The Sword and the Circle: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Used for school

Well we needed this for an in-depth literature class, and the book itself is fine, it's just that the printing of the cover went haywire, so part of the top is cut off and the bottom has a white area- like it was shifted up during printing.

The recreation of ancient cultures serves as a favorite vehiclefor Rosemary Sutcliff, who has portrayed the ancient Celts and Romans in Britain. In this YA book she has swept away the mists of Avalon, thus allowing her readers the delightful privilege of observing the gradual creation of Arthuriana. Drawing upon an eclectic source base for inspiration she weaves a tapestry which mesmerizes those who admired the Golden Age which briefly flowered between the Rome and the true Dark Ages. Our favorite heroes move and breathe once more as the ancienttales are spun out to their inevitable conclusion. Less a cohesive novel with clearly-defined plot and character development, this book is more an anthology with overlapping characters and dreams or goals, centered around Arthur's immortal, chivalric brotherhood. Once again we admireMerlin, Arthur, Guinivere, Lancelot, Tristan, Percival, Sir Gawain,the kitchen Knight and others from medieval leis. Their ladies remind usof the strict rules of Courtly Love. These various protagonists have their turn in the spotlight of adventure: both militant and amorous. They must joust with their enemies, mortal and otherwise, or even worse: wrestle with their own private passions, fears and prophecies. Pervading these dozen stories is the universal theme of Magic:the dark variety as wielded by Arthur's arch enemy, his half-sister, Morgan la Fey; and the White magic of Merlin and the lady Nimue. The ultimate destruction of Camelot by Mordred is merely hinted at, but enchantments of various kinds cause many valiant knights to stumble into sin, regardless of the fact that the dire consequences are not immediately manifest. Time and again this evil half-sister lurks in the background, weaving her dark arts to cause Arthur's ruin. When she is unable to attack him directly, she uses unwitting mortals to work her implacable will. Fortunately in this collection she only succeeds sporadically, temporarily, but the shadow of of her destruction haunts Arthur throughout his reign. In addition to the obvious forces of Good and Evil Sutcliff presents mystic elements: the coming of Excalibur, Merlin's final rest beneath the hawthorn tree, the Table Round with its Chairs which are magically emblazoned in gold lettering, as new champions emerge from legend to join the famed brotherhood. Yet perhaps an even greater force of magic, if you will, is demonstrated by the odyssey of the human heart.Philosophically recognizing that the heart chooses where it will--regardless of social mores and common sense--Sutliff's lovers are plagued with poor timing, faulty judgment, as well as magical potions or spells working against them. These famous pairs inevitably succumb to their forbidden or unbidden passions--few with happy results. Sutcliff's style immediately engages our compassion and concern for their success, although we understand full well the contradictory moral implications. Perhaps relying on readers' familiarity with movie and musical versions of CAMELOT, the author chose not to conclude her Arthurian saga with the violent desecration of the Table Round as a result of the famous romantic triangle and ensuing civil war. Instead she leaves us thegentle, joyous legacy of the Shining Time, which has captured the imagination of people the world over for centuries. Fantasy, Dream or wishful Fiction: let the mists swirl as Excalibur rising from the Lake, and may mankind take heart in the glories of Britain's Past.

There are countless retellings and adaptations concerning the life and times of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and I'm not even close to having read all of them. Therefore, it's impossible for me to say that Rosemary Sutcliffe's version is the definitive Arthurian retelling. However, it's certainly one of the best. Told in Sutcliffe's graceful prose that is both epic and intimate when need-be, and the tricky subjects like incest, adultery and bloodshed are conveyed without being either too prudish or overly graphic.This first installment in her "King Arthur trilogy" is thicker than the next two books combined, and Sutcliffe draws on a wide range of sources with which to build her own narrative. Beginning with Merlin's boyhood and his activities at Tintagel, Sutcliffe goes on to the circumstances of Arthur's birth as outlined in Geoffrey Monmouth's  The History of the Kings of Britain , giving us her account of his birth, fosterage, and eventual crowning when only just fifteen.From Thomas Malory's  Le Morte D'Arthur  she brings in the love triangle between Arthur, Lancelot and Guenever, Arthur's struggle to establish peace in Britain, and the forming of the Knights of the Round Table.From this point, Sutcliffe moves into several other stories concerning the Knights of the Round Table, including Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (the most famous translation by Tolkien:  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Sir Orfeo ) the Kitchen Knight (also one of my favourite picture books by Trina Schart Hyman:  The Kitchen Knight: A Tale of King Arthur ) and perhaps the best rendering of the tale of Tristan and Iseult there is (it almost deserves to be its own book).Merlin and Morgan le Fey drop out of the story surprisingly quickly, and most of it is concerned with knight's errands and love stories, most of which can be read out of order, for this is not a novel so much as it is a compilation of stories. It can be rather difficult at times to keep track of all the interwoven stories that double-back and twist about and get steadily more complex as each chapter goes on."The Sword and the Circle" is followed by two sequels, "The Light Beyond the Forest," which recounts the search for the Holy Grail, and "The Road to Camlann" which concludes the trilogy with the destruction of Camelot and the disbandment of the Knights of the Round Table. I'd recommend tracking down the three-in-one version:  King Arthur Stories .The amount of story that Sutcliffe is trying to get across means that characterization beyond broad brushstrokes is minimum, and often motivation is completely lost, but what she still manages to skillfully convey the depth of human emotion that is so prevalent in these legends: the longing for the divine, the pain of love, and the mindlessness of hate. Arthur is perfectly portrayed as a man who rises to status of beloved ruler not through physical prowess, but his strength of leadership and his ability to create peaceful resolutions. Yet I got the sense that Sutcliffe was more interested in Lancelot, what with his twisted face and passionate heart. There are probably more pages dedicated to him than any other character in the entire trilogy.She also crafts the unforgettable images of Arthurian legend that seem to be known to everyone: the sword in the anvil in the churchyard, the white hand in the lake clutching Excalibur, the hall of the Round Table, the byre of Elaine floating down the river outside Camelot, Merlin sleeping under the Hawthorn tree...the list goes on, and all of it is encapsulated in her rendering of medieval Britain: the dark forests and cool lakes, standing stones and mysterious wells, castles and hermitages.Sutcliffe has created a very "pure" vision of the Arthurian story, in comparison the revisionist treatments that many authors use on the legends today (usually by giving them a feminist slant). But here we have a sense of the original story, much like the retellings/compilations by Roger Lancelyn Green and Howard Pyle, in which the knights: "take oaths that always they would defend the right, that they would be the true servants and protectors of all women, and deal justly in all things with all men, that they would strive always for the good of the kingdom of Britain and the glory of the kingdom of Logres, and that they would keep faith with each other and with God."

In these legends little seems fixed: I had read in several other versions that Morgan Le Fay , the younger sister of Arthur was the mother of Modredand that he was fostered by the older sister in Orkney.It gives motivation to Morgan's many attempts on Arthur's life.The stories are pleasantly retold here with very little real damageto them. The name shifting is common from one tale to the next with only the main characters keeping identity.The description of Lancelot as ugly is new to me, too.Mostly he is talked about as a very big man who could move very fast andwas very well trained in Knightly arts of lance and sword.Most talk about his true heart more than his features.It does give a new twist to the tales.

Great quality

There is a lot of love,magic,mystery,death but just so much love.Some bits were really good but some can feel a bit hard goingA good book overall

翻訳者は辞書を片手に一語ずつ調べて繋げているだけなのかな？と思いました。日本語としておかしなところが多々あります。がんじょうな(頑丈な)などの簡単な漢字も平仮名表記なのは子供向けなのですかね。

子どもの頃から好きだったサトクリフの、アーサー王物語をようやく読みました。その前に『落日の剣』を読んでしまったので、それとは違う、典雅なおとぎ話感に最初はとまどいましたが、いつの間にか物語にひき込まれました。「最後の戦い」も読まねば。

大変厚い本ですが一気に読破してしまします。イギリス人の友人達が「”大ブリテンに再び危機がおとずれる時我は再び戻る”といったアーサー王の言葉を信じているものも居るほどにイギリスに深く根を下ろしている物語」と説明してくれたのがよくわかります。大陸ヨーロッパとのつながりや古い時代の歴史を読み取るヒント、そしてオペラ・映画にもなる悲しい恋の物語...。第三部の終わりには思わず落涙してしまいました。単純なファンタジーとしてもすばらしい読み物です。