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 A GREAT WORK PRUNED A BIT TOO HARD FOR COMFORT January 18, 2007
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Of all the works of Early English literature from the Gawain and Pearl poets through Gower and Langland to Chaucer and on to Spenser, Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur is probably the best known and possibly the least read. Unlike all those, it is a prose work. It was written by a knight who seems to have been a rather dubious character and who was apparently not too concerned about the laws of chivalry he upholds in his book. Indeed, it seems likely that his masterwork was written while he was in prison and there is certainly a distinct note of sympathy whenever he describes the conditions of various knights and damsels who are themselves imprisoned.
One of the chief reasons for the book's early success was that it was taken up and printed by William Caxton within 15 years of being written and proved one of the earliest bestsellers of the print era. Its continuing influence on literature and the arts in the succeeding centuries is surely down to Malory's invigorating prose style and his superb narrative thrust. Without it there would be no Idylls of the King, no Once and Future King, no Camelot, never mind no Monty Python and the Holy Grail or Spamalot.
Malory plundered a multitude of sources from across mainland Europe as well as Britain as the basis for his book. But he was probably the first to draw together the many varied strands and traditions of Arthurian legend into one work. It is in some ways still a loose collection of different stories - The Tale of Gareth, the Tale of Lancelot, the Book of Sir Tristram, the Tale of Arthur and Lucius (which sets it historically in the latter days of the Roman Empire) and so on. But particularly towards the end of the book where we find the greatest of the stories - the divided loyalties and the moral and ethical dilemmas of The Book of Sir Lancelot and Gwynevere, the spiritual highs but also the dispiriting breakup of the Round Table in the Quest for the Grail and the final betrayal and death of Arthur himself in the Morte d'Arthur - there is a superb cumulative sense of tragedy driving to its inevitable end that is overwhelming.
This Oxford edition scores by using a sensible conflation of the Winchester manuscript and Caxton's printed version. The modernisation is, on the whole, accurate and readable, preserving the rhythms and tone of Malory's virile prose. However, it loses points for a somewhat excessive abridgement. Yes, I know there are a multitude of tourneys and fights that become repetitive and include `too much information' about the details and intricacies of fighting that were clearly fascinating to Malory but are not that interesting to modern tastes. These and other fairly savage cuts do disrupt the rhythms and pacing of Malory's writing that are more relaxed than contemporary concentration spans demand and should be accepted on their own terms.
 The once and future king, reissued! July 8, 2004
20 out of 22 found this review helpful
The earlier rendition by Keith Baines of Mallory's classic work, 'Le Morte d'Arthur', went out of print, but the demand was such that there was bound to be a press that would pick it up. All hail to Signet for doing so here! They have taken the old text and reprinted it, practically as a photo-stat. Even the pagination has remained the same, but the print face is a bit cleaner than the older copy in a side-by-side comparison (I purchased the Signet edition, thinking it was a revision, when I already had the older Baines edition -- they are the same).Sir Thomas Mallory was a great one to write the adventures of King Arthur and his knights - a knight himself, he led a life of intrigue and adventure, albeit not one that always lived up to the ideas of chivalry he penned at the heart of the Arthurian legends. Mallory did not invent Arthur; he is one of the principle medieval chroniclers, having time (he was in prison with nothing else to do, after all) to set down in prose stories he'd heard throughout his life. These were popular tales, not always told in the same way with the same details, as is true of most oral legends and transmitted stories, much to the later frustration of scholars and readers. The earliest printing of Mallory's stories had his authorship suppressed by Caxton, one of the better-known publishers of the time. The earliest Arthurian legends date back as far as the late Roman times in Britain. Controversies abound, but many have settled on a late Roman or Romano-British general named Arturius - however, given the linguistic nature of the name (it is derivative of ruler or leader), it is impossible to know if this was in fact a name or a title, and the legends may be compilations of the acts of many leaders bearing the name. There was also a Welsh leader with the name/title Arddu, 'Dark One', who is sometimes conflated into Arthurian legend. Arthur was celebrated in the pre-Norman times for the order and stability he represented; Arthur was celebrated in post-Norman times for his campaigns against Saxons. Arthur continues to be an intriguing character, today reminiscent of ancient mysteries as well as pagan and new age ideas as well. In any event, Mallory doesn't attach specific dates to his tales. The book actually consists of many tales. The first is entitled 'The Tale of King Arthur', which introduces the figures of Merlin, Gawain, Uwayne, Pellinore, Morgan le Fay (the Celtic war goddess Morgana, dressed up as Arthur's sister) and others, and includes the sword-in-the-stone event. While this text has been modernised by Keith Baines, there are certain crucial lines left in Mallory's English, including this most famous one: Whoso pulleth oute this swerd of this stone and anvyld is rightwys kynge borne of all Brytaygne Following this tale, Mallory includes many of the famous tales in Arthurian legend as stories more or less complete in themselves, but still linking to the other tales. 'The Tale of Sir Lancelot du Lake' is a knight's tale indeed, with no fewer than twenty horseback duels back-to-back. 'The Tale of Sir Gareth' is a similar spirited tale, less well known. 'The Book of Sir Tristram of Lyoness' makes Tristram and Iseult, famous by other writers as well, into lovers, this time with a more happy ending than usual. The lesser known 'Tale of Arthur and Lucius' describes battles and skirmishes with the emperor, but never really captured popular imagination. Mallory saves the best for last, with three major tales - 'The Tale of the Sangreal', the Holy Grail; 'The Book of Sir Launcelot and Queen Gwynevere'; and finally, 'Le Morte D'Arthur'. The tale of the Holy Grail continues into the present day in various fashions; here is contains strange glosses of the Old and New Testaments, as well as a good number of miracles, as one would expect from the Grail. The last tale, the death of Arthur, is probably the most famous, and the best written. Even though an English knight, the courtly fashion was after a French design for many centuries after the Norman conquest, and this French influence in notable in the stories, from their titles to their plots and characterisations, including the places Mallory uses. Keith Baines eliminates a lot of needless dialogue from his rendering here, but keeps the plot lines and sequence of action with integrity from earlier manuscripts and recited tales. His translation compares favourably with others, becoming a fairly standard text for good reason. Robert Graves (of 'I Claudius' fame) provides an appreciative introduction to the text. Baines himself was a poet; however, this text, accepted somewhat reluctantly, is probably his best known work. Arthur lives on into the modern world and beyond. Baines' edition gives it life to carry on, and Signet makes it available.
Thoroughly interesting read May 5, 2003
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
It is often hard to find literature which fully incorporates multiple parts of the Arthurian legends. Often only the very basics are present and much of the brilliant detail is omitted. This version is one of those few works that actually bring many of the legends to light; incorporating many of the lesser known, and very interesting aspects of the legend into the commonly known main plot.It proves interesting to read about much of what is normally passed on anecdotally through families in England about one of the greatest English legends still told today. Most English people usually know the gist of the stories, but it is always interesting to find out and see people's reactions when they discover the extra details that they were unaware of previously. This edition is one of the most comprehensive you will find, other than going out there and researching much of the hard going literature on the subject.
The Legend of King Arthur Lives On!!! March 23, 1999
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
When I began to create the curriculum for a British Literature course at the boarding school I work at, I realized the resources I was given to use only briefly mentioned the adventures of King Arthur and his knights. Medieval literature is one of my favorite subjects, and I didn't feel it was right for students to be robbed of the experience of reading this classic work. Malory wrote this classic work during the War of the Roses, a civil war that tore England apart. Through his prose, Malory hoped to resurrect the vision of a perfect medieval world. Keep this in mind when you read this book, and try to place yourself in the medieval era. You won't be dissappointed!!!
An epic book that rivals the Illiad in grandeur March 3, 1999
4 out of 9 found this review helpful
Malory's anthology of various King Arthur myths is great reading for the hero in all of us. The appeal of the Knights righteous behaviour and humility before God is an excellent example of how people should govern themselves. I'm not saying that one can just run about decapitating folks, or that "might makes right" but I do believe people should try to harbor good will, gentleness, and honesty. That just makes for better people. The stories themselves are fascinating. The Knights clearly maintain there high status, and in fact increase this, by serving Arthur. Arthur, conversly, does not act as a pampered King, but ventures off on his own, and jeoperdizes himself. Great reading, thoroughly enjoyable. I plan to read it to my sons to encourage chivalrous behaviour. Also an excellent look into the lives of our predecessors, hundreds of years ago.
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