustaron bastante.
3. El cuarto es raro. Puntazo la aparición del Paje Tom.
4. La prosa de White es bella usualmente.
5. El quinto libro desentona y me hace alzar el puñito con rabia.
October 20, 2022
Ora che ho finito tutti i 5 libri posso dire che è tutto sommato più che discreto.
✅ immaginifico
✅ bellissime riflessioni
✅ simpatico
❌ libri troppo brevi
❌ frettoloso
❌troppo semplice (so che è per un pubblico di età giovane ma penso che riescano a reggere una storia un po’ più articolata)
Libro 1: 8
Libro 2, 3, 4, 5 : 7/7,5
✅ immaginifico
✅ bellissime riflessioni
✅ simpatico
❌ libri troppo brevi
❌ frettoloso
❌troppo semplice (so che è per un pubblico di età giovane ma penso che riescano a reggere una storia un po’ più articolata)
Libro 1: 8
Libro 2, 3, 4, 5 : 7/7,5
September 18, 2019
A complex and intense retelling of the Arthurian legend.
The first three books, filled with adventure, betrayal, jealousy and drama were excellent. The last two were a little less interesting and they were a bit of a struggle to get through. An enjoyable read nevertheless.
The first three books, filled with adventure, betrayal, jealousy and drama were excellent. The last two were a little less interesting and they were a bit of a struggle to get through. An enjoyable read nevertheless.
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