The Death of Arthur

Name: The Death of Arthur
ISBN: 9787201124827

托马斯·马洛礼 / 陈才宇Tianjin People's Publishing House · ChinaDec 2021

4.0

Word count: 170K words
Chapters: 25
ISBN: 9787201124827

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Summary

The culmination of Celtic myth—Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur is the first work to tell the complete legendary story of King Arthur of Britain and his Knights of the Round Table. It begins with Arthur's father and follows Arthur's birth, upbringing, rise, marriage, wars, and the founding of the Round Table fellowship, then the battles with Lancelot in France, the return to defend the realm and the campaign against the traitor Mordred, and finally the downfall and death of both sides. The stories and legendary elements in the work became an important source of inspiration for later fantasy writing.

Editor's review

Le Morte d'Arthur is the first work to tell the complete legendary story of King Arthur of Britain and his Knights of the Round Table, beginning with Arthur's forebears and tracing his birth, upbringing, rise, marriage, wars, and founding of the Round Table fellowship, through the battles with Lancelot in France, the return to defend the realm and the campaign against the traitor Mordred, to the downfall and death of both sides—a complete arc. Malory gathered scattered Celtic legends into a single book, and its stories and legendary elements later became an important source of inspiration for fantasy. Chen Caiyu's translation offers Chinese readers a relatively complete text. The book's value lies not only in the stories themselves but in the narrative tradition it presents, where chivalric institutions, notions of honor, and tragic fate intertwine—suitable for readers who want to understand the roots of Western legendary literature or who are interested in Arthurian adaptations and want to go back to the source text. Readers should adjust to the pacing and structure of classical narrative; it's best not to judge it by the tight standards of the modern novel.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Arthurian legend and the Knights of the Round Table who want to read the source text
Literature lovers who enjoy chivalric romance and the Western classical legendary narrative tradition
Writers of fantasy and speculative fiction who want to trace the origins of the material
Readers of history and literature who need background on Western chivalric institutions and notions of honor

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced modern narrative and struggle with classical structures
Those hoping for a concise retelling or a simplified edition for young readers
Readers with no interest in medieval settings or chivalric themes

Reading tips

Read the preface or a summary of the Arthurian story first, then go into the main text—it makes the relationships easier to follow.
Read in chapter-by-chapter segments; after each knight's tale, pause briefly to sort out the characters and events.
Keep a character-relationship note recording the origins and key events of the main knights to reduce confusion.
After finishing, compare with later adaptations and observe which legendary elements are repeatedly borrowed and reworked.

About the publisher

Tianjin People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1950

Tianjin People's Publishing House publishes across such fields as classic works, foreign literature, architecture, social culture and social sciences, with 749 relevant titles in the collection. In the areas of classics and scholarship, works such as Wang Guowei's Renjian Cihua and Fei Xiaotong's From the Soil and Fertility and Reproduction reflect a sustained attention to social culture and classic texts of thought. Architectural books are represented by Liang Sicheng's Annotated Yingzao Fashi and A History of Chinese Architecture, showing an emphasis on architectural heritage and building traditions. In foreign literature, translations of Sholokhov's And Quiet Flows the Don and Tolstoy's War and Peace and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, through the work of translators such as Li Gang and Yu Dawei, form a substantial series of translated works. Overall, the press combines classic texts, scholarly works and fine translations, with a publishing character oriented toward humanistic depth and the dissemination of knowledge.

版权信息
亚瑟称王
大魔法师梅林的预言
荒野巴林的痛心一击
圆桌骑士的神圣誓言
女巫摩根勒菲的诡计
亚瑟王渡海远征罗马
圆桌骑士
骑士之花兰斯洛特
“好手掌”骑士高雷斯
爱情骑士特里斯丹
红盾骑士拉姆莱克
阴险骑士马克国王
圣杯传奇
圣杯骑士加拉哈德
骑士团与圣杯冒险
兰斯洛特追寻圣杯
先知所罗门的神迹
圣杯三骑士的结局
亚瑟之死
兰斯洛特的秘密恋情
宫闱之恋致圆桌崩毁
莫德莱德的叛逆决战
亚瑟王身后传奇遗事
编者后记

FAQ

Can I understand it without background knowledge of the Middle Ages?

You can follow the main storyline, but some chivalric institutions, notions of honor, and narrative conventions take some getting used to. It helps to start with a basic outline of the Arthurian legend and a rough list of the Round Table knights; don't dwell on unfamiliar customs while reading—focus first on the character relationships and the flow of events.

How is this book related to later Arthurian films?

The book gathers the core stories and legendary elements—Arthur's birth, the Sword in the Stone, the Round Table, Lancelot and Guinevere, Mordred's rebellion, and more—from which a great many later films, novels, and games draw or adapt. Reading the source text helps you recognize which plotlines come from Malory's compilation.

Is the translation hard going?

The pacing of classical legend differs from the modern novel: there are many digressions and characters appear frequently, so it may feel slow at first. Reading in segments and keeping character notes helps; once you've adjusted, it becomes easier to follow the storyline.

Comments

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About the author

托马斯·马洛礼 Author

Thomas Malory is a name closely bound to Arthurian legend in English literary history, though public information about his life is limited and his dates and nationality remain difficult to establish with certainty. The library holds two of his works, both centred on Le Morte d'Arthur. This work gathers and retells, in prose, the legends of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table and the quest for the Holy Grail. It is large in structure and crowded with characters, conveying both the ideal splendour of chivalry and a tragic sense of betrayal and decline. Malory's narrative language is plain yet rhythmic, and he excels at portraying the intertwining of loyalty, honour and fate in scenes of battle, tournament and court. It is commonly classified under foreign literature and fine fiction, reflecting its status as both a summation of medieval romance and one of the traceable sources of the later novel tradition.

陈才宇 Author

Chen Caiyu is a Chinese-language book author about whom limited public information is available. Two of his works are currently included in the database: The Death of King Arthur and Hard Times. These titles indicate that his writing and translation involve classics of foreign literature, commonly categorized as fine fiction and foreign literature. The former belongs to the important textual tradition of the Arthurian legends, while the latter is associated with the work of the British writer Charles Dickens, suggesting a focus on representative narrative works within the Western literary tradition. As no clear records are available regarding his dates of birth and death, nationality, education, or professional career, no further biographical details can be provided. Readers wishing to learn more about him should begin with these two works, noting his choices in text selection and Chinese presentation, as well as the circulation of classic works in the Chinese-reading world.