Thoughts from my Arthurian Reading Challenge
Hello! I wanted to share what I've been doing for the past few months with this sub, primarily because this sub is what helped me construct the reading list I settled on, as well as gave me some great pointers on editions, sequencing, and contemporary novels to chase after.
Last winter I decided I was going to do an Arthurian Reading Challenge. I don't remember why--maybe it was because I had recently bought a copy of Lev Grossman's Bright Swords and wanted more context, or I wanted a richer experience while playing Tainted Grail, or because I long for an age of chivalry when we live in a sad, broken world--but the idea was fixed tight in my head, and I constructed a syllabus based on recommendations from this sub as well as help from a friend who took a Malory class in college. I've attached pictures of the syllabus I created minus the reading schedule, since I was months off my estimated reading times (more on that later), as well as my current Arthurian bookshelf.
Here are some of the core texts I read and my thoughts on them:
Chretien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances (trans. William K. Kibler)
What a ride. It started off strong with "Eric & Enide", a tale I rather loved even though the morals of it were a bit nonsensical to the modern reader (the poor girl was just trying to help! Cut her some slack!). I will admit that I skipped Cliges after reading a few dozen pages and finding the Roman stuff exceedingly boring. The rest--"Knight & The Cart", "Knight & The Lion", "Percival & The Grail"--were a mix of wonderful and frustrating, mostly because of how the plot would introduce elements in Lost-style non-sequiturs, and the characters would react in somehow stranger ways. I can't remember the story where the three knights were out strolling and then, out of nowhere, one of them dies--and we are helpfully informed by the narrator that an invisible man has killed him. The story goes on, with this particular thread completely ignored, until it happens again, after which our hero goes to a dinner party and declares "Ah! That's the man who can turn invisible!"
These stories set me up well for Malory, reminding me that things I have come to know and love in fiction--you know, things like pacing and causality and characterization--are a construct of later centuries.
The Lais of Marie de France
A treat! Short, sweet, interesting. I've read a lot of classic poetry, and I love short stories, so this felt very resonate with my tastes. I can hardly remember all of them (except "Lanval" of course) but will likely go back and find a few favorites once I chip away at some more novels.
Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight (trans. William S. Merwin)
Not overhyped. I was absolutely riveted by this tale, one that I'd already heard much about from my friends studying medieval literature in college as well as the 2021 film. The pacing! The narrative harmonies! The adventure! The tension underpinning the whole affair! A wonderful read.
Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur (Barnes & Noble Modern Library Edition)
Where to begin. I'll start by saying I was extremely excited for this text, and should have tempered my expectations based on Chretien de Troyes. This is also the reason my reading challenge took months longer than anticipated: it was really hard to drag myself, week after week, into a 900-page 15th c. omnibus that often felt little more than "and he smote him sorely, and he was wonderfully wroth and got quick on his horse and smote the other, and they dressed their shields and charged as bores, and fought many for two hours before resting, where one withdrew his helm and asked 'Sir, are you perhaps my brother and we've been fighting this whole time for nought?'" My friends would see me drag this doorstop around and ask me if it was any good, to which I would respond, "No. But I'm glad I'm reading it."
And glad I was! Certain tales, especially Gareth (Beaumains) and the condescending lady and the multicolored brother knights, I found absolutely arresting. I couldn't get enough of Tristram and Palomides (there has to be a queer retelling of this). Lancelot was a hoot. Certain sections flew by where other parts (the Rome stuff, the endless tournaments) felt like a slog.
I also found the Grail quest to be maddening. Suddenly there are demons! And god is saving the day! And there are holy hermits everywhere, just hanging out in the woods ready to offer service! And Galahad is a perfect sexless angel! Etc.
I'd like to revisit Malory some day, and maybe try the Caxton manuscript just to switch it up. But I'm definitely going to give this one time to breathe first.
T. H. White, The Once & Future King
This is truly one of the most incredible books I have read. I'm not even sure where to begin--and I'll spare a full review, since this post is already long enough. But I will say this: it is without question that my reading of Malory strengthened this book's context to dazzling heights. Not just for the little pokes and jabs and references White makes towards Malory, but to see White take Malory's schema--here are the characters, here are the relationships, here is the sequence of actions and reactions--and build emotional context and character motivation and rich interiority into that. Each character felt unique and believable, each action organically born out of the social, political, and emotional context from which it was wrought, each reaction harmonic with the character's personality. I felt quite wroth at Lancelot in Malory's text, since multiple times he was given an opportunity to confess his adultery and yet he lied each time; I thought, "Ah, so the greatest knight in the world has let it all get to his head. What a prideful dick." And while I don't hate this reading of Lancelot, White's rendition of his character felt so much richer and beautiful and sad--and it made what happened between him and Arthur all the more gut-wrenching.
This book is a brilliant feat of creative accomplishment and homage. I will be recommending it to anyone who will listen.
And that's all I've read for now! I'm going to take a break and then jump into Tennyson, after which I'll have some fun with the more contemporary novels. Before I do, I want to give a special shout out to Prof. Dorsey Armstrong's "King Arthur: History & Legend" lecture series that I downloaded as a free PDF on my tablet and have been reading alongside all my primary sources. She does an amazing job breaking down the historical context and greater critical literature around the legends, and having her voice alongside my reading was an absolute treat. The closest I'll likely feel to being in an Arthurian college course.
I hope this was interesting to some of you Arthurian freaks! Please let me know if you feel strongly in agreement/disagreement with any of my initial impressions, and if there's anything critical missing from my reading list.