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hillshire's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
larakai's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Knights meet in the countryside and fight. Hours later, blood soaks the ground, so much blood that it seems they should be dead. They stop fighting, compliment each other's skills, introduce themselves, and swear to be best friends forever.
Damosel in a tower is being held captive by a fiend. She will marry whoever saves her. She is passing fair and everyone who sees her falls in love. Knight saves her. She is overcome with gratitude.
Knight refuses to tell anyone who he is and fights against his friends who injure him and then are distressed after they learn his true identity. But also... It's not really their fault?
Knight has life-threatening wounds that should really result in his death. Magical hermit heals him. Or enchantress curses him to never heal. Or magical cup appears out of nowhere and heals him.
And ultimately, everyone dies. The End.
I can't honestly say that it wasn't entertaining, but I can honestly say that I have never been happier to finish a book. Good riddance.
Damosel in a tower is being held captive by a fiend. She will marry whoever saves her. She is passing fair and everyone who sees her falls in love. Knight saves her. She is overcome with gratitude.
Knight refuses to tell anyone who he is and fights against his friends who injure him and then are distressed after they learn his true identity. But also... It's not really their fault?
Knight has life-threatening wounds that should really result in his death. Magical hermit heals him. Or enchantress curses him to never heal. Or magical cup appears out of nowhere and heals him.
And ultimately, everyone dies. The End.
I can't honestly say that it wasn't entertaining, but I can honestly say that I have never been happier to finish a book. Good riddance.
bucketsofdirt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
augustoalvapas's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Este segundo volumen me gustó más que el primero y creo que tiene que ver con que es prácticamente toda una historia seguida, está siendo la de sir Tristan, y no varias viñetas como lo fue el primero. Hasta el próximo volumen juzgare toda la historia peor si disfrute mucho este.
spitefulgod's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nuska's review against another edition
3.0
Continuación y final de las andazas del rey Arturo y sus famosos caballeros de la tabla redonda. Especialmente del buen caballero Lanzarote y sus idilios con la reina Ginebra, que traerán la desgracia a todo el reino de Camelot.
reasie's review against another edition
2.0
What can I say about Le Morte d'Arthur that I didn't say in my review of part 1?
I had to sort of force my way through it, as an essential part of my Arthurian reading. Still, I find that it wasn't worthwhile, really. I had thought it would give me insight into modern Arthurian stuff, which seemed to have little to nothing to do with most of the lays I had read. Someone said that most things are based on Le Morte, so I thought I'd check it out.
I think most things are based on things based on Le Morte. It's just so tediously written. I wonder it did well on first publication. Sure, the really good Arthurian stuff was all in French, but c'mon, Chaucer did some translating back in his day - was there no one more skilled than this punter in the 15th C to bring the French Arthurian romances back home to England? I mean... it's as bad as I'm saying, kids. He summarizes. He's formulaic. It's prose so you wonder why he can't describe things a little more interestingly. He even has a few "Except that wasn't Gareth, it was Gawain, my bad" lines. It's like listening to someone badly re-tell a story.
I had to sort of force my way through it, as an essential part of my Arthurian reading. Still, I find that it wasn't worthwhile, really. I had thought it would give me insight into modern Arthurian stuff, which seemed to have little to nothing to do with most of the lays I had read. Someone said that most things are based on Le Morte, so I thought I'd check it out.
I think most things are based on things based on Le Morte. It's just so tediously written. I wonder it did well on first publication. Sure, the really good Arthurian stuff was all in French, but c'mon, Chaucer did some translating back in his day - was there no one more skilled than this punter in the 15th C to bring the French Arthurian romances back home to England? I mean... it's as bad as I'm saying, kids. He summarizes. He's formulaic. It's prose so you wonder why he can't describe things a little more interestingly. He even has a few "Except that wasn't Gareth, it was Gawain, my bad" lines. It's like listening to someone badly re-tell a story.
justabean_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I finally finished this! It took so long! I can really see why abridged versions of this are popular, because I would've cut out quite a bit of the jousting, and almost all of the search for the grail.
But to begin at the beginning: this is an English compendium/translation/version/retelling of the French retellings of/inventions around the King Arthur stories, written in the mid 15th century, and then modified and abridged by the printer. I gather the original manuscript is around, and has been published, which I'd be interested to at least skim, though perhaps not read in full, because this is really long!
I'm glad I read it though! Aside from all the context it added for someone who's basically only read T.H. White, and that not terribly recently, I loved the flavour and rhythm of the prose here. I was listening to the modern spelling edition that was done up in the nineteenth century, which very much preserved the sense and cadence of the early modern English writing, which falls halfway between prose and the repetition and stock phrases of epic poetry. I loved the use of double negatives, words in new orders, modifiers that I wouldn't expect because their either archaic or the meaning has shifted and how all that contrasted with the contemporary feeling of the emotions described. Which is, I think, why the Grail sections were so dull for me, as it was more "here's a bunch of 15th-century religious imagery and metaphors to make some kind of point" which was a lot harder to get a handle around than the Knights Who Fuck Around and their endless drama, which was super entertaining.
I feel like there are endless essays to be written about gender, religious imagery, contemporary political allegory (someone in the 1400s complaining about kids these days continues to crack me up), but I don't currently have the brain for them. It was also neat seeing what pieces remained from the last time I saw this story (Geoffrey of Monmouth), what had been added in, and what was here that seems to have died by the time the Victorians got a hold of it. I'm not sure if I'll read any other versions (though I kind of want to swing back through White, and maybe look at some of the older Welsh stuff), but I'm really glad I read this far.
But to begin at the beginning: this is an English compendium/translation/version/retelling of the French retellings of/inventions around the King Arthur stories, written in the mid 15th century, and then modified and abridged by the printer. I gather the original manuscript is around, and has been published, which I'd be interested to at least skim, though perhaps not read in full, because this is really long!
I'm glad I read it though! Aside from all the context it added for someone who's basically only read T.H. White, and that not terribly recently, I loved the flavour and rhythm of the prose here. I was listening to the modern spelling edition that was done up in the nineteenth century, which very much preserved the sense and cadence of the early modern English writing, which falls halfway between prose and the repetition and stock phrases of epic poetry. I loved the use of double negatives, words in new orders, modifiers that I wouldn't expect because their either archaic or the meaning has shifted and how all that contrasted with the contemporary feeling of the emotions described. Which is, I think, why the Grail sections were so dull for me, as it was more "here's a bunch of 15th-century religious imagery and metaphors to make some kind of point" which was a lot harder to get a handle around than the Knights Who Fuck Around and their endless drama, which was super entertaining.
I feel like there are endless essays to be written about gender, religious imagery, contemporary political allegory (someone in the 1400s complaining about kids these days continues to crack me up), but I don't currently have the brain for them. It was also neat seeing what pieces remained from the last time I saw this story (Geoffrey of Monmouth), what had been added in, and what was here that seems to have died by the time the Victorians got a hold of it. I'm not sure if I'll read any other versions (though I kind of want to swing back through White, and maybe look at some of the older Welsh stuff), but I'm really glad I read this far.
barryhaworth's review against another edition
4.0
Having read the first part of Malory's Morte D'Arthur earlier this year I had, of course, to finish the story. This second part of Malory's account of the life and death of King Arthur contains the story of Sir Tristram (continued from the first volume), the story of the Sangreal (AKA the quest of the Holy Grail), the story of the love affair of Launcelot and Guinevere, which leads into the break up of the Round Table and the death of Arthur in the final battle with his son, Mordred.
As with the first volume I found myself with mixed feelings about what I was reading. The story is written in wonderful fifteenth century English which feels like it would read aloud well and the events are highly colourful. There are scenes of humour, such as when Launcelot, sleeping beside a pool of water, gets shot in the backside with an arrow by a passing deer hunt (book 18 chapter 21). On the other hand there is a deal of repetition, especially if a tournament happens. Malory just loves his tournaments and describes them at great length. I found myself skipping over some of those, as well as some of the stories, like the conclusion of the Tristram story. Others got me wondering exactly what was going on. The quest for the Sangreal (AKA the Holy Grail) is somewhat surreal and really quite destructive - the quest disrupts the kingdom for a full year and results in the death of many knights, including two of the three who achieve the quest. Somehow I don't think that a truly holy object like the Grail is meant to be would do that.
Of course, this is all fiction and is meant to entertain and not to be true to life. Entertaining it certainly is, but I did find reading to be something of an effort. The language is part of that. Though enjoyable in small does it was sometimes an effort to read a lot in one go. Also contributing to the "putdownable" nature of the book was the way it was divided into a large number of short chapters so if ever I tired of reading I would quickly come to a convenient place to stop.
Still, the book is and remains a classic.
As with the first volume I found myself with mixed feelings about what I was reading. The story is written in wonderful fifteenth century English which feels like it would read aloud well and the events are highly colourful. There are scenes of humour, such as when Launcelot, sleeping beside a pool of water, gets shot in the backside with an arrow by a passing deer hunt (book 18 chapter 21). On the other hand there is a deal of repetition, especially if a tournament happens. Malory just loves his tournaments and describes them at great length. I found myself skipping over some of those, as well as some of the stories, like the conclusion of the Tristram story. Others got me wondering exactly what was going on. The quest for the Sangreal (AKA the Holy Grail) is somewhat surreal and really quite destructive - the quest disrupts the kingdom for a full year and results in the death of many knights, including two of the three who achieve the quest. Somehow I don't think that a truly holy object like the Grail is meant to be would do that.
Of course, this is all fiction and is meant to entertain and not to be true to life. Entertaining it certainly is, but I did find reading to be something of an effort. The language is part of that. Though enjoyable in small does it was sometimes an effort to read a lot in one go. Also contributing to the "putdownable" nature of the book was the way it was divided into a large number of short chapters so if ever I tired of reading I would quickly come to a convenient place to stop.
Still, the book is and remains a classic.