The Once and Future King

Historians have debated whether King Arthur ever existed. Some historians argue that Arthur is a fiction constructed out of Welsh folktales, and White himself cites Thomas Malory, the 15th-century English writer whose Le Morte d’Arthur laid the foundation for much of Arthur’s popular mystique. The legend has endured in various incarnations for centuries. Early records suggest King Arthur was a 5th-century warrior who led the Briton revolt against a Saxon invasion. In the 12th century, Geoffrey of Monmouth, a Welsh cleric, created the more familiar image of Arthur as “the courtly king, a leader in both war and times of peace” (Radulescu, Raluca. “Why the Legend of King Arthur Still Resounds Today.” Newsweek, 8 Feb. 2017). Over the years, writers have expanded upon these original character sketches and created a tragic hero whose tolerance and quest for justice ultimately prove to be his undoing. Other turning points in the development of the myth include the incorporation of the Holy Grail legend and the story of Lancelot and his love affair with Guenever, both innovations of the 12th-century French writer Chrétien de Troyes that feature prominently in The Once and Future King.

White’s narrative builds off the conception of Arthur as an ideal ruler, depicting him as someone ahead of his time in his search for an alternative to war and injustice. The novel describes the England that Arthur inherits as a brutal land run by crime lords who resort to murder and torture to maintain their grip on power. Arthur rides in flashing Excalibur and vowing to eradicate injustice by resolving the tension between Might Versus Right; the former, he argues, can serve the latter. White’s focus on the love triangle was also pivotal in embedding the story in the popular imagination. At the same time, for all its legendary nature, the narrative is peppered with historical details—everything from armor and weaponry to architecture to the various dispositions and mannerisms of hawks. These details provide a sensory atmosphere that places the reader squarely in medieval England’s drafty castles and overgrown forests. The combination of the mythical and down-to-earth speaks to the novel’s nuanced understanding of The Importance of Cultural Myths: White humanizes legendary figures in part to bring them to a new generation, thus solidifying their timelessness.