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 be*******@me**************.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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