The Book of Merlyn Summary
T. H. White

The Book of Merlyn Summary

The Book of Merlyn begins where The Once and Future King ends—the night before Arthur's final battle. White clearly considered the book the conclusion of his Arthurian series. Almost the entire novel is devoted to returning the reader to the ending of The Once and Future King, where Arthur knows he will be defeated, but has found a way to go into battle with his heart at peace. Only the last few pages of The Book of Merlyn are devoted to completing the legend, narrating the death of Arthur and the retirement of Guenever to a convent and Lancelot to a hermitage.

Almost all critics agree that The Book of Merlyn is not as successful as The Once and Future King, that it is too cynical and too philosophical. Even White's biographer, Sylvia Warner, is critical of White's philosophizing in the novel and has written that...

(read more from the Short Guide)