The Books of Merlyn

by T.H. White

Book Overview

This magical account of King Arthur's last night on earth, rediscovered in a collection of T. H. White's papers at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, spent twenty-six weeks... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B000QF9YG0
• Release Date: January 1977
• Publisher: University Of Texas Press
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.

Customer Reviews

different than the once and future king, but equally enjoyable

as i said in my title, this book is very different. if you're looking for an arthurian read with a plot, stay away. because this book has no plot. it is set just before arthur leaves for his fatal battle with mordred. merlyn and all of the animals he learned from as a boy have gathered together and are pondering different things, and the morals of the lessons merlyn teaches. arthur is taken on more journeys with the animals, with the ones of the geese and ants repeated (there are also additional ones). it really makes you think, and it delves deeper into the arthurian legend and its morals. this is a wonderful book, and should be read directly after the once and future king for the full effect.

from story to archetypal myth

If you like the Once and Future King as an amuzing story, then watch out, this book is not for you. Here White elevates his discussions to probe humanity's own lack of humanity. Having witnessed the horrors of World War II, White brilliantly exploits the Arthurian legend to analyze and discuss humans: are we as grand as we think we are? Is there hope? Are King Arthur's efforts (or, archetypally, the efforts of any human who is engaged in helping out the human race) fruitful or simply futile?This is a humanistic work that dares to challenge the assumptions of humanism. Merlyn uses strong polemic to not only argue that humans are bad for nature (this is an incomplete understanding of the text) but that we have less "humanity" than vrtually all other animals. This view seems to be in direct conflict to Arthur's wish to salvage humanity. Yet Merlyn does not see it as a fatalistic view, he very much still shows hope.The Book of Merlyn is a top-down, ideological examination of humanism enveloped in the archetypal Arthurian myth. It is not a bed-time story. It is not about lovely castles and romantic imagery. It is about humanity.

A Wonderful Piece of Wizardry

The Book of Merlyn was an incredible book, once again proving the genius of T.H. White. This book is the only sensible conclusion to the Once and Future King and should have been included in the original printing. In The Book of Merlyn, we revisit King Arthur on the night before his final battle with his son, Mordred. Feeling dejected and alone, Arthur's mentor, the lovably eccentric and ingenious Merlyn, returns and whisks the king away to learn two final lessons from the animals he knew as a child. This book is not merely a childish fairytale, but rather an in-depth dissection of human nature in which the human condition is explored in depth and the ever-elusive meaning of life is hinted at. A book for the serious reader or any serious fan of Arthur and Merlyn, The Book of Merlyn is a masterpiece from the mind of one of the greatest writers of the past one hundred years.

White's political views abound in this fantasy gem

Professor/author T.H. White wrote a powerful work that provokes inquiries from the reader. The complex characters serve as backboards for the major themes that vary from war to humanity resorting to primitive ways. White constructs a simple plot and adds layer upon layer of wordplay, philosophies, political views, and much more to transform the basic premise into something magical. The most warped character of all, the bumbling eccentric Merlyn, serves as White's voice throughout. The weary Arthur's gripes seem so genuine that the reader may empathize with the lonely soul. White's work contains some of the only material that can be compared with that of fantasy master J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien and White both utilized dead Anglo-Saxon languages' roots and base words to the maximum, mixing Old English prefixes with Norse suffixes. This is a brilliant work, I highly recommend it.

T.H. White's best

In this often forgotten conclusion to the King Arthur legend, White recaps his thoughts and ideas about humanity, misery, hope, trust, where we have gone astray and why there is still hope. Subtle, bitter-sweet, and profound, this book is worth its price 10 times over.