A Very Cute Read

I absolutely adored this reading. I literally read it all in one day because I was so invested in the lives of these teenagers. It reminded me so much of the things I used to read when I was 14-15 and I was honestly super happy to be back in that world again. Much simpler times. Though often it was a bit cringe, I really enjoyed this take on Arthurian legend. I also had no idea it was based in Anne Arundel County (where I grew up and currently live). It was a pleasant surprise for me to be able to feel like I could physically see the story unfolding before my eyes, because I’ve been to the places it has talked about so many times. I will add I think this was extremely well written for a younger audience. It was full of clever little tid-bits that made me “ohhhhhhh” at some parts (Elaine floating in the pool that was the “lake”… I mean wow)! The stories we read in class tend to be a bit heavier and dark, but this was a nice, light, airy feel to King Arthur that I think many people might prefer. This reading really focused on how Modred (Marco) was involved in all of this and I appreciated that, because I feel like he is often in the background of our minds but never explored in depth. All in all, a nice read and a clever take on Arthurian legend.

(I ship them so hard, btw.)

Realistic side of Morgaine

Throughout the stories of King Arthur, you can catch yourself wondering how people could come up with them, as some things just seem so unrealistic. But, in this story you see a characters realistic side Morgaine's in particular. Some characters just seem as if they have no human like feelings. This story is told in Morgaine's perspective and you see her human like side. She becomes very dramatic when it comes to Lancelot's thoughts on her. It comes off as very relatable to readers, as everyone wants to have a feeling of conformation.

Morgaine's Quickly Abandoned Emotional Composure Is Relatable

I really enjoyed watching Morgaine's inner monologue as she falls from the rules of a priestess, to the whims of her own emotion in the Mists of Avalon. It happens within a few pages, and yet the shift from "he [Lancelot] has not recognized me either, keep it so." (141) to "I want him [Lancelot] to think me beautiful-- myself, not the glamour!" (143) happens smoothly, and I enjoyed the way it humanizes Morgaine. Later still, when Gwenhwyfar appears and whisks Lancelot's attention and affections away from her she "felt a surge of hatred so great that she thought she would faint with its force." (158) How quickly and strongly she devolves from the rules set upon her reminds us as readers that she is still a human and still rather young. She bends to her wants over her duty in a way that is very familiar and reminiscent of a dramatic teenager. Though I doubt any modern readers have come across a situation that mirrors Morgaine's experience exactly as I believe the number of people asked if they're actually fae to be very small, at it's most simplified she throws a fit in her head and retreats into a cold persona after being embarrassed and rejected, and I'd say that's pretty relatable.

In Which an Editor Complains About Bad Writing

How come it took so long into this book for Arthur to hold a press conference? As a writer and editor reading this, there has got to be a lot of fluff that could be cut from the beginning of the book if we’re on page 170-something and the main storyline of Arthur running for mayor is just now starting. There are inconsistencies in verb tense and POV and I can’t stand reading this because it’s just plain bad writing. Yes, this entire post is just going to be complaining about the writing because it’s that bad.

First of all, adverbs ad nauseam. Dialogue is broken up in odd places. During the press conference, all the interruptions to dialogue to allow the reporters to laugh in response… nothing was funny. The Monty Python joke was not explained well and ill-timed for the situation. Cheese balls? (p 169-70) Really? On page 188, Gwen “cuts in” when she’s not interrupting anyone and then gets a “trailing off” ellipsis when it should be a dash because she’s interrupted by Arthur’s next line. These are just a few examples of the things that irritated me. Also, who’s POV are we supposed to be in? Seems like it’s supposed to be a limited omniscient narrator, but it’s inconsistent and the POV switches mid-scene sometimes. And where was the proofreader for this book? Must’ve been his or her day off.

Merlin is a jerk and Arthur’s personality is inconsistent. I don’t fully understand Gwen’s character from this excerpt, but it seems like everyone steps over her when I feel like she’s just trying to do her job. What is this book? Because I don’t like it.

So Many Questions

In the final chapter of The Once and Future King, Arthur is contemplating crazy big concepts that philosophers have questioned for many years. As I was reading his thought process of these issues my mind was exploding. He starts to think that  "perhaps man was neither good nor bad, was only a machine in an insensate universe-his courage no more than a reflex to danger, like the automatic jump at the pin-prick" (630). He continues to ask questions like "why do men fight?"(630) and "what was right? and what was wrong?" (631). These questions begin to topple over one another and spiral into issues that even Arthur lacks control of. These issues have been around way before Arthur was King of England, but Arthur decides to truly think about these problems at the end of his life. When I read this it reminded me of when people die and they start contemplating their life and its purpose. Isn't it interesting that as humans we do this right at the end of our life when we can no longer make any changes? I think this is why Arthur passes down his story to the young boy Tom. Arthur had so much hope for his country, it just did not work out as he planned. It is a bittersweet ending, no one wants to see Arthur go, but we all knew it was going to happen eventually.

Act like a King, Think like a King

Personally, I thought the character development of Arthur in Whites Queen of Air and Darkness was... interesting to say the least. I throughly enjoyed how Merlyn was portrayed more as an advisor in this and we actually get to see him counsel and teach Arthur throughout the book. Over time Arthur appeared to make more and more decisions instead of always relying on Merlyn to make them or push him in the right direction. Merlyn pushes Arthur to realize "Its not so much what you are doing... its how you are thinking"(222) which honestly I feel is good advice for anyone, but specifically in Arthurs case it helps him realize, it's not enough to act like a King, he has to think like a King too. However, I don't know how I feel about Arthur ignoring the riles of knightly combat towards the end of the story. On one hand, Arthur did have a much smaller army then the Gaels, but on the other, once his allies showed up his army swelled. I did think it was interesting because I felt it showed Arthur as being a little bloodthirsty, which tied into earlier in the story when Arthur was holding the stone and was almost marveling at the fact he could drop it and kill someone, and no one would do a thing about it.

Think for Yourself

In the excerpts of White’s novel, Arthur is a naïve character and Merlin is slightly frustrated with his lack of a personal thought process. Arthur’s character here reminded me of his portrayal in the Camelot episodes earlier in class. He has that “let’s go for it” attitude and wants to jump right in before giving anything a second thought. This is Merlin’s point. Arthur just goes with the flow of how things have always been done without stopping to evaluate if this is a reasonable decision. “It’s not so much what you are doing,” Merlin says, “It is how you are thinking… Are you never going to think for yourself?” (222). Merlin wants to get Arthur out of the mindset that he needs someone to think for him. Rather, Arthur is perfectly capable of having his own thoughts and making his own decisions; he just needs to try! Then, when he does try, Arthur comes up with the idea of the Round Table and that his knights will fight for a good cause. He explains: “Why can’t you harness Might so that it works for Right? … It will be using the Might instead of fighting against it, and turning a bad thing into a good” (248). By thinking for himself and not being swayed by the traditions of his culture, Arthur has come up with a new idea to fight for the sake of good instead of fighting for the sake of fighting.

Fact or fiction?????

While reading this chapter, I thought back to the discussion on the differences between ‘history’ and ‘fiction’; I believe Geoffrey’s stories are the exact intersection of said concepts. Supposedly, he had written the History of the Kings of Britain, but much of his writings seem to be more ‘story’ than actual history. For example, how would he know the exact events that transpired at every moment in Arthur’s career, even down to the words said by others? On page 70, Geoffrey even describes Arthur’s fight with Frollo down to each individual actions; “Arthur unsheathed his sword, too, and was hurrying to kill him, when Frollo stood up quickly and, with his lance straight before him, ran at Arthur” (Geoffrey (Loomis?) 70).

            Other aspects that portray his writings as ‘stories’ are the fantastical events, including but not limited to Uther Pendragon turning himself into Gorlois, and Arthur’s battle with a literal giant that ate humans. These events cannot be considered history in my opinion, and many others as well. It is even stated in the beginning of the chapter that “Other historians of his own century and since have dismissed Geoffrey’s claims an imposture” (Loomis 58)

            Overall, it was interesting and entertaining to read, but impossible to believe.

King Arthur Film: Where is Merlin?

Looking at how Arthur is displayed in the movie it does make it seem a little similar to how I thought that he would have been portrayed. In the film, he seems as if he is a brave warrior that is willing to take on the entire Saxon army with no problem. When he rides out to face the Saxon leader by himself it makes him seem as if he is the protector of Britons and had previously done something similar. It also showed him not only as the leader of the battles but as a King and the respect that he got from people when his knights decided to fight with him. 

On the other hand, there were aspects of the movie that didn’t add up to the myths we have been told. One of these was that Merlin seemed to play a very small role in the movie. During the trailer and a small part of the movie that we watched, Merlin was only depicted once; whereas in the myths he always seemed to play a major role in the life of Arthur. For someone that was supposed to guide Arthur and make sure that he is making the right decisions, he does not seem to be as prevalent in the movie.

King Arthur Film Reflection

I think I knew exactly nothing about King Arthur when we first started talking about him in class. Sure, I’ve heard the name before, but I never really went out of my way to figure out who he truly was or read anything that had to do with him. But after the scenes of the film that we viewed in class, I feel much better about the idea I have about this “King” Arthur. He seems like a fearless leader, oozing with masculinity and toughness. The last scene we watched before the battle with the Saxons illustrated this the best, in my opinion. His heavy and shining armor, his nights reuniting with him after being promised freedom, the inspirational speech Arthur gives to them, the threatening words to the enemy before the battle, were all things that seemed like a great king would do. The fact that the actor that played him was also super handsome helped too. ANYWAY. He truly did seem like a legend, and surely it was because he was presented this way. I now believe that I understand how important his legend is, why so many authors have picked up this mythical king character and ran with it, telling stories of hard fought conquests and the magic surrounding King Arthur himself.

King Arthur Reflection Post

When watching the trailer and a few scenes of the movie, it became apparent to me that King Arthur represents something more than himself. During his talk at the round table, he and his other knights were disbanded by a Roman General and given their freedom. As you watched the other knights leave the castle with their freedom while the saxons prepared to attack, you realize that any normal person in this scenario would take their newfound freedom and hightail right on out of there. The knights didn't owe Rome anything, so they left. Not Arthur. Arthur was made into something more than just a King. He stood as someone who needed to do the right thing first, so others could watch and eventually follow. Instead of doing what any sane person would do, he became an idealized human, one who would lead by example and stick to his moral beliefs no matter what. Eventually his knights returned to the battlefield to be with Arthur at the end, and while probably a suicidal attempt to defend Rome, it shows how Arthur isn't just a King who knows the difference between right and wrong, but one who is willing to show his people he'll do anything for his morals. 

James DeProspero