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Return
to Camelot: The Once and Future King, by T.H. White
by Marilyn
Green Faulkner
The legends
of King Arthur and his Roundtable lie deep in the consciousness
of the Western mind. The young boy, pulling the sword Excalibur
from the stone and suddenly finding his birthright, the tragic triangle
of King, Queen, and the trusted Knight Lancelot, the brooding, compassionate
tutor Merlin; all these images contribute to our view of ourselves
and the values upon which our society is built. You may not realize
it, but our June book of the month is the source of many of the
images in your mind. T.H.White's, The Once and Future King
is a fanciful retelling of the Arthur legends that served as the
basis for Disney's The Sword in the Stone and the Broadway
play Camelot, followed by the Hollywood film. Actually a
tetralogy comprising the first four novels in his series, the book
is popular again as a high school text and well worth a read. The
fifth book in the series, The Book of Merlyn, was published
separately and finishes the story of Arthur's reign in England.
Terence Hanbury
White was born in 1906 in India and educated in England. He became
an English master at Stowe school and spent a great deal of time
studying obscure subjects such as the Arthurian legends. He was
so fascinated by Sir Thomas Malory's 15th century romance,
Morte d'Arthur, that he decided to write his own interpretation
of the legend of King Arthur. Malory's work was built on a Latin
text, written in 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth, who traced the line
of succession in Britain to a descendant of the Roman Aeneus named
Brutus, who conquered a race of giants in Britain. His descendant
was Arthur, a Welsh king who conquered the Anglo-Saxons but was
eventually adopted as their legendary hero. Monmouth's text was
probably drawn from Celtic lore, and Malory expanded the legends
to include the romantic ideas of chivalry prevalent in his day.
White, impressed with the depth of Malory's characters and the scope
of the narrative, found the story relevant to his day as well. He
called his five novels a 'footnote to Malory.'
The Once
and Future King is an artful blend of Malory's Arthur with the
legends of Robin Hood and some clever new inventions of White's,
such as Merlin's method of education, which is to transform Arthur
into a series of animals. The book is also a reflection of its modern
setting as England was sinking into the second of its great world
wars. White was deeply pacifist, and uses the education of Arthur
as a way to explore the evils of war and the never-ending cycle
of violent nationalism that eventually will destroy any civilization
if unchecked by higher principle. As his final lesson from Merlin,
Arthur (still 'Wart' at this stage) is transformed into a goose.
The wild geese in their migration are a thrilling sight, and White
brings us into their quiet, dignified world to teach us something
about ourselves. Arthur asks a female how battles are fought among
the geese. At first she does not understand his question, then is
shocked at the notion that geese would fight, not their natural
enemies, but among themselves. 'What creature,' she asks, 'could
be so low as to go about in bands, to murder others of its own blood?'
What creature indeed?
The four novels,
though grouped as one now, are very different in tone and scope.
The first, The Sword in the Stone, is a children's classic,
and might easily be read to a young child. It is the book upon which
the Disney movie is based and offers us the wonderful, cranky, magical
Merlin, who transforms Arthur both figuratively and literally. The
remaining books are aimed at older readers, and offer a chilling
portrait of the darker side of chivalry, as Arthur struggles to
develop a new philosophy that will become the basis of democratic
society in the Western world.
The key to Merlin's
foresight is that he is actually living backwards, so that the past
for him is the future for everyone else. This causes him to be quite
muddled at times, and is the basis for both comic and tragic moments
in the narrative. White uses Merlin's foresight (actually hindsight)
to weave elements of modern life into the fabric of legend. Jousters
discuss their tournaments in the jargon of cricket matches, and
knights discuss the psychological implications of questing after
mythical beasts in the forest. It is a delightful blend of wit,
arcane information and romantic legend, with some moments of pure
inspiration. I have carried a quote from this book in my planner
for twenty-five years now. When I happened upon it I had one of
those moments, where I knew that a piece of information would matter
to me all my life, and it has. In case it might matter to you as
well, I'll share it here:
'The best thing
for being sad,' replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, 'is
to learn something. That is 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 around 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 thing
for you.'
At once a fantasy
novel, and political treatise, and a psychological exploration of
modern man, The Once and Future King is a delightful omnibus
to board. If you are as fascinated with Arthurian lore as I am,
you may also enjoy Mary Stewart's novels, beginning with The
Crystal Cave. More serious and romantic in tone, Stewart's novels
explore the Arthurian legend in beautiful prose with a sound grounding
in scholarship that is always a delight to read.
The Once
and Future King is our June selection for The Best Books Club,
a gathering place for readers of classic literature. I welcome your
comments on this and other selections. Write me at bestbooks@meridianmagazine.com
or visit my website at www.thebestbooksclub.com. The following are
our selections through the fall of 2002 and comments from some of
our members:
January 2002
O Pioneer, Willa Cather
February 2002
Possession, by A.S. Byatt
March 2002 The House of Mirth, Elizabeth Wharton
April 2002 All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Remarque
May 2002 The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux
June 2002 The Once and Future King, T.H. White
July 2002 Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
August 2002
This House of Sky, Ivan Doig
September 2002
The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
Chaim Potok's
works continue to resonate for many of our members. Last year we
read The Chosen, and the book received a wide response:
In reading both
books last year, the author gave me much food for thought. And I
found I wanted to know more about Potok's other books, not only
for new story plot, but to learn more about my Jewish brothers and
sisters. I have particularly loved Asher Lev, as a fellow art student;
the story tugged at my heart for his struggle. Also Davida's
Harp, the only book by Potok with a female as the principal
character. Davida struggles to search for her own identity amidst
the atmosphere created by a non-practicing Christian father and
a non-practicing Jewish mother. Chaim Potok has become a true favorite
in my personal library; as all of his books have a wonderful tale
to tell. He speaks for people, better than any author I know, who
have been chosen by the Lord as a "peculiar people" who
are largely misunderstood by most of the "outside" world.
Sylvia Comments on O Pioneers! and All Quiet on the Western
Front: I read O Pioneers!" and enjoyed it very much.
I think you and I relate to Alexandra because she is a strong woman
and carves out her own paths, no matter what others think. Of course
that path always comes with some pain, and she experienced plenty
of that. Carl, on the other hand says, "I've been away engraving
other men's pictures, and you've stayed at home and made your own."
Commenting on others, Alexandra says, "Frank's not a bad neighbor,
but to get on with him you've got to make a fuss over him and act
as if you thought he was a very important person all the time..."
High maintenance people are wearing, aren't they? Carl speaks of
farm versus city life; no one would notice if he dropped off the
earth in the city. How true! While in Delaware I bought a copy of
"All Quiet on the Western Front" to read on the plane
coming home. More strong characters are portrayed. I loved the scene
that begins on page 91 about the goose episode. Funny, sad, and
great writing. But the English is a translation, right? It seemed
a little stilted to me. That's why I ask about the translation.
No one should read this before going off to war. He would kill him/herself
in order to keep from going: "We are forlorn like children,
and experienced like old men, we are crude and sorrowful and superficial
- I believe we are lost." or "...they will have a job
with Hans Kramer's body at the Judgement Day, piecing it together
after a direct hit..." Sounds like this author believes in
the resurrection of the body. He (the protagonist) is the kind of
person who should have lived to bless humanity with his vision of
life. Sue Porter A beautiful tribute to Father Chisholm, from our
selection The Keys of the Kingdom, by A.J. Cronin: I am a
39 year-old physician from South America (Colombia). My father had
the "The Keys of the Kingdom" in his library, in Spanish
("Las Llaves del Reino") and I read it when I was 19.
It fascinated me, even though I was struggling with accepting Catholicism
as my religion. The book is moving, especially the sense of sacrifice
that is evident in the life of Father Chisholm. A memorable moment
is when Protestant "competition" comes to his province
in China and the most powerful man in the region, (by then a firm
ally of Father Chisholm), offers him, in a diplomatic but certain
tone, that he can make life impossible for those Protestants so
they have to leave. Father Chisholm denies the offer gently, emphasizing
that God can act through different individuals, and not Catholics
only. Today I accept my religion (Catholicism) without struggle,
and I owe it in part to father Chisholm's way of thinking.
A beautiful
book indeed. Thank you for getting it out of the shelf and introducing
it to new (and old) generations !
Sincerely,
Juan Jaramillo M.D.
Finally, two
recommendations from a literate member. I've received a few recommendations
for the Terry Ryan book, and plan to read it.
Two books I
recently read and would like to hear more discussion are The
Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall and The Prize Winner
of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words
or Less by Terry Ryan. I am interested in discussing Brady Udall's
book because he is a Mormon writer who writes wonderful descriptions
and compelling stories and is very respected in the literary world.
However, there are some "gritty" parts (as he calls them)
that would not be G-rated.
The Terry Ryan
book makes me reminisce over the ways I as a mother of six children
found to stay stimulated among the many duties one has with children.
Also, it caused me to reflect on the ways my mother had to be resourceful
to provide for me and deal with a very stingy husband who valued
nothing but his own tools. It isn't a great piece of literature,
but certainly an admirable reflection on motherhood and an entertaining
biography.
I look forward
to your selections.
Judy Lauper
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