The Once and Future King
by Terence Hanbury White

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Book Summary Information

• ISBN13: 9780441627400
• Condition: New
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Book Reviews of The Once and Future King

Book Review: Every Teen-ager MUST read this book!
Summary: 5 Stars

This book is about adolescence. Because of the themes of maturity and growing up, I exhort (yes, EXHORT!) all parent to get their teen-age children to read this book.. This book is literary "Pet Sounds," and covers all the emotions that we feel when we grow up. I was taken back decades, and personal involvement the key to good literature.

Before reading this book, keep in mind that it is shaped by two forces. First, the Arthurian legends, primarily Mallory and Tennyson. Second, World War II. Keep both in mind, or the book makes no sense. White makes the point that the Round Table is the solution to World War II.

This book is in four parts. The first one is "Sword in the Stone," the basis for the Disney movie of the same name. It is Arthur's tutelage under Merlyn. White captures Arthur's adolescence perfectly-it is a stunning work that made me feel thirteen again. Merlyn is the mentor, but he has his loveable foibles that make his charming. It also makes him very believable and antithetic. And the relationship between Kay and Wart is male Cinderella.

The second part is "The Queen of Air and Darkness." Once again, White shows his genius for showing family relationships. We add to Wart and Kay's relationship Gawain and families rather complex relationships. It reminded me of my own family. The different personalities makes the story so spicy. It is all personalities and relationships.

I think this story gets more poignant that the first since we both Gawain and Arthur cross into manhood. Gawain with the killing of the unicorn, and with Arthur the battle and the decision to found the Round Table to end war.

The third story is "The Ill-made Knight," which focuses on Lancelot coming to the Round Table and his affair with Genevieve. This book is about idealism and love, which is a form of idealism. Lancelot is in love with both Arthur and Guinevere, and this hero worship almost becomes "Hero Idolatry"

What bedazzled me was the lies that Lancelot believed about his affair with Guinevere. Chapter 5 sums up all of the Knight's lies:

"But please don't talk to me about the queen. I can't help it if we are fond of each other, and there is nothing wrong in being fond of people, is there? It is not as if the Queen and I were villains. When you begin lecturing me about her, you are making it seem as if there was something between us. It is as if you thought ill of me, or did not believe in my honor. Please do not mention the subject again."

These lies and Lancelot's capacity to lie and speak white lies is amazing. It is genius on White's part to come up with these half-truths. And a half truth is a total lie

This book is rather long, and I would have divided it a Chapter 13, which is where Greymere changes from medieval to renaissance culture. Arthur succeeds with Camelot, for "one brief shining moment." He then turns the Table's energy to finding the Holy Grail. This is the point: Arthur does not solve the violence problem, but merely sublimates it.

The last book is "Candle in the Wind." It is the rise of Mordred, and the fall of the Round Table. The book is about adolescence, but White is able to convey an old, tired, and very lonely Arthur who's past sins come to haunt him. In fact, the entire downfall of Camelot is due to the chastity sin.

Mordred is as good a liar as Lancelot. His problem is that Lancelot has some degree of virtue-maybe naiveté-but Mordred is a chainsaw. He lies to scheme, and then gets back at his derelict father. Another timely message.

The book stops suddenly, without a real resolution. Camelot dims, and it seems like Arthur's work has been for naught. But remember that the book is really finished in "The Book Of Merlyn."

White's Round Table was the United Nations, but in a sense, we are all still adolescents.

Summary of The Once and Future King

British Books

• Books > Subjects > Literature & Fiction
• Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Epic
• Historical