White is not merely retelling the story of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table (although one can pick up the salient points by reading The Once and Future King) he is using the legend to explore the idea of honor, might, strength, and the feudal system. White expects his reader to have read Mallory, making reference to it more than once. The Once and Future King is, of course, Arthur, about whom Sir Mallory made his fame, and made Arthur famous, in L’Morte D’Arthur. It is like Tolkien’s The Hobbit and “Lord of the Rings”–it opens on a light, fanciful note, then moves into a deepening gloom, filled with despair and humor, epic quests and little character studies, ending on both a sad and hopeful note. After reading it, I can see how it could easily capture the heart of the young. A selection from Jill’s library, she recommended White’s magnum opus to me as a book that she loved from her youth, but wasn’t quite sure how well it help up today.
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