T. H. White (1906–1964)

I have no idea what to make of this book. It’s the second book in The Once and Future King quartet, was extensively revised after initial publication, when it was titled The Queen of Air and Darkness. Except The Witch in the Wood is supposedly longer than The Queen of Air and Darkness, but the version I read, which had the former title, was barely 100 pages long. And, to be honest, it didn't have much of a plot. Arthur is now king, but apparently not everyone has accepted this so he has to fight to prove himself. Merlyn lectures him on how fighting for the sake of fighting is not a good idea, and while combat may be fun for knights, it isn’t for the serfs, the foot soldiers, who get killed in large numbers. Meanwhile, King Pellinore is visiting Orkney with two companions, while King Lot is off fighting Arthur. Pellinore didn’t want to be there–he was following the Questing Beast, and having great fun, and then he fell in love with the daughter of the King of Flanders, but this magic boat appeared so he climbed into it. And now he’s stuck in Orkney. His friends try to improve his mood by faking the Questing Beast, but the real Questing Beast turns up and falls in love with their fake one (think pantomime horse). Then there’s a big battle and Arthur revolutionises tactics by attacking the knights and not the serfs. So, of course, he wins. This didn’t even feel like a novel, more like an info-dump. The scenes with Sir Grummor and Sir Palomides are funny, but feel like music hall. There are several lectures on politics and authority, which reference Hitler, and are well argued. But none of it feels like a novel in a series of four. I mean, White’s prose is… idiosyncratic, but so much more appealing than Tolkien’s. White throws in anachronisms, but he makes it work. And he’s funny. The Hobbit cannot compare. Two more books to go, but it’s already clear The Once and Future King is greatly superior to The Hobbit.… (plus d'informations)

This book is a mess, but kind of a glorious, interesting mess. It is a retelling of the Arthurian legend, based on Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. As originally published, it consisted of four books. After the author's death a fifth book (The Book of Merlyn) was published, and the edition of The Once and Future King I read included that too.

Let's talk about each of the books:

1) The Sword in the Stone: this is about Arthur's childhood, and about how the wizard Merlyn mentored him to prepare him to become the king of England who would put an end to the abuses of the often brutal feudal lords and redirect the energies of those warriors towards the defense of what is right. It is a children's book, told in a very whimsical way, with magic adventures, blundering and comical knights, Arthur being turned into different animals to learn lessons from them... White tells the story in a very conversational tone, on purpose using many anachronisms that contribute to the whimsical atmosphere of the story. However, there are also some serious themes underlying it all. White introduces a strong pacifist message in the story.

2) The Queen of Air and Darkness: this book is mostly about Queen Morgause and her children (Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris and Gareth... Mordred would come later). It tells how their mother's pernicious brand of love influenced and, to a certain extent, warped those children. It also tells how Mordred was conceived. At the same time, it tells about the first part of Arthur's reign and the wars he fought against the lords who were not ready to accept his vision. Although some whimsical elements remain (like King Pellinore's eternal persecution of the Questing Beast), the tone is much more serious. It is particularly interesting for the complex psychological portrayal of Gawain and his brothers.

3) The Ill-Made Knight: this book is mainly about Lancelot, and about his ill-fated love affair with Queen Guinevere. In White's hands, Lancelot is a truly complex and fascinating character. This is the longest book and and the one that develops the central themes of the story.

4) The Candle in the Wind: this book tells the end of Arthur's tale, and it shows how his kingdom and the Round Table fall apart, consumed by resentments and tragic sins.

5) The Book of Merlyn: this one was included in the edition I read, but in many other editions it is not included. It is set during Arthur's last night, when Merlyn appears again and they revisit many of the lessons he had as a boy, and spend too much time on lengthy political and philosophical lectures. I frankly did not see the point. I mean, I think Arthur's story is very well-suited for the pacifist message White includes, but sometimes the more a message is hammered the less effective it becomes. At this point in the narrative, these lectures are really out of place. They should have remained unpublished. If your edition has it, unless you are a completist, my advice would be to read only the last chapter of this book, which is a nice epilogue to Arthur's story.

All in all, the book is a bit disorganized. Sometimes an important event that we had not read about is mentioned in passing, and later it is actually told, thus causing some confusion. Sometimes White is given to digressions that contribute little to the story. However, it is also a huge, fascinating story, at times beautifully told. The interpretation of the characters is excellent. White makes them complex and conflicted, in a way that makes them seem real people.… (plus d'informations)