Once and future king

From Zeugma

    The Once and Furure King is author T.H. White's 20th century retelling of the Arthurian legend partly inspired by Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur.  It is divided into four parts in chronological order: The Sword in the Stone in 1938, The Queen of Air and Darkness in 1939, The Ill-Made Knight in 1940, and The Candle in the Wind in 1958 published together as The Once and Future King in 1958. 

The Sword in the Stone- Examines Arthur's youth and education by Merlyn culminating Arthur(then known as the squire Wart) pulls the legendary sword from the stone and becomes king of England.  Arthur education includes being turned into various animals by the wizard Merlyn.

The Queen of Air and Darkness- Involves Arthur putting down various rebellions as king, the creation of the round table and Arthur's seduction by his half-sister Morgause , the sin which will bring about Arthur's downfall. 

The Ill-Made Knight- Tells the story of the infamous love affair between Arthur's bride Queen Guenever and his knight Lancelot and its consequences. It also includes the quest for the Holy Grail

The Candle in the Wind- Chronicles the downfall of Arthur and the kingdom of Camelot.  Arthur does battle against his son Mordred born from his incestuous seduction by Morgause. 

    That Hideous Strength is an allegorical continuation of the King Arthur legend with Mr. Fisher-King acting as an Arthurian figure, but this is not the only significant way in which That Hideous Strength and The Once and Future King are related.  Like C.S. Lewis, T.H. White also used the Arthurian myth as a means of talking about his own political views and current events.  The obvious event concurrent with the publication of The Once and Future King to which it is often linked is World War II.  Given this backdrop, it is easy to see why White was concerned with finding the best way to govern people.  In light of this, one of the most interesting aspects of The Once and Future King as opposed to other versions of the King Arthur story is that White brought Arthur's political ideals to the forefront allowing the reader to see how they change throughout the book.  White uses Arthur as a device for political commentary rather than a simplistic paragon of idealism.  C.S. Lewis employs similar devices throughout That Hideous Strength and like White, uses the Arthurian myth as a backdrop. 

NG