Customer Reviews

King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table (Puffin Classics)

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3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Who hasn't heard of King Arthur and the knights of his Round Table? In this book you meet them all - including the magician Merlin, and the brave knights Sir Launcelot, Sir Gareth, Sir Tristam, Sir Bors, Sir Kay, and Sir Galahad. All the old favorites are included - Arthur drawing the sword out of the stone, Arthur receiving the sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake, and Arthur's marriage to Guinevere. But this is just the beginning of excitement - followed by numerous quests and adventures of the knights, including the Quest for the Holy Grail. This book is chock-full of entertaining adventures involving knights in shining armour, damsels in distress, fierce jousting and sword fights to the death, battles against hoards of enemies and giants, tournaments and miracles.

The medieval setting is painted in a rather idealized fashion, limited to the nobility and figures of the court, who embrace all that is beautiful, brave and noble. These virtues are sometimes portrayed rather simplistically, as unknown knights engage in mortal combat, and only after they have virtually killed each other do the introductions begin: "What is your name?" Behind this medieval mayhem is a heightened sense of chivalry more reflective of legend than fact, where knights battle to the death for the sake of a woman - even one they have only just met. But isn't that what the Arthurian legends are all about? Nobody is under the illusion that they are to be taken too seriously. Journeying to Arthur's Camelot is a form of escapism - suspend your sense of disbelief, watch the flashing swords and fearful battles, and enjoy.

That's not to say that the Arthurian tales do not reflect any reality. Arthur's world is in many respects a real medieval world. Medieval beliefs in paganism and Christianity are evident throughout. Witchcraft and enchantment is presented as alive and deadly, and conversely the true religion - in this case the beliefs of the medieval Catholic church - is evident throughout as knights commend themselves to God in prayer, thank him for his help, and even repent from their sins. The whole notion of the Holy Grail is of course a very Christian tradition - although a tradition that represents more fiction than fact. And the moral virtues of justice, truth and right for which the honorable knights fight are still noble ideals of virtue today. Arthur's kingdom is presented as a kingdom blessed by the grace of God, a beacon of light symbolizing all that is good and true and right, and a worthy model for kingdoms in today's world because it revolves around timeless virtues. Tales that promote dignity, courtesy, courage, respect for right, respect for female dignity and purity are as ennobling as they are entertaining.

How much truth there is behind the Arthurian tales will always be the subject of debate. The fact remains that there is an extensive and confusing body of legend to wade through. In this work, Green has essentially followed Malory's fifteenth century classic "Morte d'Arthur." But unlike most other writers, such as Sir James Knowles, Green has made some significant improvements:
1. Firstly, the traditional Arthurian tales are a confusing mass of legends. But Green consciously weaves all the tales together as part of a single pattern. He needs to take some liberties with legend in order to achieve this, but these alterations are minor, and the end result is a plausible reconstruction with a clear development, revolving around the establishment of Arthur's kingdom, its climax with the successful quest for the Holy Grail, and subsequent downfall.
2. Secondly, most other collections slavishly follow the body of legend inherited by Thomas Malory. Green follows Malory in the main, but has researched the legends carefully for himself, and also incorporates some Arthurian legends not found in Malory.
These innovations of Green result in a very readable and successful version of the Arthurian tales, and yet one that does not significantly sacrifice faithfulness to legend. Those looking for a more historical reflection of the Arthurian tales would do well to turn to a version of Malory, such as that by Sir James Knowles. And those looking for a more developed and extensive modern version where the author has taken liberties beyond the original legends, would enjoy the classic work by Howard Pyle. But as a faithful, plausible and enjoyable introduction to the tales, you can't go wrong with this superb effort by Green.

Most readers looking to be introduced to the Arthurian legends need look no further than this collection by Green. It's not as grand as Malory, but it's a better read. There is no end to the accomplishments of sword and sorcery, adventures and quests. To our sorrow, Arthur's kingdom ends in darkness and disgrace, but not before it has shone with a wonderful and memorable light. Along with the tales of Robin Hood, the tales of King Arthur are the most exciting tales that British history has produced. This is the stuff of legend, and it's worth a read.

I have loved the tales of Camelot since I was quite small. Due to this, several friends have asked me where they should begin. Over and over again, I recommend Green. His work is not majestic like Malory, but much easier to read and follow, especailly for a neophyte. Children love it, as do adults; this book gives the basic nobility of the tales, giving a good clue as to why they've been so popular for so long. Green also includes several tales of Sir Gawain, so he is not the near-felon he seems in several late medieval texts. The books is charming, moving, sad, happy, and everything else you could wish from Camelot. If you haven't read of Arthur before, begin here; if you want to remember why you loved these tales to begin with, read Green. He provides more than you would ever expect.

This copy of the brought down story, King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table is by Roger Lancelyn Green. This book is the book that you must get for the holidays. This book has everything that a reader could ask for. The times were mischievous. Evil was waiting brake out through the cracks of the darkest parts. Morgana Le Fe, a woman educated in wizardry, who used her powers in the good. When the squire, Arthur went looking for a sword for his brother, Sir Kay, he came across a sword stuck in stone. Unaware of its power, Arthur pulled it out. Then England knew who their king was.Following the advice of Merlin, his wise counselor, Arthur created a round table for his knights. The knights went on quests, fighting evil and seeking the Holy Grail, Only the purist could see the Grail. This book is about many knights ` adventures. come up often or you'll see the chronicles of Merlin. The reason you may not see this book being reviewed because almost every American has read King Arthur. Some people do not like the mystical aspects in this book or the old English. There are battles with dragons and wizardry but that's the type of book it is. I recommend this book to families in America for it is not just a book your kids will enjoy but is also for the whole family. King Arthur is historical and adventurous. The battles are realistic and the writing is "encouraging" for it keeps, you the reader yearning to read on.

I use this text as one of the "novels" that I teach in my British Literature high school class. Although the reading level is listed as ages 9-12, it works well at this level because some of the vocabulary is antiquated (smote, damsel, scabbard, jerkin, etc.) It is a very good translation of Le Morte D'arthur, and Roger Lancelyn Green has done a tremendous job of condensing the volumes of stories in that work into this selection.

There are illustrations as well to help students visualize what is happening. Unfortunately, as we become more geared to "viewing" stories on a screen, the skill of imagination in our children is greatly compromised, so pictures help them see the story. This version accomplishes that task, even though the pictures are simply black and white.

For readers who enjoy quest stories and legends, this is wonderful choice.

This is a classic story, but I would definitely recommend an older reader enjoying this. Even if reading this to a child, the wording is old english and unfamiliar to some readers. To make the story understandable, I needed to stop and explain the story at times.

I have read many versions of the Arthurian legends, and revisited them again in three different books recently. Of those, this version was the best. It was compiled from several different sources, and manages to flesh out some of the legends of the lesser knights and Merlin the Enchanter more than many versions.

Despite being a Puffin Classics edition, it does not condescend to the reader, nor read as a diluted telling, as is so often the case in educational publishing. If you are looking for a clean, coherent telling of the Arthurian tales that won't require wading through archaic language, this is the version for you.

The paperback pricing is nice too.

The Legend of King Arthur is a book that everyone should read at least once in his life. The Legend actually consists of hundreds of stories passed down for generations orally. Then somebody wrote it down, someone else read different ones of those and wrote his own. This way there are many different versions. The one that I read, and this review is about, is written by Roger Lancelyn Green. Unlike the other ones, which are hundreds of years old, this book is written in modern English. Because of that you can read it pretty fast.

Every chapter in this book is a story for itself, which have only a little to do with each other. The only character which is mentioned in every of those stories is King Arthur. He is the famous King of Logres, the holy realm. The story takes place in the 400s, when the Saxons invaded Britain. God thought that Britain will fall if he doesn't support them. So he decided to establish the Realm of Logres, which should be ruled by King Arthur. As soon as he began to ruled Britain, most of the world's best knights were at his court. The most famous one is Sir Launcelot. He was the best knight at the Round Table, but Logres also fell because of him and the beauty of King Arthur's wife.

And when Britain is in need, the Holy Realm of Logres can be reestablished at any time.

I read King Aurthur and his Knights of the Round Table this summer and I found it to be genuinely interesting. Each step to reaching the height of Logres was well worded and every story allowed me to picture exactly what was happening in my head. Although I thought the ending was sad, it did not take away from the novel as a whole and I would recomend it to anyone who enjoys mythical stories.

My mother gave me this book when I was six years old, and I fell in love immediately. It covers just about every classic Arthurian story, so it's a good introduction to the legends. The formal language is evocative of both the medieval period from which the stories come and the magical realm in which they take place. The woodcut illustrations have a 'stained-glass' look, and add to the atmosphere of the tales. Reading it, you feel that you are getting at the 'original' stories rather than a modern retelling; Green allows the quests and adventures to stand on their own, much as they exist in Malory or the medieval romances, without forcing his voice and version of events onto them. For this reason, I prefer it to other introductory collections of the stories. It's a classic, one that I've reread probably hundreds of times over the last twelve years.

As a teacher, and Arthurian Legend enthusiast, I have found these tales applicable to both middle, and high school students. Timeless stories of chivalry and honor accurately retold by Green excited students, who devoured chapter after chapter of guts and gore, evenly balanced with heroic knightly deeds. In the end students wanted more, and sought other titles independently. Note: TH Lawrence's Sword in the Stone is not an ample substitue. Students found it to be trite, childish, and laborious. It does however demonstrate how authorial interpretation of original plotlines can make or break a story. This book is worth the money.