The Once and Future King (Paperback)

The Sword in the Stone, it turns out, is just the first part of T H White's retelling of parts of the Arthur cycle. But it is very, very unlike the parts that follow, and it's probably worth considering them separately, even though they appear under one cover.

The Sword in the Stone, then, is a rumbustiously delightful re-envisioning of Arthur's youth as a second class child in the home of Sir Ector and his son Kay. There are two things which make this book delightful. The first is the character writing, which is witty and insightful. This is something that runs through the entire sequence of books. The second is the rampant imaginative disregard for any kind of historicity. This book is a firework display of deliberate anachronisms. The famous set pieces, including the magician's duel, crop up frequently in comprehension pieces in schools. TH White has no compunction in putting Robin Hood in with the mix, even though five centuries or so separated the purported dates of Arthur and Robin.

Before you imagine this to be a flaw, think again. The nature of the Arthurian cycle, whether in Chretien de Troyes, Geoffrey of Monmouth, the anonymous middle-english ballads, or Mallory's late sometimes tedious, sometimes brilliant retelling, is that they mix things from all over the place. Almost none of the adventures attributed to Arthur could have taken place in the time of the war-leader that the historian Nennius describes - even if they were possible anyway. So T H White has in many ways captured the excitement of storytelling which characterises the Arthur cycle far more accurately than any of the attempts to place Arthur in a historical context.

So, instead of a tedious historicity, T H White lets rip and we have a book which sparkles on every page with detail and adventure.

What then, about the books that follow? First, these are really for an older audience. They are much darker, and become steadily more dark as they progress. White's brilliance of imagination is still there, but it is subdued behind a deeper purpose. It is very hard to knit together the Arthur cycle into anything which seems like coherence. Roger Lancelyn Green achieves it in his 'King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table', but, in doing so he never achieves the psychological immediacy that White offers us. So, T H White offers us a portrait of the Arthurian cycle which is based in the psychology of the characters - and especially in the way in which Arthur's enemies used his trusting, open-hearted nature against him with increasing effectiveness as the story moves on.

From my perspective, the only way to enjoy the entire sequence is to read the first book with an eye to understanding Arthur (Wart). From here, the books flow naturally onwards, opening up a dark, disturbing, but also satisfying and rewarding reworking of the cycle.

A must for Arthurophiles, but people coming from the Disney film may well find the first book enjoyable and the rest of the sequence discouraging.

Warmly recommended, nonetheless.

Like many classics, this book inspired both great love and great irritation. It is a classic retelling of the Arthurian legends - White does not add to the legends with his own additions, but rather sticks closely to manuscripts and stories that have gone before, most notably Thomas Mallory's 'Le Morte d'Arthur', also considered a classic. The book is divided into four major sections: 'The Sword in the Stone', 'The Queen of Air and Darkness', 'The Ill-Made Knight', and 'The Candle in the Wind'. The overall tone of Arthur's legend goes from hopefulness to tragedy, as even the final conflicts become unresolved, hence the idea that Arthur will come again.

The title of this work comes from the supposed inscription on Arthur's tomb: HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS. The sweep goes from Arthur's childhood to the final battle with his son Mordred. Like many works, this is both a piece of entertainment as well as a political commentary (think 'The Wizard of Oz' here) - Mordred's thrashers are Nazi stormtroopers, for example. This book was the product of the time just before World War II. Merlin's preaching of just war theory (the only acceptable reason for going to war is to prevent another war) is apropos of the time. The Round Table has definite tones of internationalism (from the failed League of Nations to the soon-to-be-born United Nations), and the concept of Might FOR Right (rather than might makes right) is embodied in the idealism of the Round Table fellowship. The rule of law over the rule of men is exemplified in Arthur's struggle against Lancelot and Guinevere. Merlyn also, because of the benefit of his hindsight being actually foresight (he lives backwards through time), continues to make allusions to things such as tanks, modern technology, and even to Adolf Hitler (albeit obliquely).

The tale gets progressively darker as the story continues - the seduction of Arthur by his half-sister will have major consequences later; Lancelot's seduction of Guinevere and her infidelity sow the seeds of the downfall of the Round Table Fellowship, and the final of the four sections is relentlessly bleak.

Still, this is a classic retelling of a classic tale, which continues to be revitalised in media, books, and popular imagination. Whereas some of White's contemporaries chose to create new worlds (think of Tolkien and 'The Lord of the Rings' here), White chose to revisit an old tale that has roots in the legends of the land directly and recast them for modern audiences. As the tales of Arthur continue to have life into the future (he really will be, in a sense, a future king), White's book will stand as a strong link in the chain of storytelling that has maintained this tale for over a thousand years.