"Anguish of Ireland had once dreamed of a wind which blew down all their castles and towns, and this one was conspiring to do it."

This quote from The Once and Future King symbolizes the huge wars fought, as well as the wars to come, during King Arthur's reign, in which blood flowed as freely as the rivers. The Once and Future King by T.H. White is a collection of many King Arthur tales including "The Sword in the Stone," "The Queen of Air and Darkness," "The Ill Made Knight," and "The Candle in the Wind." They tell of Arthur's life from childhood through his old age. The tales describe King Arthur's rise to power, from youth to king of all Camelot.

The novel begins with "The Sword in the Stone," which concentrates on Arthur's upbringing. Arthur Pendragon, nicknamed Wart, is a young boy living with his guardian, Sir Ector, and Ector's son, Kay. Arthur knows he is not related to these people, but he has no idea who his father is. Arthur runs wild until he meets Merlyn, who becomes his tutor. Merlyn is a wizard who is living backwards. This backwards living makes him absent-minded and muddled, but he manages to be a good teacher, especially to Arthur. He

At first start, the reading of The Once and Future King went slowly. I feared that my head was filled with pulp reading of the modern day as I stumbled over Old English references, spellings, and Latin crossovers. But, like riding a bike, I was into it quite well after only a small portion of the book. White spent much ground covering the life of The Wart - King Arthur at a young age. The story follows Arthur in his studies with Merlyn as the old and perky wizard changes him into various animals, teaches him kindness and civility and arms him with the weapons to change the world. Merlyn's character is indeed a lot of fun as he fumbles over spells and embarrassing situations. T.H. White's portrayal of Merlyn is a comfortable and fun combination.

White didn't have many solid facts to work with, but merely a group of small, related tales about the legend of King Arthur. Therefore, it was necessary for White to bend the existing tales in order to fit them together into one complete novel. White was obviously influenced by his studies in King Arthur. This interest is depicted throughout White's entire novel as he continues to dig deeper and deeper into the minds, hearts, and souls, of each of the characters. White brings out feelings and emotions that he himself interpreted from other texts and references with fluency and enthusiasm. He gives much more meaning to the actions of the characters and allows the reader to relate closely to the characters.

This book is a classic rendition of the Arthur legend, and perhaps one of the finest ever crafted. The tale in which T.H. White's novel The Once and Future King weaves is a classic, yet at the same time it is unique. The plot is ages old, yet White tells it in a way that keeps the reader intrigued. White's writing style is unique and difficult compared to most other writers in the modern genres. White writes for the scholar. Although the author has taken the story of King Arthur a step further into fiction, T.H. White has done a superb job taking the mythology/history further into the realm of fantasy. The Once and Future King is a charming rendition of the life, feelings and wishes of King Arthur of Camelot. The characters of his story have more flesh and blood than most people I've shook hands with. If you're looking for a clashing adventure of men at arms and knights in armor, this isn't it. This is more a moralistic journey into the heart of chivalry and justice.

Some common words found in the essay are:
King Arthur, Future King, Uther Pendragon, Arthur Camelot, Morgause Arthur's, Round Table, Kay Arthur, Merlyn Arthur, Holy Grail, Uther Pendragon's, king arthur, future king, sword stone, round table, idea round table, ill knight, arthur's life, th white's, idea round, candle wind, holy grail, queen air darkness,
Approximate Word count = 1649
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)