Jane Smiley reviews TH White's The Once and Future King, a serious and delightful work that explores the complexities of human nature and governance. The novel is full of insights and comic scenes, and White's portrayal of characters like Guenever is sympathetic and rich.
Jane Smiley's review of TH White's The Once and Future King highlights the novel's depth and richness. The work, composed over 20 years, is a serious and delightful exploration of Arthurian legend, filled with insights into human nature and governance. White's portrayal of characters like Guenever is particularly sympathetic and rich, and the novel is full of comic scenes that deal with some of Malory's absurdities. The underlying premise of the novel is that the proper arrangement and resolution of personal relationships can result in social peace, and the novel ends with the implication that Arthur will try again to create the kingdom he hoped for.
Quick quotes
The Once and Future King is full of insights, scenes, and flourishes that are really quite astonishing.
White's novel is intense and rich.
The underlying premise of the novel as a form is that such rationalisation and reconciliation is possible, because the novel always tries to set the individual into the social context.