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dyno8426's review against another edition
5.0
One can imagine how the post-war period following World War II would have inspired T. H. White for an escape into the past - the simpler times of Arthurian England; how the myths from the Dark Ages and legends concerning the glorious and noble King Arthur needed to be retold to soothe the retrospective wounds of guilt and injustice that follow once the existential pressure of war ceases. So he created this fantasy tale to involve the imagination and draw a parallel between those times in the past where revolutions germinated through a collective change and adoption of perspective.
White's comfortable prose accompanies a contemporary language, rather than the archaic "thee"s and "ye"s, for more relatability and relevance. A consistent personification of author's ideology grows in the form of King Arthur through this quartet of books. He chooses his purpose to substitute the then characteristic sense of self-proclaimed, individual justice in the form of "Might is Right", by a universal and impersonal honour of the existence of Rights for everyone and contrary to status quo, how Might is supposed to be used for the protection of the same Rights instead of arbitrating them according to whims or convenience of those in power.
The four books capture different phases of Arthur's life - an inquisitive childhood where a magician named Merlyn germinates this moral perspective in little Arthur; followed by an ambitious youth where Arthur finds it difficult to maintain his perspective given the overall momentum of destruction and historical baggage that wars carry; then comes a period of matured midlife where Arthur's increasing hold in reshaping England is challenged by his work consuming its own longevity; and finally the retrospective old age where he stands at the moral dilemma of relaxing his stance on justice or keep upholding it even at the cost of losing what he values most in his life.
The England before Arthur in the Dark Ages comes as being as a horror true to its name when we witnessed how an uncontrolled flow of passions combined with an anarchic possession of power (power being one's literal ability to fight and kill) was controlling people's destinies. Even under clusters of monarchy, how the ability of war and win used to define relationships between people and fighting for sport, spite or simply ransom was the status quo. Arthur was born in such England and single-handedly championed the channelisation of force in a constructive manner, under the banner of honour, which led to various mythical adventures like establishing the Round Table of Knights, the Quest for Holy Grail and eventually the establishment of a common Civil Law for rich and poor alike.
It is also a retrospection on the evolution of civilisation and how the forces of chaos and animosity among humans (author's remark being this war waging as a peculiar self-destructive attribute from the perspective of animal species fighting for survival) took a fateful change through such times of subsequent enlightenment. White's story has both the fantasy and chivalric romantic elements, giving characters which are archetypal of ideals like justice, honour and love in a setting with magical Quests, fantastic creatures, quirky magicians, witches and mythical artefacts, including the iconic Sword set in Stone which Arthur was destined to pick. This sort of made chivalry as the cool thing for Knights, i.e. protecting those who can't protect themselves, who were otherwise busy jousting and knocking each other off, polishing their armours and suffocating in them later while either killing their enemies or getting killed.
Another noticeable and worth remarkable aspect of this book was its anachronistic nature (belonging to a period than the one it portrays). It explains why White uses Merlyn as a harbinger of knowledge, kinda like a prophet living back through time who influences King Arthur from childhood, instilling in him the moral sense of rightness and an awareness of the prevalent darkness. Combined with White's digressions to the modern world, it always seems to be commenting on current notions of nationalism, militarism and fascism which seem to collectively influence people and rekindle destructive forces within them time and again. Arthur's deliberations and unflinching sense of architecting justice for all is an ideal for pursuit, a retro-futuristic governing template for our current war-plagued societies. The dawn that Arthur's enlightenment by Merlyn (our author's voice from the future) brings to all of England may come again, after a whole passage of night, from following "simpler times" that we should strive towards in a world which has time and again plagued itself with wars. White's development of characters is so thorough through the four books that despite the romantic and ideal attributes, they are flawed with the reality of moral confusion and demanding choices throughout the story. I loved it for this duality of the classic fantasy and a thought-provoking projection of the reality that renders the contemporary visions of warring lands contained within imaginary boundaries ridiculous and as funny as the talking animals in White's fantasy convey. It carries the torch of reviving chivalry by proclaiming that real power exists in controlling it - sharing a world with others is an honourable Quest outside the battlefield.
White's comfortable prose accompanies a contemporary language, rather than the archaic "thee"s and "ye"s, for more relatability and relevance. A consistent personification of author's ideology grows in the form of King Arthur through this quartet of books. He chooses his purpose to substitute the then characteristic sense of self-proclaimed, individual justice in the form of "Might is Right", by a universal and impersonal honour of the existence of Rights for everyone and contrary to status quo, how Might is supposed to be used for the protection of the same Rights instead of arbitrating them according to whims or convenience of those in power.
The four books capture different phases of Arthur's life - an inquisitive childhood where a magician named Merlyn germinates this moral perspective in little Arthur; followed by an ambitious youth where Arthur finds it difficult to maintain his perspective given the overall momentum of destruction and historical baggage that wars carry; then comes a period of matured midlife where Arthur's increasing hold in reshaping England is challenged by his work consuming its own longevity; and finally the retrospective old age where he stands at the moral dilemma of relaxing his stance on justice or keep upholding it even at the cost of losing what he values most in his life.
The England before Arthur in the Dark Ages comes as being as a horror true to its name when we witnessed how an uncontrolled flow of passions combined with an anarchic possession of power (power being one's literal ability to fight and kill) was controlling people's destinies. Even under clusters of monarchy, how the ability of war and win used to define relationships between people and fighting for sport, spite or simply ransom was the status quo. Arthur was born in such England and single-handedly championed the channelisation of force in a constructive manner, under the banner of honour, which led to various mythical adventures like establishing the Round Table of Knights, the Quest for Holy Grail and eventually the establishment of a common Civil Law for rich and poor alike.
It is also a retrospection on the evolution of civilisation and how the forces of chaos and animosity among humans (author's remark being this war waging as a peculiar self-destructive attribute from the perspective of animal species fighting for survival) took a fateful change through such times of subsequent enlightenment. White's story has both the fantasy and chivalric romantic elements, giving characters which are archetypal of ideals like justice, honour and love in a setting with magical Quests, fantastic creatures, quirky magicians, witches and mythical artefacts, including the iconic Sword set in Stone which Arthur was destined to pick. This sort of made chivalry as the cool thing for Knights, i.e. protecting those who can't protect themselves, who were otherwise busy jousting and knocking each other off, polishing their armours and suffocating in them later while either killing their enemies or getting killed.
Another noticeable and worth remarkable aspect of this book was its anachronistic nature (belonging to a period than the one it portrays). It explains why White uses Merlyn as a harbinger of knowledge, kinda like a prophet living back through time who influences King Arthur from childhood, instilling in him the moral sense of rightness and an awareness of the prevalent darkness. Combined with White's digressions to the modern world, it always seems to be commenting on current notions of nationalism, militarism and fascism which seem to collectively influence people and rekindle destructive forces within them time and again. Arthur's deliberations and unflinching sense of architecting justice for all is an ideal for pursuit, a retro-futuristic governing template for our current war-plagued societies. The dawn that Arthur's enlightenment by Merlyn (our author's voice from the future) brings to all of England may come again, after a whole passage of night, from following "simpler times" that we should strive towards in a world which has time and again plagued itself with wars. White's development of characters is so thorough through the four books that despite the romantic and ideal attributes, they are flawed with the reality of moral confusion and demanding choices throughout the story. I loved it for this duality of the classic fantasy and a thought-provoking projection of the reality that renders the contemporary visions of warring lands contained within imaginary boundaries ridiculous and as funny as the talking animals in White's fantasy convey. It carries the torch of reviving chivalry by proclaiming that real power exists in controlling it - sharing a world with others is an honourable Quest outside the battlefield.
amorrissette25's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Rape
Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide attempt, and Death
katricia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
manda_lynne's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
elakudark's review against another edition
a shocking amount of anti-gael sentiment considering folks do not now and did not then actually speak gaelic in orkney.
other than that quite a touching and profound book.
other than that quite a touching and profound book.
emeszee's review against another edition
3.0
[3/5]
I'm so sad and disappointed. I was expecting so much more out of this book. Agh.
I'm so sad and disappointed. I was expecting so much more out of this book. Agh.
libraryofdreaming's review against another edition
3.0
The Once and Future King was not at all what I expected. I've had the intention to read more Arthuriana for a while now and I naturally assumed this book would be a high fantasy epic. Instead, it was honestly more of a modern political commentary mixed with a ton of philosophy and comedy. It was an engaging and for the most part entertaining book, but the genre really surprised me. Although I wasn't entirely in the mood for what I got, it was still quite interesting - just more quirky than I anticipated! And long, sooo long. It sapped a lot of my reading energy this month. I'm not sorry I read it, some of the philosophy and discussion was very interesting. I think T.H. White makes some very valid and thoughtful points about Might as Right and the value of knighthood as well as its dangers. I didn't realize that this was written in the 60s, but the parallels the author makes the World War II were very evocative. A philisophical discussion about modern warfare was not something I expected to find in a supposedly ancient classic! I guess it just means that the story of Arthur can be applicable to all eras. Personally, this is not my favorite depiction of Arthur but the transformation of Lancelot and the realism of the Arthur/Gwen/Lancelot triangle was intriguing to me. Not my favorite, though. I just wish some things had been fleshed out more (even though it was already ridiculously long) and some of the time gaps had been addressed.
Though not a perfect book or the best Arthurian tale I've come across, The Once and Future King was a thought-provoking read. It was certainly one of the more unusual classics I've read recently!
Though not a perfect book or the best Arthurian tale I've come across, The Once and Future King was a thought-provoking read. It was certainly one of the more unusual classics I've read recently!
novaaa23's review against another edition
1.0
The first part, when Arthur was a growing up, was a slog for me. I liked the rest much better, but not enough to make up for trying to get through the first part.
thewintersings's review
Library book needs to be returned. I'm interested though and might need to buy my own copy.
tablereader234's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I've ever read. Changed my life. Everyone should read this.