Children's Book Week: King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table is a novel for children written by Roger Lancelyn Green. It was first published by Puffin Books in 1953 and has since been reprinted.^[1] In 2008 it was reissued in the Puffin Classics series with an introduction by David Almond (the award-winning author of Clay, Skellig, Kit's Wilderness and The Fire-Eaters),^[2] and the original illustrations by Lotte Reiniger.

Green attempted to weave together the many legends surrounding King Arthur in a single narrative, claiming that Thomas Malory's version of the story, Le Morte d'Arthur, was a loose collection of separate stories. Green attempted to relate each legend so that the entire story would have a beginning, middle and end. Green used many sources in addition to Malory.

Summary

After Uther Pendragon's death, Merlin the magician forms a stone and in it a sword. After many years, the young Arthur, secretly the son of Uther Pendragon, pulls the sword out of the stone and becomes king. Together with Merlin, he constructs a round table, at which only the best knights of England may sit.^[3] More and more knights come to join the brotherhood of the Round Table, and each has his own adventures.^[3]

Eventually, the holy knight Galahad, the son of sir Lancelot, comes to Arthur's court. With his coming, all the knights ride throughout Europe in search of the Holy Grail of Jesus Christ. Only five knights see the Grail; sir Lancelot, sir Percival, Sir Bors de Gaunnes, sir Galahad and sir Gawain.^[3]

After the Grail is found, the last battle of the Knights of the Round Table is fought. In this battle many knights die and with them King Arthur, sir Gawain, who is Arthur's nephew and Mordred, the wicked son of king Arthur and his half-sister Morgana le Fay.^[3] King Arthur is taken away to Avalon, a secret island after he is terribly wounded by Mordred while he was making the final stab with his sword to kill Mordred.^[3]

References

·  "''King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table'' at Fantastic Fiction". Fantasticfiction.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-09-06.

·  ·  Google Books. ''King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table''. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2012-09-06.

·  Jungbauer, Thomas (January 15, 1995). "King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table - Roger Lancelyn Green". Director Referate.