the once and future king

[j.franklin at mail.utexas.edu]

No: HPFGUIDX 28295


> Here's a great one:
> 
> _The Once and Future King_, by T. H. White.
> 
> Has anyone here read that? I've been reading it slowly and 
> comfortably for the last week or so. It's a retelling of the story 
of 
> Arthur, but this one is nothing like any of the others I've read. 
> It's light, urbane, witty, moving, truthful, quirky, scintillating. 
> It's a bit like Umberto Eco but less weighty. It's also like 
> fanfiction in a sense, that it touches on all the rock-solid plot 
> points, but in between weaves a fantastic, believable but very 
> individual path.
> 
> The reason this post is not OT: The first part of the book (the 
best, 
> I think) describes the youth and education of Arthur (or the Wart), 
> under the supervision of Merlyn. Much like Harry in PS/SS, Arthur 
is 
> introduced to the world of magic, and to his inheritance. Merlyn's 
> preferred pedagogical method is direct experience; thus, to learn 
> about birds, Arthur is transformed into one. Which is then an 
> opportunity for White to explore bird society, teaching and 
> speculating brilliantly. The section where Arthur becomes a 
migratory 
> goose (funny as that sounds) is one of my favourite breath-halting 
> bits of literature. And then there are the ants, over-allegorised 
co-
> denizens of our planet, but still cleverly reimagined here. Please 
> read this book, preferably a musty, yellowing, secondhand version 
> like mine.
> 
> I was going to compare Harry's and Arthur's experiences as they are 
> introduced to a new world, and the fact that they both have a 
mission 
> of some sort to perform, but I'm sitting in my office and the book 
> rests on my bedside table at home... so. There is also much to be 
> said about comparing the conceptualisation of each magical world... 
> both set in England and with similar cultural topoi/recurring 
> features of magic and all that. There must be something in the fact 
> that English writers can so readily conjure up believable magic 
> worlds, I know I read an essay on that somewhere... gnarrr.
> 
Hope this isn't too off topic, but I read the Once and Future King in 
High School and loved it.  I can definately see the correlations to 
Harry Potter that you are talking about.  In some ways, Harry Potter 
reminds me of Arthurian legend, particularly if you are one of those 
people who believe that Harry's predetermined destiny is to battle He-
Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.  I recently read The Book of Merlin by T.H. 
White which is the ending that he intended for the Once and Future 
King, but was not originally published with the rest of the book.  
This book while heavily centered on the nature of man does continue 
the idea that being destined to perform a function for society is not 
easy because Arthur at one point chooses to give up.  I have to 
wonder if Harry will ever make the decision to let someone else 
battle Vodelmort for a while.  Hmm possible prediction for book? 
Maybe Ron can have some of the fame and glory.

J.