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tjmcharg's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
anthonysimon99'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
3.5
likecymbeline's review against another edition
1.0
I didn't read it so much as scanned each of the chapter headings for the last 400 pages to bypass all the instances of redundant redundancy, such as the two million instances of "and man and horse fell to the earth" or the genius of "much blood they bled both, that all the place there as they fought was overbled with blood." I could never in good conscience recommend this to anyone as something to read for entertainment purposes. Malory destroys souls.
emilymdxn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Incest, War, and Infidelity
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
tsteffe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
arthurbdd's review against another edition
4.0
Perhaps more muddled and less thematically tight than the literature it seeks to consolidate, or the various subsequent works it has inspired, but for sheer encyclopedic scope Le Morte d'Arthur is hard to beat.
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
4.0
If you're going to read it, read Helen Cooper's version.
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
4.0
Malory's Arthur my beloved <3
In French the word for death is feminine: la mort. Surprisingly, it's difficult to find a definitive answer as to why Malory used "le morte" in his title; barring some sort of resurrection of the man himself, it's unlikely that we'll ever know. The predominant belief is that Malory, being an Englishman, simply made a mistake. The book was first published in the late 15th century, when Middle French was spoken: both Old and Middle French had the word "mort" as feminine. Some early publications of Malory's work did not have the article, instead written as "Morte Darthur," which sounds like a Star Wars character; in fact the titles of many similar texts, written in French and older than Malory's own, did not include an article. I agree it's probably most likely Malory simply made a mistake... or maybe he was writing in Law French.
The grammatically proper title in Modern French would be "La mort d'Arthur."
In French the word for death is feminine: la mort. Surprisingly, it's difficult to find a definitive answer as to why Malory used "le morte" in his title; barring some sort of resurrection of the man himself, it's unlikely that we'll ever know. The predominant belief is that Malory, being an Englishman, simply made a mistake. The book was first published in the late 15th century, when Middle French was spoken: both Old and Middle French had the word "mort" as feminine. Some early publications of Malory's work did not have the article, instead written as "Morte Darthur," which sounds like a Star Wars character; in fact the titles of many similar texts, written in French and older than Malory's own, did not include an article. I agree it's probably most likely Malory simply made a mistake... or maybe he was writing in Law French.
The grammatically proper title in Modern French would be "La mort d'Arthur."
diesmali's review against another edition
This reads more like a complete, and completely dry, history of King Arthur and the knights of the round table. Thankfully it is without dates and years.
Read the book if you want the complete history, but don't expect a story... it's more like an endless string of episodic events. They do belong on a string, at least.
The language is not for the novice of the English language as it is dated in the 15th century.
Read the book if you want the complete history, but don't expect a story... it's more like an endless string of episodic events. They do belong on a string, at least.
The language is not for the novice of the English language as it is dated in the 15th century.