James Thomas Knowles (1831–1908)

The story isa familiar tale of Western Literature. The story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Many of the characters are familiar, Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Lady Guinevere however there are many that I did not recognize. It is full of adventure, including wizards, enchantresses, giants, and even dragons, knights and damsels in distress. The way the women are portrayed in the story is my least favorite part of the story, they are either portrayed as weak and helpless or ungrateful complainers or just pure evil. However since the book was written in the 19TH century and is ultimate about chivalry, I guess it is expected. If you are looking for a book full of adventure this maybe the book for you.… (mais)

This book is a retelling of Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur and was first published in 1862. It includes many of the stories from Malory’s book, including sections dedicated to Sirs Gawain, Gareth, Lancelot, and Tristan. Having read Malory and other Arthurian texts, these stories were not new to me, but still made me smile. It was like visiting an old friend.

There are always parts that mystify me as a modern reader, like how many times knights will ride their horses so long and so hard that the horse falls dead under the knight. No medieval knight would ever actually do this and destroy his mode of transportation (and in such a cruel manner), yet it’s all over Arthurian (and medieval) texts. I find this hilarious.

The story of Sir Gareth plays out like rom-com in some ways at the start, where the Damsel Linet is leading him to her Lady Lyones in order to save her. Gareth starts out as a kitchen servant (though he is actually a prince in disguise and brother to Sir Gawain). He asks King Arthur for the boon of taking the Damsel Linet’s quest and to have Sir Lancelot knight him. He has many perils to fight along the way to reach Lady Lyones, and Linet berates him the whole way, saying he is no true knight since he had been a kitchen servant. If this were a modern story, by the time she realized that he was indeed very knightly, the pair of them would have fallen in love. Instead he falls for Lady Lyones upon first sight, and Linet fades into the background. Not gonna lie, I was disappointed at that.

Anyway, if you fancy an introduction to Arthurian legend, these is a decent place to start. It’s a bit shorter than Le Morte D’Arthur but it includes all the important parts.… (mais)