R&R: Classics-- T.H. White

Beautiful ladies in distress. Knights in shining armor. The code of chivalry. The Once and Future King is everything, and yet nothing you’d expect from a book about King Arthur.


The Once and Future King
Written May 31, 2010

Read “roughly” around February 15, 2010

The first classic I read after my decision to start reading them, (see R&R: Classics), “The Once and Future King” caught my eye because of its title, which was unique, and its summary, which declared it to be the story of King Arthur, Lancelot, and that sort of thing.

I’d never actually read the original story, and though I’ve read many retellings, (some good, some bad), the original is by far the most magical, enchanting, and beautiful.

It was hard at first. For one, I was a bit rusty, not having read classics for awhile. For another, some of the words were so outdated that even the dictionary didn’t hold them. However, soon I was caught in White’s spell.

“The Once and Future King” details the story of King Arthur from when he was a poor boy, then known as “Wart.” The simple beauty of the lessons he learns from Merlin, and the way the era combined science and magic was spellbinding.

The characters, unlike the cookie-cutter version, are complex. Sir Kay, (the half-brother who claimed he was the one pulled the sword out of the stone), is not a mindless brute, and Arthur’s guardian is not a heartless, greedy miser.

Merlin is not the almighty, mysterious advisor, and Guinevere is not the adulterous, shameless wife. Finally, Lancelot is not the foolish, beguiled best friend who betrays his lord by having an sleazy affair with his wife.

And Arthur is definitely not the great, almighty hero whose perfection made him a legend.
The emotions and ideals of the characters are complicated, and their motives are multi-layered.

For example, over the famous scandal of Lancelot and Guinevere’s “betrayal,” White portrays Arthur as knowing about the affair in a subconscious kind of way. Arthur himself, instead of being the stereotypical hero, is actually shown to be a simple man. He wants to be a good king, and is a noble, fair, and virtuous one—but he possess an innocence that marks his downfall.

Guinevere loves Arthur, and yet she loves Lancelot. As the book states, the affair wasn’t based on passion, or a wanton desire to have sex with a younger man than her husband. White makes it clear that Lancelot is painfully ugly, and that the couple remains together until their old age.
Guinevere is beautiful, haughty, cruel and kind, self-sacrificing and selfish. She’s human.

Lancelot is in perpetual struggle (think Ashley from ‘Gone with the Wind.’) He resists the temptation with Guinevere, succeeds, fails, and succeeds again. He desires only to one day do miracles (that is, to be pure enough to do miracles). His longing after God drives a wedge between him and Guinevere. He performs miracles and yet feels unworthy of them. (Emblem of grace?)

I can tell why this book is a classic. I loved it, and it holds a special place in my heart—not only because of its place as the first classic of my awakening, but because of its own, personal worth.