One of the most popular early writers was geoffrey monmouth. Chapter 11 accolon says he got it from morgan le fay to kill king arthur, her brother, since she hates him and loves accolon, and wants to kill her husband uriens and make accolon king. Pages in category modern arthurian fiction the following 3 pages are in this category, out of 3 total. Whether you are a serious researcher or just a general interest in the subject, then this book is an excellent starting point. Beginning and ending with a summary of characters and events, the middle is to be an amalgamation of all the king arthur stories ever told. Le morte darthur originally spelled le morte darthur, middle french for the death of arthur is a reworking by sir thomas malory of existing tales about the legendary king arthur, guinevere, lancelot, merlin and the knights of the round table. This book is the grandmother of modern arthurian fiction. In his book history of the king of britain, monmouth wrote a lot of stories about king arthur and his favorite magician merlin, mentioning that arthur was born at. The knight takes his head and now gives gawain one year to learn about.
If you want something light and fun that hasnt been recommended a thousand tines, id give gerald morris a try. Tor and pellanor summary at the request of his lords, who are concerned about arthurs founding a royal line, arthur marries guinevere against merlins advice. Arthur lusts after her and they sleep together, though he doesnt know that margawse is his halfsister igraine s daughter. I had not read this book in either its 1987 or 2002 version, but i thought this 2017 version was a lot of fun. Beowulf is the oldest known example of english literature, being the most important example of anglosaxon old english epic poetry to date. The legends of king arthur and his knights by james knowles 1862 the boys king arthur by sidney lanier 1880 tristram of lyonesse by algernon charles swinburne 1882 idylls of the king by alfred, lord tennyson 18591885 a connecticut yankee in king arthurs court by mark twain 1889 20th century. King arthur and the knights of the round table arranged by charles william bailey, drawn from tennysons idylls of the king 1929 modern verse plays. An exsquaddie and biker turned spiritual leader and. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. Geoffrey of monmouth became the 12th century author who penned down oral folklore and introduced faeries into the realm of the legend of king arthur. How arthur became king 1 the good sword excalibur 16 the great feast and what followed 21 arthurs court and the order of the round table 32 king arthur and the princess guinevere 43 the coming of gareth 51 the story of sir gareth and lynette 61 sir ivaine 73 sir balin 88 sir geraint and enid 97 arthur and sir accalon 106. The search for arthur seized my dreams when the boys king arthur sir thomas malorys history of king arthur and his knights of the round table edited for boys by sidney. I knew that merlin was famous because of king arthur, and i dont know any books about king arthur. But, theres a reason this time period is known as the dark ages.
In the popular 12thcentury book history of the kings of britain. I like the responses of the other people who answered the question. King arthur was a legendary british leader who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of britain against saxon invaders in the late 5th and early 6th centuries. This book takes you right into the very strange but at the same time very inspiring life of arthur uther pendragon, and how he became a druid chief and an ecowarrior, of how he found the modernday excalibur. King arthur, considered as one of the most famous heroes from history, was a british leader who protected britain against the invasion of saxons. Is our modern appetite for fantasy a reflection of our need to. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the story of king arthur and his knights by howard pyle. Most modern historians agree that king arthurs kingdom was just a legendary utopia where peace and justice ruled, thus opposing the harsh reality of the middle ages, where violence, disease and barbarism were commonplace. Best arthurian fiction 451 books goodreads share book. Best arthurian fiction the best of arthurian books. White in the once and future king and tennyson in the idylls of the king.
Now arthur, with the help of the mysterious sword in the stone and his loyal mentors, gawain and. The death of king arthur by matthew freeman 2001 produced by gorilla repetory theatre in nyc. I want to add some other authors who wrotewrite about king arthur and. The green knights challenges king arthur s knights. First published in 1485, le morte d arthur by sir thomas malory is a compilation and interpretation of the legends of arthur, guinevere, sir lancelot and the knights of the round table. The forever king is a trilogy of books set in modern day about a boy who is king arthur reincarnated and his protector hal, a former police officer who is the reincarnation of galahad. Arthurian legend, the mass of legend, popular in medieval lore, concerning king arthur of britain and his knights. On a less traditional slant, peter david wrote a series about the future part of once and future king, where arthur and merlin come back in modern. The existence of king arthur is still debatable, some believe in his existence, while others consider him a. The return of king arthur the pendragon cycle book 6 kindle edition by lawhead, stephen r download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The story of king arthur and his knights summary supersummary. Mordred, bastard son 2006 centers on a sympathetic mordred, who enters into a romance with lancelot. What is the best book you can find on king arthur and merlin. Sep, 2017 a reworking of existing tales about king arthur, guinevere, lancelot, merlin, and the knights of the round table.
Caxtons twentyone books of sir thomas malorys le morte d arthur sir thomas malorys story, originally written as 8 books, was first published by william caxton as 21 books in the year 1485. Weve all heard stories about king arthur of camelot, who according to medieval. Id be happy to use a modern translation, but ill have to avoid this one. Top 10 books about king arthur best book recommendations. This book takes you right into the very strange but at the same time very inspiring life of arthur uther pendragon, and how he became a druid chief and.
The mists of avalon by marion zimmer bradley, the once and future king by t. King arthur is a medieval, mythological figure who was the head of the kingdom camelot and the knights of the round table. Can you tell a king arthur story to a modern audience without including the royal love triangle. It portrayed arthur as a great warrior and king, and included details of his birth, his wife guinevere, and his many battles. Today is considered one of the bestknown works of arthurian literature. The return of king arthur the pendragon cycle book 6. Aug 12, 2019 king arthurs stories are widely known from as early as the ninth century. The final section of the book looks at modern interpretations of arthur. On a less traditional slant, peter david wrote a series about the future part of once and future king, where arthur and merlin come back in modern times. I love how hank is a modern man in an ancient time, but his role is reversed by the end of the book.
Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Top 10 books about king arthur the once and future king. Surprisingly, it manages to make a brilliant legend dull. This book looks at all the myths and legends about arthur, from earliest times, right through to the modern idealised concept of king arthur and the knights of the round table. While i enjoy talking about my favorite king arthur books, when i saw that acclaimed librarian nancy pearl provided just such a list in her bibliophiles compendium book. Exciting new evidence reveals unbelievable facts about king. If king arthur really lived, dna and mathematical calculations reveal that you are his likely descendant. Le morte d arthur is mallorys 15th century work, and is generally the best known nonderivative arthurian text. Whites the once and future king is a modern classic and one of the quintissential arthur books among modern novels.
Chapter 19 king arthur leaves king ban and king bors and rides to carlion, where queen margawse, the wife of king lot, comes to see him with her four sons gawaine, gaheris, agravaine, and gareth. He doesnt appear in the only surviving contemporary source about the. List of books and articles about king arthur online. Reading all the source material would be like a selfdirected graduate degree in arthuriana. Spoiler can you have a spoiler for a book published 126 years ago. The british royal family claims to be descended from king arthur in numerous and suspicious ways. The modern penguin classics version is currently published in two volumes.
Yet another great book on guinevere, and king arthur reply flag message 8. As with other epics, the authors illusory world is filled with strong moral conflict. But only young gawain takes it and decapitates him. Its a great balance between originality and more modern prose. Tor and pellanor summary at the request of his lords, who are concerned about arthur s founding a royal line, arthur marries guinevere. In 18, geoffrey of monmouths book history of the kings of britain contained the first narrative of king arthur s life. Le morte d arthur tells the story of king arthur and his knights at the round table. Arthur, who is son of king uther pendragon but was raised by another family, takes his rightful place as king. This book promises to tell the captivating story of king arthur. How arthur became king 1 the good sword excalibur 16 the great feast and what followed 21 arthur s court and the order of the round table 32. This early history book of england and wales mentions arthur, and then geoffrey of monmouth took the stories and added his own flourishes in historia regum britanniae around 16. Caxtons twentyone book publication of le morte darthur contains a total of 507 chapters and over 300,000 words written in middleenglish nowadays available in modern english. Badonin which, according to the annales cambriae c.
Accolon cries for mercy, and arthur agrees, though he says accolon is a traitor, even if morgan le fay bewitched him. The forever king is a trilogy of books set in modernday about a boy who is king arthur reincarnated and his protector hal. The arthurian ball started rolling when a monk wrote historia brittonum for a welsh king. Arthur, who is son of king uther pendragon but was raised by another family, takes his rightful place as king when, as a boy, he is able to pull the sword called excalibur from the stone. In his book history of the king of britain, monmouth wrote a lot of stories about king arthur and his favorite magician merlin, mentioning that arthur was born at tintagel. King arthur, queen guinevere, merlin the wizard, mordred, morgan le fay, lancelot, tristan, galahad, gawain and the knights of the round table have legendary status in literature.
Malorys eight books of le morte darthur taken from eugene vinavers notes to malory works, 2nd ed. This imaginative retelling of the classic arthurian legends recounts the story of arthur. This imaginative retelling of the classic arthurian legends recounts the story of arthur s formation of the knights of. Apr 01, 1987 another retelling of the king arthur legend, only this time it is a modern day arthur penn running for mayor of nyc and each of the characters from the original stories make their appearance, tho not as they once were. Jan 12, 2016 a connecticut yankee in king arthurs court by mark twain. Twain takes the air out of both arthurian pretension and modern yankee arrogance, in a book that so cleverly details its cultureclash that it has. The details of arthur s story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and modern. King arthurs modern return garland reference library of. Vintage king arthur books 86 antique arthurian ebooks on. King arthur returns while the third book is called the third magic. The specifics of what he is has varied greatly through the ages, but one.
I would prefer that it has his entire story, it can be a series, and it has mostly modern english i dont want words only from the old time period. These camelot books and king arthur books capture the timeless. This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. The legends of king arthur 5 book series kindle edition. Tapestry showing arthur as one of the nine worthies, wearing a coat of arms often attributed to him c. The form to add books to the list is at the righthand side of the page. A connecticut yankee in king arthur s court by mark twain.
The forever king is the first in the forever king trilogy. Apr 03, 2011 i knew that merlin was famous because of king arthur, and i dont know any books about king arthur. Faeries in the realm of king arthur ancient origins. They guessed that if a king arthur had truly lived, it would have been around the 6th century ad. Whats the difference between beowulf and king arthur. It is the first historical treatment of the arthurian legend depicting king arthur not as a fantasy figure but trying to place him in his historical context as a war leader. King arthur s modern return garland reference library of the humanities 1st edition. And merlin, having turned traitor, stands at the new kings side.
Beowulf and king arthur are two entirely separate characters, originating from different cultures and time periods. Legends of king arthur and the knights of the round table are known to the world, how they led a path of enlightenment in the dark ages. King arthurs mythical kingdom from where he ruled was called camelot. I would prefer that it has his entire story, it can be a series, and it has mostly modern. What im getting at is, whats the best book to read about king arthur. Modern novelists have invented many new fictional children for king arthur. Many modern writers have used malorys work as source, including t. List of works based on arthurian legends wikipedia. Arthur, king of britain, son of uther pendragon, definition of the good king and namesake of the arthurian legend. My favorite modern interpretations of king arthur alisons. Caxtons twentyone book publication of le morte d arthur contains a total of 507 chapters and over 300,000 words written in middleenglish nowadays available in modern english. How king arthur was wedded in royal state and how the round table was established.
My favorite modern interpretations of king arthur alison. It is among the mostcited works of arthurian literature, serving as source material for works such as the once and future king and alfred lord tennysons the idylls of the king. Find out the fact from the fiction and far more in. What are the best books on the legend of merlin and king. The great books series was a standout on cable tv in the 1990s a highly entertaining yet educational survey of great works of world literature. Lyonesse trilogy, a connecticut yankee in king arthur s court, that hideous strength, the dark is rising sequence, the mists of avalon, the winter king, the saxon shore, the fionavar tapestry, the pendragon cycle, grailquest. Why the once and future king is still the best king arthur story out. Oct 06, 2019 as poems and stories about king arthur continued to proliferate, the only thing historians noticed was that the chronicles were missing. Im often asked for recommendations of books about chivalry and the epic adventures of king arthur and his knights.