The Death of Arthur

Thomas MaloryProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.7

Word count: 2.1M words
Chapters: 206

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Le Morte Darthur by Sir Thomas MaloryAuthor: Malory, Thomas, Sir, -1471,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Sep 14, 2014

Editor's review

Le Morte Darthur is a major prose compilation of Arthurian legend in English literary history. In Middle English prose, Malory integrates core narratives including the Knights of the Round Table, the quest for the Holy Grail, the love affair of Lancelot and Guinevere, and the fall of the kingdom. This Project Gutenberg electronic edition preserves the original archaic spelling and chapter structure, making it suitable as a primary text for understanding the Arthurian legend system. Its value lies in both epic scenes of war and adventure and ethical explorations of conflicts among loyalty, honor, and fate. Readers need to adapt to differences in Middle English grammar and vocabulary, but this very linguistic texture brings readers close to fifteenth-century narrative tradition. It is suitable for comparative reading with later Arthurian works to observe how the legend has been rewritten in different eras. The electronic edition is convenient for searching and excerpting but lacks modern scholarly notes; reading should proceed at a slower pace, with annotations or reference works consulted to understand the background.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Arthurian legend and chivalric literature
Students of English literature and scholars researching medieval literature
Readers who enjoy epic narrative and classical romance

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer modern vernacular and effortless reading experiences
Beginners with little patience for Middle English spelling and grammar

Reading tips

Read a plot summary first, then proceed chapter by chapter to avoid giving up due to language barriers
Prepare a Middle English glossary or read alongside a modern translation to help understand key passages
Separate the Grail quest and the fall of the kingdom as two main threads, and keep simple notes on character relationships

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a complete Arthurian story?

This book is Malory's compilation of Arthurian legends, covering the main narratives from Arthur's birth and the founding of the Round Table to the fall of the kingdom. However, the sections come from different sources and are not structured as a coherent novel in the modern sense; readers should regard it as a group of interrelated legends.

Is Middle English difficult to read?

Malory's prose is fifteenth-century English, with spelling and syntax that differ from contemporary English, so it will feel demanding at first. It is advisable to become familiar with the main characters and plot framework first, then read passage by passage, using a modern translation or annotated edition when necessary.

Is the electronic edition suitable for academic citation?

The Project Gutenberg electronic edition is based on public-domain texts and can be used for general reading and preliminary research. For academic citation, however, authoritative editions and page numbers should be checked, and the electronic source should be noted.

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About the author

Thomas Malory Author · English · 1405–1471

Sir Thomas Malory (c. 1405–1471) was an English writer best known as the author or compiler of Le Morte Darthur. Public information about his life is limited; scholars generally identify him with Thomas Malory of Newbold Revel in Warwickshire, who was involved in the Wars of the Roses and imprisoned several times, and who died on 14 March 1471. He drew together French romances to form this collection of Arthurian stories, which was printed by Caxton in 1485 and became a major source for later Arthurian literature. The library holds seven of his works, mostly English retellings of stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, as well as volumes of Le Morte Darthur.