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Home , King Lot, Merlin (miniseries), Mordred (comics), Nimue (Once Upon a Time), Pellinore, The Candle in the Wind

canresult from love. Arthur'sstory is aboutreligion, too, aboutthe relationshipbetween humanity and Godand the tensions this rela- tionshipcan cause. Oneof the manyuniversal questions that writers ofArthurian talesexplore is, Whatis humannature? Are humansbasi- he Many Realms of callyevil or basicallygood? Related questions include, How can humansbe their best?Are externalcontrols the bestsolution to evil? Cangoodness be nurtured?The five writers discussed in thisseries havedifferent answers to thesequestions, but theyall usetheArthurian storyto explorethe questionsand answers. Introducing: c . Sir ThomasMalory's approach is perhapsthe mostcom- Le Marte D~rthurby Sir Thomas MaloryIdyOs plexbecause he rarely passesopen judgment on his major charac-ters, all of whompossess both good and evil qualities.Arthur is a 0/ the King ~Alhed!LoFd Te~~~Q.n ,,7A goodexample. His nature at firstappears to besimilar to thatof his ConnecticutYankee in father,Uther, whose lust for someoneelse's wife led to Arthur'sbirth. c"" c cc" dR L'~' H . h c. Cc WhenArthur desires the wife of KingLot, the lady accedesto hiswishes-and 1'T'1 he Oncean utureKinguyci.'..W ite " c "c c c later bearshim a son,. Later,when 'T'1 J.fleL yreoJ.10 cc.rpeus"uy,h L" R Q!)~~on,a~~s"c1,. D ...' c Ccc warnsArthur that the child will destroyhim andhis realm,Arthur ordersall malebabies born in the monthof Mayto be putto death. (Nor is MordredArthur's only illegitimatechild. Malorychronicles ~y do weremember some stories for yearswhile we forget the factthat before his marriageto ,Arthur hasa son,Borre, othersthe instantwe close the book, leavethe theater, or turn off the by an earl'sdaughter, Lyonors.) This is a sideof Arthur thatis television?Stories that live tendto be thosethat illuminate something seldomseen. aboutthe humancondition, that nudge us into recognizingourselves But it is onlypart ofthe story. Thissame Arthur marries or thatteach us somethingabout how to live. Attheir heart theyare Guineverefor love,although Merlin hascounseled against it, and universal.While aspectsof thesestories may change to reflectlocal establishesan order of knightscharged "never to do outrageor customsand situations,thetruths theytell remainthe same. murder,always to fleetreason, and to givemercy unto those who Thestory of KingArthur has beentold for nearlyfifteen askmercy. ..and alwaysto helpladies, damsels, gentlewomen, andwidows, centuries.We know the adventuresof Arthur,Guinevere, , strengthenthem in their rights,and neverto enforcethem the knightsof the RoundTable, and the ladiesof Camelotfrom video uponpain of death.Also, that no mando battlein a wrongfulquarrel androle-playing games, filins,muSic, and art-as well asfrom all for loveor for worldlygoods." When these precepts are followed, typesof books: mysteries,, children'sliterature, fan- Arthur'sreign accomplishesmuch thatis good. Yethe setsthe stage tasies,historical novels, romances;ilhd contemporary fiCtion by such for tragedywith his siring of Mordred,and he compoundshis diverseauthors as Iris Murdoch,John Updike,Donald Barthelme, responsibilityby trustingMordred, surrendering his will to , and AnthonyPowell. TodayKing Arthur is the subjectof doctoral andseeking vengeance on Lancelot.But Mordred is responsiblefor dissertationsand comic books. His storyis one aspectof the the tragedy,too. Howdo wejudge Arthur's (and Mordred's)behav- humanitieswhere scholar and student, expert and novice, can meet. ior? Do we inherita sinfulnature from our parents?Do we carry Onereason the story of Arthurcontinues to betold is that the seedsof our owndestruction within us?Do wecause our own it is at oncetimely and timeless. The legend has always had the tragedies?Although he hasclearly raised these issues, Malory avoids advantageof flexibility.Each teller adds new aspects,making it origi- explicitjudgment, at leastin termsof Arthurhimself. nal and relevantto his or her audience.The story addresses values Guinevereand Lancelotfare differentl~ Malory portrays andideals thathave persisted throughout western civilization, but it Guinevereby turns asjealous, angry, vengeful, and fickle. Yetshe also embracesthe mostimportant human relationships in life. It is lovesLancelot, and Malory deems this her savinggrace, for he says an actionstory, full of adventure,focusing on the relationship of her: "Whileshe lived shewas a true lover,and therefore she had betweenman and man. It is also a lovestory, detailing not only the a goodend." Guineverehas a goodend indeed. After the lastbattle, relationshipsbetween man and womanbut also the conflictsthat sheacknowledges her role in causingthe tragedy,enters a convent, becomesabbess, and diesin greatholiness. Similarl}\ her lover bili~ Forgivenessis almostan afterthought.Tennyson has no solu- Lancelot,too, beginsa religiouslife afterthe destructionof Arthur's tion for thisworld of falliblehuman beings except prayer. Having kingdom. Whenhe dies,a bishopsees him "with moreangels than givenup on thisworld, Tennyson'sattention is fixed on thenext, everI sawmen in oneda~ AndI sawthe angelsheave up Sir whereArthur is receivedlike a returninghero, waiting perhaps to be Lancelotinto heaven,and the gatesof heavenopened for him." reunitedwith Guinevereand perhaps to return. In general,Malory seems very open about the mixed InA ConnecticutYankee in KingArthur's Court,Mark natureof mankind:we perform bothgood and badacts, sometimesknowingly, 1\vainseems to hold two differentand unreconciled views of human sometimesnot. Arthur'sRound Table is destroyed,but nature. Oneview is hopeful,contending that through education manydifferent people (aswell asfate) share responsibility for that humanscan be their bestselves. The otherdeclares that there is no act. Furthermore,the knightsand ladiesdid not alwaysdo the virtu- hope, thatin the end our basestinstincts triumph. Theseviews are ousthing. YetMalory judges most of themgenerousl}\ chronicling illustratednot onlyby the membersof Arthur'srealm whom the and acceptingboth the goodand the bad. Yankeemeets but bythe Yankeehimself. Alfred,Lord Tennyson, in ,perceives the Withinhours of arrivingin Canlelot,Hank Morgan, a situationsomewhat differentl~ Owingto the mixednature of nineteenth-centurysuperintendent of an armsfactol1\ decides that "I humankind,every person is continuallyeither striving to behis best, would bossthat whole countryinside of threemonths; for 1 judged1 angelicself or allowingthe worst, animalisticaspects of his nature would havethe startof the best-educatedman in the kingdomby a full rein. Christ-likeArthur is amodel, sentto bring outthe bestin matterof thirteenhundred years." The Yankee's plans for the child- humankindthrough example and through binding others to him in like residentsof Canlelotinclude a patentoffice, a schoolsystem, the RoundTable: "A gloriouscompany, the flower of men,/ Toserve and a newspaper-the essentialsof his civilization.He begins asmodel for the mightyworld, / Andbe the fair beginningof a time." industrialization;he fosters separate denominations to breakthe For a shortwhile Arthur succeeds.Then his kingdomrots from with- hold of an establishedChurch; and he establishesa Man Factol1\ in andis attackedfrom without. Thefailure of his visionlies in the wherepromising independent thinkers are educatedinto realmen. frail natureof his subjects,beginning with his wife andhis bestknight. Tothe Yankee,"Training is everything;training is all thereis to a Guineveredoesn't share Arthur's . Shefinds it too person. Wespeak of nature;it is folly; thereis no suchthing as lofty,too ethereal.She confesses that she "would not lookup, or nature;what we call by thatmisleading name is merelyheredity and half-despisedthe height/ Towhich I would not or I could not training. Wehave no thoughtsof our own, no opinionsof our own; climb--- / I thoughtI could not breathein thatfine air, / Thatpure theyare transmitted to us,trained into us." severityof perfectlight- / I yearn'dfor warmthand colorwhich I Intimately,however, the Yankeefails. Whenhe revealsthe found / In Lancelot...." extentof the factories,schools, and otherchanges, Merlin andthe Weakenedthrough Guinevere's and Lancelot'sexample Church(the forcesof superstitionand tradition)unite againsthim. andthrough the machinationsof evil,the knightsfall whenthey get Thepeople he haseducated flee, demoralized by wars and frightened sidetrackedfrom dutyby passion,by marriage,even by the Holy bythe Interdict of theChurch. "Did you thinkyou had educatedthe Grail. Tennysonis adamantabout the needto placeblame for the superstitionout of thosepeople?" the Yankeeis asked. Hank'sfailure downfaI1of .Most of it faI1son Guinevere'sshoulders.Arthur suggeststhat the effectsof educationon humannature are limited. indictsher, reminding her of the reasonsfor the Tableand Buthis failurealso stems from a flaw in his own charac- describingin detailthe havocshe has wrought: "Thechildren born ter, evidentin his name. like MorganIe Fa}jHank Morgan is fond of of theeare swordand fire, / Redruin, andthe breakingup of laws,/ powerand is morethan willing to useforce to achieveit. His rise to Thecraft of kindredand the godlesshosts / Ofheathen swarming the positionof Bossis initiallyaccomplished through fear and spec- o'er the NorthernSea. .../ For thou hastspoilt the purpose of my taculareffects achieved by gunpowder. Intimately, Hank blows up life." Havingindicted her, however, Arthur forgives her and express- his civilizationand electrocutes tens of thousandsof knightswho esthe hope thatthey can be together in an afterlife. Butwhat one havemarched against him. Thewalls of deadbodies, breeding dis- remembersis thejudgment, not the absolution. Lancelothas ease,imprison Hank and his bandof boys. Sentback to his own alreadybeen dismissed from thepoem, groaning"in remorseful timeby Merlin, separatedfrom familyand friends, the Yankee is a pain,/ Notknowing he should die a holy man." Sowhile Tennyson lostand brokenman. HankMorgan has created his ownliving hell. grantsGuinevere and Lancelotthe samefates as Malory does, the The effectsof educationand nurture onhuman nature are emphasisis quitedifferent. Thefocus is on their sin, their responsi- also significantthemes in T. H. White'sArthurian tale, . Whatmakes one boygrow up to be KingArthur and would come back to Gramarye with a new which had anotherone Mordred?White strongly suggests that parenting and no corners, just as the world had none-a table without boundaries educationare the answers.Arthur, the Wart, hasan idyllic English between the nations who would sit to feast there. The hope of mak- boyhood,surrounded by a lovingfoster family. He hasa tutor, ing it would lie in culture." Merlyn,who encourageslearning through experience. Raised by The relationship between art and life is one of the themes their mother,a witch, the Orkneys,as White calls Mordred and his of The Lyre oforpbeus by Robertson Davies, who demonstrates how brothers,have a very differentchildhood: "It wasas if theycould reliving the Arthurian brings out the best in several modern- neverknow when they were being good or whenthey were being day Canadians. Arthur Cornish, his wife, Maria, and members of the bad." Whenhis brothersgo to Camelot,Mordred, the youngest,is Cornish Trust undertake to sponsor the completion and staging of an leftalone with his mother,who teacheshim to hateArthur, his father. unfinished opera, Arthur of Britain, or The Magnanimous TheOrkneys are raisedwithout security, without real love,without Cuckold, by the nineteenth-century composer E. T. A. Hoffmann. As ideas;they learn to respectonly force. they reshape the legend for the libretto, they disagree about what Oncehe is king, Arthur learnsto dealwith force,with aspects of the ~ory to !etain~d what to leave out. Finall); they con- dude;'!;' " --'.'.'. power,with humannature. In one of his boyhoodadventures, Arthurhad beeninstructed by an old pike that"only Mightis Right." ButArthur wants to channelthis impulse: "It's asif Peoplewere half horribleand half nice. Perhapsthey are evenmore thanhalf horri- myth-the wax-does notchange." ble,and whenthey are left to themselvesthey run wild. ...Why Quitesoon Arthur, Maria, and the directorof the opera can'tyou harnessMight so that it worksfor Right?...The Mightis find themselvesreliving a versionof the Arthurianmyth: Maria has therein the badhalf of people,and you can'tneglect it. Youcan't apparentlycuckolded Arthur andis nowpregnant. In despair, cut it out, butyou mightbe able to directit, if you seewhat I mean, Arthurturns to a mutualfriend, SimonDarcourt, who playsMerlill sothat it wasuseful instead of bad." to his king: "Youtake a hintfrom this operathat has brought about Arthur'sscheme for harnessinghuman nature works- thewhole thing, and decide to bethe MagnanimousCuckold. And butonly for a time. The knightsbecome competitive about chivalry, what thatmay lead to, Godonly knows,but in thetale of Great makingArthur despair: "People will do the basestthings on account Arthur of Britainit hasled to somethingthat has fed the bestof of theirso-called honour. I wish I had neverinvented honour, or mankindfor centuries." sportsmanship,or civilization."When honor leads to murder, BothArthur and Maria havebeen vaguely discontented in Arthurdecides to harnessmight for spiritualends, and the Questfor theirmarriage, and for atime it seemsthat it will not survivethis theHoly Grail begins. Thisattempt is also unsuccessfulbecause additionalstrain. But thenthe child arrives,a symbolof hope, mostof the knightsfail, committingmurder and mayhem along the .'howeverdisappointed and distressedthat hope may at lastprove to wa}: In a last attemptto channelmight, Arthurinvents power as law be." Butin this casethe hopeis notto bedisappointed. Arthur has andjustice. But this conceptgets turned backupon himself, as the apparentlytaken to heartthe theme of the opera: ..Arthurhas failed Orkneysdemand law andjustice againstGuenevere and Lancelot, in the . ..but becauseof his nobilityand greatnessof andthe of Camelotbegins. whenhe forgivesGuenevere and Lancelot,he is seento be the great- Ashe awaitsthe last battle,Arthur despairs:"He had estman of all." beentaught by Merlynto believethat man was perfectible; that he wason thewhole more decentthan beastly: that good was worth ingof trying: thatthere was no suchthing asoriginal sin ...if therewas the medi~valtale to a happyone. ~oth sucha thing asoriginal sin,if man wason thewhole a villain... will find theirsouls in thismarriage and, in sodoing, recapitulate thenthe purposeof his life had beena vainone." Arthur hasarrived the greatS)'mbolismof theopera and Arthurianmyth: "Thetrue atthe sameplace Tennyson did. ButWhite rejects Tennyson's solu- union of manand woman to saveand " tion: "Ideal advice,which nobody was built to follow, wasno advice atall. Advisingheaven to earthwas useless." YetWhite does offer hopefor thefuture. Arthur entrustshis storyto aboy, Tom of Warwick,who is instructedto tell it whereverhe goes. Then Arthur dreams: "Therewould be a day-there mustbe a day-when he thelegend, the firstfour poemsof an eventualtwelve Idyll\' ofthe King Le Mq(te D.:t\rthur by Sir (Iifteenth century) (twelvebeing the number of divisionsa properepic shouldhave). The last of theIdyll\' waspublished in 1885,but Tennysonkept on revisingthem As is the casewith manymedieval authors, all we definitelyknow until hisdeath. aboutSir ThomasMalory is whathe tellsus in hiswork: he wasa knight, Thefirst editionof theIdyll\' wasa popularand critical success;ten andhe wasa prisoner. Furtheridentification usually centers on a knightof thousandcopies sold in the first sixweeks. Eachsucceeding set of Idyll\' NewboldRevell in Warwickshirewho wasimprisoned numerous times not meta similarreception, not just in Englandbut in Americaand France as onlyfor political reasonsbut for suchcrimes as rape, robbery (from an well. Thepoem influenced not onlyliterary portrayals of Arthur but also abbey),extortion, cattle thieving, and escapefrom prison. During his last musicaland artistic ones. TheIdyll\' ("little pictures")were imprisonment,Malory beganto compilea work aboutArthur andthe word-pictures;they cried outfor illustration,and illustrated versions Knightsof theRound Table, using such French and English sources as came abounded.Arthurian stories became a favoritesubject of the developing to hand. He wasno mere translator,however, despite his modestclaims. fine-pressmovement. He adaptedhis sources,writing in vigorousEnglish prose ands1dllfu1ly FollowingTennyson's interpretation of Arthur asmoral , piecingtogether coherent narratives from thesprawling French romances. authorsbegan writing booksthat used Arthurian stories to mold youngboys Sometimeshe injectedhis own comments,one aboutlove and oneabout into propergentlemen. Part of a larger movementin theVictorian period the lack of loyaltyamong the British,for example. thatpromoted a returnto chivalricvalues, these "boy's books" mostoften A copyof his work, completedin 1469-70(the ninthyear of the adaptedMalory but selectedincidents, portrayed characters, and offered reign of KingEdward IV), wasdelivered to WilliamCaxton, the first English lessonsbased on Tennyson'sinterpretation. It wasto Tennyson,in fact, that printer. Caxtonpublished it in 1485,giving the work thetitle by whichit is one of the first juvenileadaptations,]ames T. Knowles'Story ofKingArthur knowntoday, Le Morte D:4rtbur (TheDeath ofArthur), thoughit begins (1862), wasdedicated. Arthur's story remainsa popular subjectof chil- beforeArthur's conception and concludesyears after his death. Caxton's dren'sliterature to thepresent day. Malorywas quite popular: it wasreprinted once more in the fifteenthcen- ToTennyson goes the creditfor revivinginterest in theArthurian tury, threetimes in the sixteenth,and oncein the seventeenthcentury-then story,and whether succeeding artists follow Tennysonor look beyondhim not againfor almost200 years. Today,two copies of Caxton's1485 edition to Maloryfor inspiration,they must contend with the overwhelmingpopu- survive:one in the PierpontMorgan Ubrary in NewYork Cityand one in the larityof Tennyson'spoem and acknowledgetheir debtto him. All twentieth- JohnRyiands Ubrary in Manchester,England. centuryversions of theArthurian legend must in someway take Tennyson's In 1934,a manuscriptversion of Maloty'swork wasdiscovered in Idyll\' into account. the Fellows'Ubrary at WinchesterCollege. Comparison with the Caxtonver- sion revealedmany differences, the most significantof which was that Alfred,Lord Tenn~n. Idylls ofthe King. 1859,various paperback editions available. Malory had originallycrafted eight separate romances, rather than the one volumedivided into booksand chaptersthat Caxton printed. Whoedited the work? Did Malory intendto write eightseparate works or onewhole A Cc"necticut Yankeein King Arthurs Court book? Scholarshave debated the issueever since. Todaythe manuscriptis by Mark Twain (pen name of housedin the BritishUbrary. Malory (and Caxton)both preservedthe medievaltales of Arthur cc~:amuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910) and createdthe version of Arthur'sstory by whichall othersare judged. Mark 1\vainwas inspired to write A ConnecticutYankee by a re- WithoutMalory, it is highlyunlikely that Arthur's story would havesurvived readingof Malory,which he beganon a speakingtour in 1884. Originally and thatversions of it would still be readand retold. 1\vainset out to createa burlesqueof theMiddle Ages, focusing on the prac- tical problemsa knightwould encounter:his inabilityto scratchor blow Sir Thomas Malory. Le Marte D:4rthur. 1485, various modem English editions his noseor dresshimself, for example.In the developmentof his ideaover available in paperback and hardcover. the nextseveral years, however, the proposed burlesque became much darker,more polemical, and more violent. Onereason the work took this turn was1\vain's hatred of romantic medievalism, like thatof Sir Walter Idylls01 theKing 1y Alfred, Lord Tennyson Scott,whose views on class,family, and honor 1\vainblamed for the back- (1809-92) wardnessof the Southand even for the CivilWar. Anotherreason was Alfred,Lord Tennysonbecame fascinated by thelegend of Arthur as 1\vain'sdesire to makea seriousstatement about society. a youthand neverrelinquished that interestuntil he died. He knewArthur's Publishedin 1889,A ConnecticutYankee garnered mixed reviews, storyfrom severalsources, including Malo~ Tennysonexperimented for British criticsfrequently reacting against a version of the legendso different manyyears with how to craft hisversion: whatgeure to use,how faithfulto thanTennyson's. Their feeling that1\vain was satirizing the Victorian poet is be toMalory. Whenhe wasfifty, Tennyson began to publishhis versionof certainlycorrect. DanielC. Beard,the illustratorof the first edition,whose drawings1\vain loved, made the Yankee's antagonist Merlin resemble The Eyre of Orpheus by Robertson Davies (1913- ) Tennyson.But Americans came in for their shareof satireas well. Beard (William) RobertsonDavies, contemporary Canadian author, has incorporatedlikenesses of J. P.Morgan and other capitalistsof the dayinto written two novels(out of eleven)that utilize the Arthurian legend as a sig- bisillustrations. nificanttheme and plot device: What'sBred in theBone (1985)and The Althoughsales of A ConnecticutYankee were disappointing, it con- Lyre ofOtpheus (1988). Thesenovels form two-thirdsof thetrilogy that tinuesto be bought,read, and enjoyedmore than 100 yearsafter it wasfirst detailsthe life and effectsof FrancisCornish, an eccentricartist, art collec- published. tor, spy,patron, andrecluse. The firstwork in thetrilogy, which is non- Arthurian,is TheRehelAngels (1982). Mark1Wain. A Connecticut Yankeein KingArthur's Court. 1889,various Davieshas declared in his novelsthat there are reallyonly six plots editionsavailable in paperbackand hardcover. in literature,indeed in life. Charactersin Davies'novels often find them- selvesre-enacting one of thesegreat scenarios or inhabitingan archet}1Je, especiallythose made popular by CarlGustav Jung. Daviesargues the TheOnce and FutureKing byT. H. White (1905-64) necessityof assuminga personalmyth in order to flourish asan artistand humanbeing-and the dangersof living thewrong one. For example,in TheOnce and Future Kina," published ill 1958,was originally four W1Jat'sBred in the Bone,Francis early in hislife wantsto inhabitArthurian separatebooks: TheSword in the Stone(1938), The Witchin the Wood legend(the legacyof his Cornishfamily) asArthur or Lancelot.Time and (1939)-later renamedThe Queen ofAir and Darkness,The Ill-Made again,reality painfully teaches him thatthis is not his role. WhenFrancis Knight (1940), and TheCandle in the Wind. A fifth book, containingnew graspshis personal myth, he createshis onlymasterpiece. Later in life, he materialand reworkingsof old, TheBook ofMerryn,was published posthu- assumesthe role of Merlin, a Merlin who canresist the temptationof a mouslyin 1977. (male)Nimue because he knowshis mythand identity. Indeed,Davies' TerenceHanbury White was educated at CheltenhamCollege and at centralcharacters succeed in life insofaras they recognize the story and Cambridge.While he wasteaching at StoweSchool, he publishedan autobi- role theyplay in it. Onlythen can they act freely,often in the processcreat- ographicalwork, EnglandHave My Bones (1936), whosesuccess allowed ing a newending to the archet}1Jalstory they inhabit. him to giveup teachingto write andstudy those subjects that pleasedhim. A Daviesis alsoa prolific playwrightwho learnedacting, directing, and pacifistand recluse,he secludedhimself in Ireland duringWorld Warn and stagemanaging in theOld VicRepertory Company, and a journalistwho for later livedon the ChannelIsland of Alderney,where he delightedin hunting, manyyears was editor of the peterborough(Ontario) Examiner and fishing, andtending his menagerieof pets. reviewerof booksin theweekly Saturday Night. Daviesalso served as pro- Concerninghis novel,White has said: "I havehad the Matterof fessorand Masterof MasseyCollege at the Universityof Torontountil his Britain on my handsfor twentyyears. ...I havetried to dealwith everyside retirementin 1981. of it-with the clashbetween Might and Right,man's place in nature,the

problem of war,the ractalbackground which is an importantpart of the RobertsonDavies. 11Je Lyre ofOrpheus. 1988,'Penguin. story,and with KingArthur's personal doom. ...I havetried tolook at it throughthe innocenteyes of youngpeople, because I don't verymuch believein themodem theorythat thewhole objectof life is gratifieddesire. Malory didn't either. I havetried to makethe seriousness acceptable by get- ting asmuch fun aspossible out of the comiccharacters. I haveinvented a For~urther- Reading love-affairfor KingPellinore-the onlyaddition toMalory, except he did not Barthehlle," Donald. TheKing. Setin World WarII, the noveljuxtaposes saythat Lancelotwas ugly. ...I hope themoral is not too heavy,but the "romance andwar, two essentialcomponents of human life. 1990, storywas always a deepone. ...English writers,including greatones like *VikingPenguin. Tennyson,have been mnlling it overfor a thousandyears. ..." Berger,Thomas. Arthur Rex. A comicnovel that satirizesromance conven- AlanJay Lerner and FrederickLoewe turned The Once and Future tions while assertingthe ultimatenobility of Arthur'senterprise. King into musicaltheater in 1960as Camelot,starring Richard Burton as 1978,*Delacorte. Arthur,Julie Andrewsas Guinevere, and RobertGoulet as Lancelot. Joshua Cherryh,C. J. Port . Tennyson'scharacters are born againas clone Logan's1967 film adaptationof theLerner and Loewemusical featured servantsin a spaceshipwho beginto re-enacttheir traditional RichardHarris asArthur, Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere, and Franco Nero roles. 1982,*DAW Books. asLancelot. WaltDisney turned The Sword in the Stoneinto a whimsical Chretiende Troyes. Arthurian Romances.Chretien's twelfth-century animatedfilm in 1965. romances,The Knight ofthe Cart, Yvain,Eric and Enid, and Cliges,are among the earliestand mostinteresting studies of some T. H. White. TheOnce and Future King. 1958,*Ace Books. of the conventionsof chivalry.*Viking Penguin. Davies,Robertson. What's Bred in the Bone. BothThe Lyre oforpheus and What'sBred in the Bone,two-thirds of Davies' Cornish trilogy, exalI1inethe effectof Arthurianmyth on twentieth-century Canadians.1985, *Viking Penguin. Geoffreyof Momnouth. TheHistory ofthe Kings ofBritain. ThistweIfth- centurywork, which establishedArthur asa historicalBritish king, is full of epic incident. *VikingPenguin. Kay,Guy Gamel. TheFionavar Tapestry.This fantasytrilogy, comprising TheSummer Tree (1985), TheWandering Fire (1986), andThe DarkestRoad (1986), re-createsthe Arthurian story in an alterna- tive world, into which havecome five Canadiancollege students. *NAL-Dutton. Malory,Sir Thomas. King Arthur and His Knights. Editedby Eugene Vmaver.Malory's definitive compilation of the Arthurianstory in the original earlymodem English. 1947,*Oxford University Press. Percy,Walker. Lancelot. TheDeep South of the twentiethcentury and the world of film-makingare theWasteland in thissatirical, symbolical look at Americanculture. 1977,*Ivy Books. Powell,Anthony. The . A crippledphotographer on a cruise beginsto live out theGrail legend. 1986,out of print. Sir Gawain and the GreenKnight. Translatedby Marie Borroff. A transla- tion into rhythmicmodem Englishverse of thefourteenth-century Englishromance. *Norton. Steinbeck,John. TheActs ofKing Arthur and His NobleKnights. Steinbeck'sunfinished translation of Malory, published after his death,begins as a faithfulmodem versionof Malory and gradually becomesmore creative. 1976,*Ballantine. Stewart,Mary. Threenovel&-The Cave(1970), TheHollow Hill\: (1974), TheLast Enchantment (1979)-focus on Merlin and his role in Arthur'skingdom and are notablefor their readabilityand senseof period. *Fawcett.Also available as Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy, 1981,Morrow.

'TheMany Realms of KingArthur" was\\Titten by medievalscholar Ruth E. Hamilton, exhibitsofficer at the Newberrylibrary, Chicago.

Coverillustration: 8.J. Ford, in TheBook ofRomance by AndrewLang. NewYork: Longmans,Green, & Co.,1902. CourtesyNewberry library. Design: NatalieWargin Design

An asterisk(*) indicatesa paperbackedition. Datesgiven are the original publicationdates.

~-~ The development,design, and production of this materialwere madepossible by a grantfrom the NationalEndowment for theHumanities.

Copyright@ 1994American library Assodation

ISBN:0-8389-7770-7 ~~J~~~