I first read this book as part of a King Arthur class in college and thought I should read it again as a non-student.

I think my opinion stayed pretty much the same. Because of the time period that it was written in, there was a huge emphasis on the Christian religion and purity, which was all fine and dandy, but there were numerous violations of that (though they were not seen as violations for the characters).

There was slaughter of so called "savages" and constant fighting (and killing) over tiny mistakes and oftentimes, the characters didn't even know each other during sanctioned fights. The women were pathetic and weak and when they weren't, they were portrayed as evil. Guinevere was a horrible person to Lancelot in particular.

Overall, the book took me forever to read, namely because of the writing style used, but I did enjoy it. ( )

I first read this book as part of a King Arthur class in college and thought I should read it again as a non-student.

I think my opinion stayed pretty much the same. Because of the time period that it was written in, there was a huge emphasis on the Christian religion and purity, which was all fine and dandy, but there were numerous violations of that (though they were not seen as violations for the characters).

There was slaughter of so called "savages" and constant fighting (and killing) over tiny mistakes and oftentimes, the characters didn't even know each other during sanctioned fights. The women were pathetic and weak and when they weren't, they were portrayed as evil. Guinevere was a horrible person to Lancelot in particular.

Overall, the book took me forever to read, namely because of the writing style used, but I did enjoy it. ( )

In Le Morte D'Arthur, Sir Thomas Malory has compiled prior Arthurian tales, as well as added his own. While he does owe a lot of plot to characters such as Geoffrey of Monmouth an Chrétien de Troyes, Malory is unique since Morte D'Arthur becomes the definitive Arthurian anthology for subsequent authors to work off of. Malory solidifies some traits of contemporary understandings of Arthurian legend: Morgan Le Fey, The Sword in the Stone, intertwining Lancelot's love for Guinevere into Arthur's downfall, etc. For this reason, Morte D'Arthur is very interesting, even now.

As writing style goes, Malory's prose is not extraordinarily timeless. It is hard to have analysis of Morte D'Arthur without alluding at least to the War of the Roses, juxtaposing Arthur as the ideal King to warring monarchs in Britain, who didn't have much legitimacy. Compared to earlier Arthurian tales, Malory is a better writer, yet the idea of the modern novel has not yet developed, apparent by the usefulness of Oxford's "translation" into more understandable English prose. Still, from a leisure-reading perspective, it is more enjoyable to read than it's earlier peers, yet it has yet to develop more modern literary traits which make reading fun for a twenty-first century audience. ( )

I ventured into this version of Malory to fulfill something that had held my curiosity over the years, namely the common source of the Arthurian legends. And while some of the legends in Malory have their roots outside of England, it was Malory who brought the whole thing together into one collective tale. As a result reading this may be somewhat cumbersome, particularly for those who are not accustomed to the language of the period. The text in this edition is well prepared and the preface denotes a certain amount of editing to shorten certain scenes, which is helpful, as Malory does have an inclination toward repetitive scenes. Reading Malory was indeed enlightening, as my knowledge of Arthurian legend was limited to common facets of the tales and the pieces that were highlighted in the film adaptation "Excalibur", a great movie in its own right, but a decided interpretative take, stressing a certain line of the legends (as do all the films concerning Camelot). I found it helpful, and fascinating, to map out a geneaology and relationship tree as I read Malory, as some characters spring in and out of the narrative with large gaps between. I found the latter part of Malory most satisfying, as the legend moves to the grand tragedy that is the epic confrontation between Arthur and Lancelot, and then Arthur and Mordred. For those considering a venture into Malory, I would strongly recommend following it up with a read of Tennyson's 'Idylls of the King', which has its own focus on the legend, and looks at it from quite a different perspective. Either way, Malory is a classic, as his prose still reads well to this day, and its resonance through literature is undeniable. ( )

Arthurian legends have always piqued my interest. I've learned a lot from studying them, the least of which that the stories are incredibly old. Malory's Winchester Manuscript is the most comprehensive version - from an English author. All the stories of Arthur's knights are here, and I certainly have my favorites: Gareth first!

Malory's writing is quite dense, and it takes a while to get used to his 15th century technique. However, once you get into the text you will fall in love. He writes beautifully, and this will always be a part of my library. If you're looking for even older Arthurian stories - search in Wales and France. ( )