Both the first section, “The Sword and the Stone,” and the second, “The Queen of Air and Darkness,” add a great deal to the story by exploring the childhoods not just of Arthur but also of his nephews-Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris, and Gareth-who become central to the later parts of the legend. White follows Sir Thomas Malory (author of the fifteenth-century Morte Darthur) very closely in some ways, and entertains himself by pulling in bits of other medieval narratives at moments. That said, it’s a tradition for writers of Arthurian works to pull together the materials of those who came before them and then put their own spin on those materials. White greatly elaborated the story of the future King Arthur’s boyhood education at the hands of Merlin-a lot of which involves turning Arthur into various kinds of animals, which is not much of a feature in medieval legends of the once and future king. The animals that are so prominently featured in this 1970s cover image are probably its most famous legacy. This book came into my hands when I was about nine years old and remains one of my favorites of all time. Professor Claire Waters helps us launch a (more or less) regular series of book recommendations by teachers in the UC Davis English Department.
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