While much of the book’s ending dwells on allegory, philosophy and social commentary, it is done with and eloquence and prose that is hard to compare with. But multiple versions of the story of King Arthur are considered within its covers so how short can it be? No, this is the best of several interpretations of the legend and it is not too long. In effect, what White does is telescope almost three hundred years of English history and social development into the backdrop of a single narrative. Given the references to the death of Uther Pendragon in 1216 and the appearance of Thomas Malory at the end of the story, Arthur would have lived from 1201-1485. White’s The Once and Future King full of anachronistic references to places and events of modern times, but it also plays fast and loose with time within the framework of the novel itself.

When you can be perfectly certain that the other man started them, then is the time when you might have a sort of duty to stop him.” (Merlyn) Not only is T.H. They are so wicked that they must not be allowed. You see, wars are a wickedness, perhaps the greatest wickedness of a wicked species. There is one fairly good reason for fighting - and that is, if the other man starts it. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings were written in the shadow of World War II, and both reflect that context to some extent: “No. White’s The Once and Future King and J.R.R.

At first, things seem somewhat anachronistic but then we see that the narrator regularly references events and people in modern times to help tell his tale even more effectively. The book is in many ways a critique of mid-twentieth-century British culture. Certainly the author is aware of those times and uses those temporal events to tell his story. Merlin is aware of past, present and the future. Not so much in the context of some science fiction novel but in his memory. While not in so many words, or maybe it is that: Merlin is a time-traveler. White often appears to use the education of the young king Wart by Merlyn to educate the reader. When anyone retells the story, the author brings his own perspective to the tale of chivalry. The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table arose in the early Middle Ages, when England was just beginning to come under the influence of Christianity. And yet, at the same time, the book is totally enchanting, witty and charming. It is a scholarly and even literary work, if you will. Not to be redundant, it is also one of the most fun and funniest I have ever read. I believe it is a book that one can read and reread and enjoy over and over and find something new in each reading of it. Well, I have read a fair bit myself and this is definitely one of the best written books I have ever read. When I read reviewers write, “the best book I have ever read,” I thought yeah right! ‘must not have read many books.

The once and forever king