The Once and Future King Introduction

Bust out your snazziest cosplay armor… because we're about to head off on a time-traveling and anachronistic Arthurian adventure.

The Once and Future King, by T.H. White (stands for Terence Hanbury, which is swag) is one of the most significant and influential modern-day works of Arthurian literature (and yes, they're still trotting out King Arthur, even recently). White got his Round Table on between 1938 and 1958: this novel is actually four novels in one, which is why it took twenty years to write.

And it's not just a straight-up re-telling of Malory—the earliest English writer to compile Arthur's story into a cohesive prose (not in verse) story. Basically, everything we popularly know about King Arthur and his knights comes from Malory. But although White tips his hat to our man Mal, he doesn't parrot him.

The Once and Future King is Malory put through a blender, with old familiar characters (hey, Lancelot!) given contemporary twists and motivations. This quartet of books is also, by turns, a comic Y.A. novel, a meditation on the abuses of power, an angry rant about how messed-up the first half of the 20th-century was, and a luuurve story.

It's almost like White's giving us a twisted modern view of the medieval, or a twisted medieval view of 20th-century western culture. "Twisted" is the key word here. So twisted.

It's also a deep meditation on fate vs. free will. This is embodied in Merlyn: the OG of wizards is prophetic because he lives backwards. This basically means Merlyn starts out as an old man in the future, and gets younger as he lives his life in reverse. It is as complicated as it sounds… and way cooler than Benjamin Button.  It also means that Merlyn is powerless to help Arthur avoid his pretty tumultuous fate.

But don't think that this book is stuffy just because it gets philosophical. While White's entire magnum opus hasn't been made into a film, the first part, The Sword in the Stone, was adapted into a Disney movie in 1963.   And you don't get the Disney treatment if you're all work and no play. (Do you see a Disney version of Proust out there? Nope, didn't think so.)

 

What is The Once and Future King About and Why Should I Care?

We're going to run through a few (of the many) reasons you should care about The Once and Future King. And we'll do it in the way these four novels progress: from most lighthearted to most thought-provoking.

First of all: Have you ever wanted to be turned into a fish? How about a goose? How about an ant? Have you ever wanted to run around with Robin Hood? Or dress up like a monster? Who hasn't? And The Once and Future King, like any awesome fantasy saga, lets you live all this nonsense vicariously.

Secondly: it's about King Arthur. King Arthur. You know of him even if you've never read up on him: he pulls the sword out of the stone.  He rides around on horseback. He founded the Round Table of pizza fame.  He's the guy: the king who has inspired musicals, TV shows, and countless pilgrimages to the Renaissance Faire.  Monty Python loves him… and you know that anything Monty Python loves is solid gold awesomeness.

Thirdly: If you want to get at the heart of the English character, look no further than King Art. He's the origin story—the ideals of the Round Table have carried down throughout English history (as well as jumping the pond to North America, and jumping the Pacific to Australia and New Zealand). Any English stories of one dude pitted against the forces of darkness are probably Arthur-influenced. The same goes for wise father-figure leaders  (looking at you, Ned Stark) or guys who abide by the same rules they establish (because honor). 

Lastly—and forgive us for indulging in Real Talk a sec—The Once and Future King deals with issues of power. No, not Fifty Shades of Grey-style sexxxy power. Real power. Real life and death stuff. Like how to most effectively and most morally rule a country. Or whether might makes right… and how to ensure that those in power are still standing up for the little guy. Or how (and why) wars should be fought. And White's masterpiece doesn't just tackle these questions from a fusty Middle Ages standpoint—this author is making references to Hitler, Uncle Sam and Stalin while educating us on how knights learned how to joust.

So there you have it: whether you're in the mood for a fun read about the perils of turning into a badger (seriously) or how to establish an ethical system of governance, The Once and Future King is definitely, definitely worth caring about.