The Once and Future King
by T.H. White
The Once and Future King
by
T.H. White
|
|
| published
| 1982
by Berkley Publishing Group
|
| first published
| 1939 |
| binding
| Paperback |
| isbn
|
0425081966
(isbn13: 9780425081969)
|
| date added
|
05-08-07
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of The Once and Future King.
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
other reviews
(showing 1-20 of 3486)
Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone who enjoys adventure, romance, history, or fantasy
I read this book about every two years. It is one of my absolute favorites. The stories and the characters are so well-crafted that I can read it over-and-over time and again with just as much pleasure as the first time.
This novel is actually divided into four 'books' within itself, and while you can read the four books out of order, it really is meant to be read from front to back.
The first book, "The Sword In The Stone", is much like the Disney animated movie that was adapted f...more
I read this book about every two years. It is one of my absolute favorites. The stories and the characters are so well-crafted that I can read it over-and-over time and again with just as much pleasure as the first time.
This novel is actually divided into four 'books' within itself, and while you can read the four books out of order, it really is meant to be read from front to back.
The first book, "The Sword In The Stone", is much like the Disney animated movie that was adapted from it. There are a few scenes in the movie which are not in the book, and quite a bit in the book which is not in the movie, but the overall flavor is the same, and the essence of the story is there. The main thing lacking from the movie, which is quite important in the novel, is that Merlin is teaching Arthur (Wart) about the ways of humanity, civilization, and society, so that when he becomes the King he will not just continue with things as they have been, but learn to reason and think for himself, to try his best to make the world a better place. These lessons are referred to again and again later in the novel. This first book has far more magic and fairy-tale qualities than any of the rest of the book.
The second book is called "The Queen of Air and Darkness", and primarily has to do with Arthur's nephews from his half-sister, Morgause, and ends with Morgause, not knowing that Arthur is her half-brother, bewitching him and seducing him to give her a child. This child, Mordred, is the essence of fate of Arthur and what makes this novel such a tragedy. White reveals this information as well, and knowing it here does not spoil the remainder of the book in anyway. This second book is one of the shortest of the four.
The third book is easily my favorite and is called "The Ill-Made Knight". It is the story of Sir Lancelot. This portion of the novel (and many smaller pieces of it) are where a great many Hollywood movies pull their King Arthur and Lancelot material from, only they usually get it all wrong. Lancelot, in this book, is the greatest knight in the world, though he is quite ugly - not the sexy and charming knight as is always portrayed in the movies. His face is often compared to a gargoyle. I believe this is quite important. It helps the reader to better understand his relationship with Queen Guenevere ("Jenny") and to understand that the Queen does not have this lifelong affair with her husband's best friend simply because he is charming and handsome and the best knight in the world. The character of Lancelot (as are Arthur and Guenevere) is so richly charactered. His struggles with his faith and humanity, and how those play against his love for his best friend's wife, are his lifelong struggles. Lancelot is shown to be an honest person, of the truest sense, even though he lives this lifelong struggle of adultery with his best friend's wife. The love triangle between Lancelot, Guenevere, and Arthur (and Qudrangle with God, as White often represents it) is the heart of this book, though the book really focuses on Lancelot's internal struggles. This book also serves to explore Arthur's attempts at removing the "Might Is Right" mentality of the Middle Ages, and gives us the Quest for the Holy Grail stories. This book, along with the first book, represents the bulk of this novel's content.
The last book, "A Candle In The Wind", brings together all the elements of Arthur's tragedy. The irony in this book is how Arthur's own new system of "justice" is used against him bring to light (publicly) the affair between Lancelot and Guenever.
This novel is a wonderful exploration of humanity, society, and civilization, and a beautiful fairy tale tragedy....less
bookshelves:
fantasy,
political-theory,
romance
Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Angelo, Mara, Jeremy
This is an entertaining and accessible novelization about political theory, told through a rather extraordinary re-imagining of the beloved mythological characters of Arthurian legend. I found White's characterizations of Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenevere to be psychologically probing, nuanced, and fascinating, if a little overly tragic. His Merlyn however, was so doddering and wonderful it made me want to cry. If only Merlyn were in more of the book; he was by far my favorite. The Once and Future...more
This is an entertaining and accessible novelization about political theory, told through a rather extraordinary re-imagining of the beloved mythological characters of Arthurian legend. I found White's characterizations of Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenevere to be psychologically probing, nuanced, and fascinating, if a little overly tragic. His Merlyn however, was so doddering and wonderful it made me want to cry. If only Merlyn were in more of the book; he was by far my favorite. The Once and Future King focuses mostly on the triangle between Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenevere, and has long portions on both Arthur's and Lancelot's childhoods, but not much about Merlyn's or Guenevere's background. Many famous tales of the knights of the Round Table are skimmed over or omitted in order to focus more on the story of Arthur's experimentations with political justice, but that's what makes this a novel, rather than a collection of myths and legends, and for this it has a coherence that other books about Arthurian Legend lack.
I had read this as a kid, and enjoyed it because I loved King Arthur, but I remember at the time being frustrated about the reality of the affair between Lancelot and Guenevere. I identified with Arthur so much it hurt to see him so... put aside, and by people who did actually care for him. Now as an adult I understand there's so much more to it than I had originally understood as a child, and I identify more with Lancelot than I did before, though I still feel horribly sad when I think of poor Arthur, and the two people he loves most not loving him enough to remain faithful to him, or at least to not recklessly cast all he had worked for into ruin for selfish pleasure. His character, though, as the book goes on becomes painfully thin - he turns the other cheek far too often with no seeming cause or without much thought; it's rather frustrating. I like to think of Arthur, despite his failings, as a powerful and wise king, not a sad sap to afraid to move for fear of upsetting something. It's hard to read about his downfall and watch accept his fate without much of a fight at all - though I guess why he does so is sort of modestly explained.
I wish I could read this a third time, when I am older, and identify with Guenevere, but the female characterizations in White's novel (partially perhaps not his fault as he didn't have much to work with from Malory, his greatest source) are woefully absent. The text just doesn't have much to explain Guenever or Elaine, at least not with the same depth and comlexity with which it explores Arthur and Lancelot.
I want to read The Book of Merlyn, because it was supposed to be the end of the cycle, and I was hoping it would have more to say about my favorite character. So there's hope yet that Merlyn's curious motivations might be explored someday, but the women of Arthurian legend will have to wait for another writer to take them up some other time.
...less
bookshelves:
classics,
kids_books
Read in September, 2006
recommends it for:
Absolutely!!!
for some reason writing my little summary of this book has been the hardest of all that I have done. I finished this one about a week ago, and haven't been able to write something good enough to do justice to this classic book. I think it might be one of my all time favorites. Surprisingly, it is not because of Merlin and his magic... instead I love it for what it tells the reader about human nature and the evolution of civil societies. I was a poly-sci major and should have read this book then ...more
for some reason writing my little summary of this book has been the hardest of all that I have done. I finished this one about a week ago, and haven't been able to write something good enough to do justice to this classic book. I think it might be one of my all time favorites. Surprisingly, it is not because of Merlin and his magic... instead I love it for what it tells the reader about human nature and the evolution of civil societies. I was a poly-sci major and should have read this book then as required reading.
Arthur assumed the throne and matched strength with strength. As a teen he had to prove that he was strong enough for others to respect him. Then he created the idea of round table, where "might for right" would be the theme, the strongest would fight for the weakest. The only problem... The strongest won, and still had the desire and energy to fight. The members of the round table were too good at eliminating their opposition and soon there were no more foes to chase and they became restless. Arthur then sends the knights on a search for spiritual artifacts like the hold grail. Well those who succeeded never came back, and those who came back were just as angry as before. Arthur finally decides that the "only way [he] can keep clear of force is by justice. Far from being willing to execute his enemies, a real king must be willing to execute his friends... and his wife." He found that the only way to check force was by having a code for justice (law.)
the only problem... his best friend and his wife are having an affair and his enemies trapped him into carrying out justice against the two most important people to him. In his quest for justice, he left no room for mercy. Which makes one wonder if and how you find a balance between justice and mercy without being a hypocrite. (I think maybe only God can, that we all are hypocrites in our administration of mercy.)
poor Arthur just wants to do what is good and what is right. These desires end up making his wife a prisoner, Banishing his oldest and dearest friend, all while his illegitimate son is trying to kill him and steal his throne. Though Arthur sees everything he tried to build for the better crumble... He doesn't give up hope on a future king picking up where he left off.
all I can say is wow. I love this book....less
Read in April, 2004
T.H. White's now-classic rendering of the myth of King Arthur. The book encompasses his coming-of-age, his rise to power, his reign as a unifying king, and his fall, not overlooking the traditions that hold that Arthur will one day return.
White's writing is refreshing because it deals with serious themes without feeling too heavy. He has a sort of whimsical prose that works well dealing with a character surrounded by magical legend and mythos. He also pokes fun at himself--most obviously ...more
T.H. White's now-classic rendering of the myth of King Arthur. The book encompasses his coming-of-age, his rise to power, his reign as a unifying king, and his fall, not overlooking the traditions that hold that Arthur will one day return.
White's writing is refreshing because it deals with serious themes without feeling too heavy. He has a sort of whimsical prose that works well dealing with a character surrounded by magical legend and mythos. He also pokes fun at himself--most obviously toward the end when Merlin is telling Arthur about all the scribes and writers that will try and tell his story. Merlin briefly takes a jab at a man named White who will try and place Arthur's reign at the same time as William the Conquerer's.
The best parts, in my opinion, are the lessons that Merlin teaches Arthur--not only as a boy, as depicted in the Disney classic The Sword in the Stone, but also as a man. They make you think about life and philosophical principles without being too heavy-handed (for the most part).
In large part, the book is a critique of forms of government, which is mostly interesting, but in the end gives the book my biggest critique. In a few chapters that White wrote several years after OFK was first published, his own anarchist leanings come out. I enjoyed reading critiques of communism, monarchy, democracy, etc., but to come to a conclusion where anarchy is exulted as a preferred system (or lack of system?) was a bit over the top for me. I liked it better when White was simply making me think about the systems we know without pushing for the abolition of government. But I guess it's interesting to see why he felt that way. It's not a huge critique--the book overall is still a delightful read....less
bookshelves:
japan_jul07-present,
other_lit
Read in December, 2007
A brilliant re-telling--
Funny, engaging, and ultimately sad, this modern re-telling of Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur is simply brilliant, especially after reading the original in Middle English.
It pokes fun at Malory's formulaic story-telling to great effect (esp. when Sir Grummor and Pallinore fight in the first book, which is one of my favorite scenes) and recasts the legendary, machinelike figures into human beings with emotions and thoughts (and man he does well with Lancelot in pa...more
A brilliant re-telling--
Funny, engaging, and ultimately sad, this modern re-telling of Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur is simply brilliant, especially after reading the original in Middle English.
It pokes fun at Malory's formulaic story-telling to great effect (esp. when Sir Grummor and Pallinore fight in the first book, which is one of my favorite scenes) and recasts the legendary, machinelike figures into human beings with emotions and thoughts (and man he does well with Lancelot in particular, whose psychology and humanity are so well presented throughout).
But the Reviewer must admit that the book is not without its faults. There are definitely slow, even insufferable parts when T. H. White goes into his let's-catalogue-everything-I-did-research-on mood and indulges in interminable expository writing where he makes a tedious inventory of medieval items and food and customs and armor parts and other bushwa teeming with nouns you've never heard of before because they are either obsolete or archaic (well, it is a learning experience if you're as obsessive about knowing every word you read as the Reviewer - which is a kind of a curse if you think about it, as when the Reviewer encountered "recheat," "gorgeaunt," "cete," "richesse" (no, not rich-ness or its French version), "fiants," and "huske" on the same page and was simply paralyzed and unable to just read past them without looking them all up on unwieldy OED online and jotting them down with nodding interest and feeling the snob's smugness at knowing microscopically more about the world and not realizing at the moment that the Reviewer has only read a single page in like an hour). Aside from that, though, it was a great read!
...less
bookshelves:
summer2007,
thirdtimesacharm
Read in June, 2007
This was my third (fourth?) time trying to get through this book. It's not that it's bad or difficult; it's that I'm cursed whenever I try. My life always goes totally nuts whenever I open these pages.
But I did it. T. H. White does a great job reinterpreting the Arthur legend, especially for his post-WWII world. He tackles some of the biggest themes allowed in literature, and his quirky style of writing allows him to question many of them directly, both through the characters and in his own ...more
This was my third (fourth?) time trying to get through this book. It's not that it's bad or difficult; it's that I'm cursed whenever I try. My life always goes totally nuts whenever I open these pages.
But I did it. T. H. White does a great job reinterpreting the Arthur legend, especially for his post-WWII world. He tackles some of the biggest themes allowed in literature, and his quirky style of writing allows him to question many of them directly, both through the characters and in his own voice as narrator. Part of the joy of reading this comes in how he seems to combine extensive knowledge of medieval customs and practices with wild anachronisms. He doesn't even limit this to Merlyn, who knows the future--he has all sorts of characters say ridiculous things that would only make sense to the present-day reader.
The story always breaks my heart, though. I always find myself wishing Lancelot and Gwenever were stronger, more sensitive to Arthur, more cognizant of the larger significance of their actions. I always wish Arthur would find whatever it is he wants from life, but even that wish is tangled up in how Arthur doesn't seem to want anything for himself. I get to thinking about all this and what it means and how it relates to the real world and all of history both individually and collectively and before I know it I have that funny reeling feeling you get when you try to imagine the edge of the universe or the nature of time or a new dimension and I realize that the Arthur legend might be as close a parable of God and earth and man and everything-that-ever-was that we might have. It's like scripture or something....less
Read in January, 1987
i read this when i was a little kid, and have kept rereading it for years. i just love this book. each section is written in prose that suits the time of life of arthur. the sword and the stone is filled with fun and magic and little adventures, perfectly suited to the life of the child. the middle section is a love story with big grand plot twists and that sort of thing, when arthur is a relatively young man. the end, as well as the book of merlyn, is the part of the story that is probabl...more
i read this when i was a little kid, and have kept rereading it for years. i just love this book. each section is written in prose that suits the time of life of arthur. the sword and the stone is filled with fun and magic and little adventures, perfectly suited to the life of the child. the middle section is a love story with big grand plot twists and that sort of thing, when arthur is a relatively young man. the end, as well as the book of merlyn, is the part of the story that is probably the most forgotten, unappreciated bit, as no movies have been made of it, but it is the best for my money. arthur the old man reflects on the idea of war, and power, and mortality, and i think that this part of the book really hits home that ts white was writing after wwII. the political ideals that are thinly veiled in the stories early in the book come full circle, and the whole story is very much about society and power, and how to negotiate both. it's kind of dark at the end, but i appreciate how in many ways the book does not really sell the idea that a perfect society is possible - in fact, quite the opposite mostly. the characters themselves tear it apart because really, power is an integral part of the world, and characters like lancelot who are born with it are always going to have to make choices as to how they will function in a world of people with less power. the temptation to abuse it is too great for everyone to bear, really....less
bookshelves:
favorites
I carried a quote from this book around in my purse for decades. In my original version of the book, it is on page 111 and begins, "The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or kno...more
I carried a quote from this book around in my purse for decades. In my original version of the book, it is on page 111 and begins, "The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then - to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn."
Another quote reads: "You see, one gets confused with Time, when it is like that. All one's tenses get muddled, for one thing. If you know what is going to happen to people, and not what has happened to them, it makes it difficult to prevent it happening, if you don't want it to have happened, if you see what I mean? Like drawing in a mirror."
T.H. White has an imagination large enough to stimulate the reader regardless how many times this book is read.
...less
Read in November, 2007
I just finished "The Once and Future King" last night - finally! It seemed like it was taking forever. To be honest, I only started reading it because they show/mention this book 3+ times in X-Men 2, so it seemed like it might have some kind of important message. :p
The first two books (out of 4) were SO hard to get through... the Disney "Sword and the Stone" movie was pretty accurate in its depiction of this part, which translates into goofy, childish tales of wizardry an...more
I just finished "The Once and Future King" last night - finally! It seemed like it was taking forever. To be honest, I only started reading it because they show/mention this book 3+ times in X-Men 2, so it seemed like it might have some kind of important message. :p
The first two books (out of 4) were SO hard to get through... the Disney "Sword and the Stone" movie was pretty accurate in its depiction of this part, which translates into goofy, childish tales of wizardry and transmogrification. I realize they all have meaning, but the lessons are just so painfully obvious - i.e. ants who live in a Brave New World-type community. It eventually got better (read: less ridiculous), but even the "deep and meaningful lessons" for future generations (i.e. lots of rambling about Might not making Right, and not being able to establish peace through war, and humans being inherently bad, blah blah blah) was dumbed down and repeated ad nauseum.
I suppose it IS a children's book... but the last two chapters seem a bit too dark for kids.
And how sad is it this: I kept thinking about how well a big-budget movie tetralogy based on this book would do.
***1/2
Three and a half stars. Because it had its moments....less
Read in March, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone! Really!
Oh, this book is so wonderful. It isn't just an Arthurian tale, it's a wild and meandering tale of childhood, and young adulthood, and adulthood, and old age, and death - it touches all the bittersweet parts of life that are so hard to capture, but this book manages. All the characters that you've read about come to life as people, not just ideas, but people who play and fight and think deeply and are scared, people like us.
Didn't you love The Sword and the Stone by Disney? Well, that m...more
Oh, this book is so wonderful. It isn't just an Arthurian tale, it's a wild and meandering tale of childhood, and young adulthood, and adulthood, and old age, and death - it touches all the bittersweet parts of life that are so hard to capture, but this book manages. All the characters that you've read about come to life as people, not just ideas, but people who play and fight and think deeply and are scared, people like us.
Didn't you love The Sword and the Stone by Disney? Well, that movie is based on the first parts of this book. Also, there is one of the best commentaries on war and peace I've ever read in the book, as a discussion between adolescents and their elder. It's so wonderfully sad to see that the adolescent perspective towards war (wow, cool, shooting and killing and taking over countries, grunt grunt grunt) is also the perspective that too many of our government officials seem to take. After all, THEY aren't dying or living to see the aftermath.
Please read this book - I just keep coming back to it. I don't reread books and I've read this 3 times, and I pick it up to read whenever I want something to refresh me. ...less
recommends it for:
Everyone
Fantastic story. A traditional yet unique take on Arthurian legends; follows the life of Wart (Arthur) forwards, the life of Merlin backwards, and makes the story personal.
The original legends of Arthur were scattered texts, morality tales, and in the worst cases, miscellaneous word droppings sold by unemployable hacks. What TH White does is unite them coherently, making only limited references to the more extraneous tales, and develop a cogent and powerful storyline. White showcases how Art...more
Fantastic story. A traditional yet unique take on Arthurian legends; follows the life of Wart (Arthur) forwards, the life of Merlin backwards, and makes the story personal.
The original legends of Arthur were scattered texts, morality tales, and in the worst cases, miscellaneous word droppings sold by unemployable hacks. What TH White does is unite them coherently, making only limited references to the more extraneous tales, and develop a cogent and powerful storyline. White showcases how Arthur excels as a king and fails as a husband. The legendary leader unites the peoples of Britain, establishes laws to combat the barbaric principle of "might is right", and brings peace to the realm. However, he is ultimately unable to stem the tide of rebellion, which is fueled by malcontents and led by the illegitimate son he was duped into fathering. In a sense, this story is really about reason and justice opposing the ugly, unruly aspects of human nature. Following the footsteps of "Le Morte de Arthur", TH White creates a story that is moving, tragic, and showcases an earnest king whose good intentions fail to hold back the tides of time....less
Read in March, 2008
I love this book. I've actually read it a few years ago, but read it again when I ran across The Book of Merlyn at the library.
This is actually four books in one volume-- the first part, The Sword in the Stone, is where Disney cribbed most of the material for their movie of the same name. Thankfully, the rest of the book is not as two-dimensional as the movie.
The other three books tell of the rest of Arthur's reign, the quest fo...more
I love this book. I've actually read it a few years ago, but read it again when I ran across The Book of Merlyn at the library.
This is actually four books in one volume-- the first part, The Sword in the Stone, is where Disney cribbed most of the material for their movie of the same name. Thankfully, the rest of the book is not as two-dimensional as the movie.
The other three books tell of the rest of Arthur's reign, the quest for the Holy Grail, the dissolution of the Round Table, up until his final battle against his illegitimate son, Mordred. Even though there's a lot of jousting and romance and cool stuff, the overarching theme remains Arthur's attempts to build an ideal society.
Arthur always pursues justice and Right over Might, even at the cost of his friends, his wife, his kingdom, and his life. The story ends in tragedy (oh please. it's not a spoiler when the legends are at least 600 years old), but White's Arthur always remains optimistic that even though he may not live to see it, eventually one day someone will see his dream realized....less
This was a really wonderful book. I highly recommend it, especially if you're an adult, or a fan of British comedy. The story is in four parts, the first being "The Sword in the Stone" which is what the Disney movie is based on. At first, I wasn't enjoying it because it felt like all the same bag of tricks that were in the movie; shapeshifting, owls, annoying older knights. But very soon, a few scenes occured in rapids succession that really impressed me. Not only were they funny and v...more
This was a really wonderful book. I highly recommend it, especially if you're an adult, or a fan of British comedy. The story is in four parts, the first being "The Sword in the Stone" which is what the Disney movie is based on. At first, I wasn't enjoying it because it felt like all the same bag of tricks that were in the movie; shapeshifting, owls, annoying older knights. But very soon, a few scenes occured in rapids succession that really impressed me. Not only were they funny and very thoughtful. What struck me first was a great duel between two knights that quickly degenerated into an argument between the knights as to who's winning or not. It quickly became similar to Monty Python and The Quest for the Holy Grail. The rest of the book became tremendous at that point, both funny, serious and continuously thoughtful. Pretty awesome.
If anyone's read this I'd like to hear your opinions on it's possible influence in British comedy. Specifically Monty Python, The Hitchhiker's Guide, and even Harry Potter (owls, wizards, and such. Y'know, the works)....less
Read in July, 2005
recommends it for:
everyone should read this
I recognize that Arthurian Legends are not everyone's cup of tea, so to speak, but really, one should give this a try, forgetting Disney and Broadway and killer bunny rabbits.
Consider White's prose, after drawing out the family lines of Arthur:
Even if you have to read it twice, like something in a history lesson, this pedigree is a vital part of the tragedy of King Arthur. It is why Sir Thomas Malory called his very long book the Death of King Arthur. Although nine-tenths of the story ...more
I recognize that Arthurian Legends are not everyone's cup of tea, so to speak, but really, one should give this a try, forgetting Disney and Broadway and killer bunny rabbits.
Consider White's prose, after drawing out the family lines of Arthur:
Even if you have to read it twice, like something in a history lesson, this pedigree is a vital part of the tragedy of King Arthur. It is why Sir Thomas Malory called his very long book the Death of King Arthur. Although nine-tenths of the story seems to be about knights jousting and quests for the holy grail and things of that sort, the narrative is a whole, and it deals with the reasons why the young man came to grief in the end. It is the tragedy, Aristotelian and comprehensive tragedy, of sin coming home to roost. That is why we have to take note of the parentage of Arthur's son Mordred, and to remember, when the time comes, that the king had slept with his own sister. He did not know he was doing so, and perhaps it may have been due to her, but it seems, in tragedy, that innocence is not enough....less
bookshelves:
fantasy,
in-high-school
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in January, 2002
A favorite quote:
"But the curious thing was that under the king-post of keeping faith with himself and with others, he had a contradictory nature which was far from holy. His Word was valuable to him not only because he was good, but also because he was bad. It is the bad people who need to have principles to restrain them. For one thing, he liked to hurt people. It was for the strange reason that he was cruel, that the poor fellow never killed a man who asked for mercy, or committed a ...more
A favorite quote:
"But the curious thing was that under the king-post of keeping faith with himself and with others, he had a contradictory nature which was far from holy. His Word was valuable to him not only because he was good, but also because he was bad. It is the bad people who need to have principles to restrain them. For one thing, he liked to hurt people. It was for the strange reason that he was cruel, that the poor fellow never killed a man who asked for mercy, or committed a cruel action which he could have prevented....People have odd reasons for ending up as saints. A man who was not afflicted by ambitions of decency in his mind might simply have run away with his hero's wife, and then perhaps the tragedy of Arthur would never have happened. An ordinary fellow, who did not spend half his life torturing himself by trying to discover what was right so as to conquer his inclination towards what was wrong, might have cut the knot which brought their ruin." ---The Once and Future King, T.H. White...less
bookshelves:
own-it
Read in May, 2007
The first two volumes (The Sword and the Stone & The Queen of Air and Darkness) of The Once And Future King are meandering and maddening. Occasionally diverting, they are less than their reputation would lead one to expect.
But then the tale of Lancelot begins with the third volume (The Ill-Made Knight) and White's true genius comes to the fore. He is not a teller of great and wonderous tales. Rather than the narrative clarity and cohesion that Tolkien and his offspring give to fantas...more
The first two volumes (The Sword and the Stone & The Queen of Air and Darkness) of The Once And Future King are meandering and maddening. Occasionally diverting, they are less than their reputation would lead one to expect.
But then the tale of Lancelot begins with the third volume (The Ill-Made Knight) and White's true genius comes to the fore. He is not a teller of great and wonderous tales. Rather than the narrative clarity and cohesion that Tolkien and his offspring give to fantasy, T.H. White tackles moral complexity and human confusion. He uses the contradictory fragments of Malory to craft a tale of conflicted and conflicting hearts and minds, of individuals doing their damndedest to do and be good and yet failing.
His narrator examines the notion of heroism through the lens of two World Wars and leaves me feeling moved, inspired and saddened.
The Sword in the Stone on its own would get 3 stars, The Queen of Air and Darkness 2, The Ill-Made Knight 5, and The Candle In The Wind 4....less
recommends it for:
Everyone!
The best single interpretation of the Arthurian legend in literature. There are many other great ones and some interesting ones worthy of a look (Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence, Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, etc.), but this one is simply where it's at. You have history, politics, ethics, religion, humor, action, romance, the whole gang here to entertain and illuminate you. I definitely recommend it to anyone going through a particularly rough ...more
The best single interpretation of the Arthurian legend in literature. There are many other great ones and some interesting ones worthy of a look (Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence, Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, etc.), but this one is simply where it's at. You have history, politics, ethics, religion, humor, action, romance, the whole gang here to entertain and illuminate you. I definitely recommend it to anyone going through a particularly rough spot in their life.
I should also make clear that I am a huge fan of the Arthurian legend and am always open to recommendations for more books on the subject to read. I have wanted to check out Bernard Cornwell's series for a while as I think a historical fiction take on the story has promise to be incredibly dramatic and worthy, but I am worried that if it isn't good I'll be sorely disappointed. Anyway, go out and get this book and start reading it right away, trust me, you won't be sorry that you did....less
bookshelves:
classics,
fantasy,
read2007
Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone
Though the philosophical engangements were dull at times (at least to me), the book was overall a great yet long read. The Sword in the Stone was the most care-free part, and I think it was the part I read fastest, but I enjoyed reading about the Orkney clan and Guenever and Lancelot. There were many detailed parts, which were also dull (to me) at times, but in all it told a lot of story in six hundred pages. There were some great, lovable characters, and the "bad guys" you could see h...more
Though the philosophical engangements were dull at times (at least to me), the book was overall a great yet long read. The Sword in the Stone was the most care-free part, and I think it was the part I read fastest, but I enjoyed reading about the Orkney clan and Guenever and Lancelot. There were many detailed parts, which were also dull (to me) at times, but in all it told a lot of story in six hundred pages. There were some great, lovable characters, and the "bad guys" you could see had their reasons. I had been looking forward to reading this for some time, and though the last three parts were very different from the first (which I enjoyed most) I was not disappointed...Because of its length it took me an abnormally long time to read (over a month) but I'd recommend it to anyone interesting in fantasy, philosophy, politics, or anyone just looking for a Good Read....less
bookshelves:
fantasysci-fi,
to-read
I loved the disney version when I was a kid (who wouldn't want to become a squirrel? For some reason the whole shape-shifting sequence fascinated me), and I bought the book some time ago, but haven't been able to get around to it. The fact that I tend to have 20 different books going at a time may be to blame for that. I rarely finish anything these days. I'll get to this one day-- though to be honest, my heart still belongs to Lawhead's down and dirty early celtic version of arthurian legen...more
I loved the disney version when I was a kid (who wouldn't want to become a squirrel? For some reason the whole shape-shifting sequence fascinated me), and I bought the book some time ago, but haven't been able to get around to it. The fact that I tend to have 20 different books going at a time may be to blame for that. I rarely finish anything these days. I'll get to this one day-- though to be honest, my heart still belongs to Lawhead's down and dirty early celtic version of arthurian legend, rather than the fru-fru Romance inspired versions. I think several others have tried to go back and present a pre-Romance Arthur, but Lawhead was my first exposure to that. One day I'll have to actually study early celtic lit-- it's a shame I haven't, what with Dan Melia just a few doors down from my own office. ...less
Read in January, 2005
A great book. It is a novel based on "The Death of King Arthur," by Thomas Mallory. The original reads more like the King James Bible (being written about the same period, if I recall), but "The Once and Future King" focuses less on the laundry-list of events and focuses more on the characters.
The first book is the inspiration of Disney's "The Sword in the Stone" and covers Arthur's upbringing under Merlyn's instruction, though the rest of the books are a bit ...more
A great book. It is a novel based on "The Death of King Arthur," by Thomas Mallory. The original reads more like the King James Bible (being written about the same period, if I recall), but "The Once and Future King" focuses less on the laundry-list of events and focuses more on the characters.
The first book is the inspiration of Disney's "The Sword in the Stone" and covers Arthur's upbringing under Merlyn's instruction, though the rest of the books are a bit darker as they focus on topics such as the fall of Sir Lancelot (through adultery) and the fall of Arthur (by his son conceived in incest).
The characterization and the interaction between them all make the book, but the adventures dueling against legendary knights and griffins and all that are pretty good too....less
book data (includes all editions)
avg rating
(all editions):
4.12 (2990 ratings)
avg rating
(this edition): 4.33
(3 ratings)
number of reviews: 310
other editions
[close]
The Once and Future King (Paperback)
isbn: 0441627404
[close]
The Once and Future King (Paperback)
isbn: 0006483011
[close]
The Once and Future King (paperback)
isbn: 0000000000
quote
""The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.""
more quotes »
