Synopses & Reviews
The legends of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table have inspired some of the greatest works of literature--from Cervantes's
Don Quixote to Tennyson's
Idylls of the King. Although many versions exist, Malory's stands as the classic rendition. Malory wrote the book while in Newgate Prison during the last three years of his life; it was published some fourteen years later, in 1485, by William Caxton. The tales, steeped in the magic of Merlin, the powerful cords of the chivalric code, and the age-old dramas of love and death, resound across the centuries.
The stories of King Arthur, Lancelot, Queen Guenever, and Tristram and Isolde seem astonishingly moving and modern. Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur endures and inspires because it embodies mankind's deepest yearnings for brotherhood and community, a love worth dying for, and valor, honor, and chivalry.
Synopsis
Sir Thomas Malory's version of the legends of King Arthur and his knights of the round table have provided literary inspiration for centuries. Written while the author was in Newgate prison in London for the last three years of his life, Le Morte d'Arthur was first published in 1485 by William Caxton long after Malory had died. The stories of King, Arthur, Sir Launcelot, Queen Guenevere, and Sir Gawaine, steeped in the magic of Merlin, still make wonderful reading after five hundred years.
About the Author
Elizabeth J. Bryan is associate professor of English at Brown University. She is the author of Collaborative Meaning in Medieval Scribal Culture: The Otho LaZamon.