"The Inklings and King Arthur: Tolkien, Lewis, Williams, Barfield on the Matter of Britain"

[Extollager]

I finished Dr. Ordway's essay happy with its style and content, and also its implied conclusion that, for the non-specialist, the best thing is to know Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Malory well (to which I would add that one need not concern oneself with Malory's account of Arthur's war with Lucius of Rome nor with the Sir Tristram material). She rightly observes that Malory can (and for many adult readers should) be read in the original: he is writing early modern English.

I used to have students get the Oxford World's Classics paperback of the Winchester Manuscript of Malory's Morte. They were given a study guide prepared by me* and required to read xxxi-iii, 3-80; first paragraph on 95, 118-119, middle of 167 (Gareth and Lancelot); 281-527 (351-372 may be skimmed). I suppose that this represents roughly 50-60% of what Malory wrote (Winchester Manuscript or Caxton edition).

*I have published it here at Chrons. There are some formatting blemishes but you should be able to read the substance with little effort. See the link immediately below.

Best Arthurian Novel?

See also

Arthurian Medieval Literature: Malory, Gawain, and More

Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur and Other Arthurian Classics

 

[Extollager]

A discussion topic for one of the two Arthurian threads linked in the posting above might be: aside from Sir Gawain and Malory, what classic Arthurian literature might be recommended?

From before the Gawain-Poet and Malory, my choice would probably be The Mabinogion followed by Geoffrey of Monmouth.

From after the Gawain-Poet and Malory, I'd go with Spenser's Faerie Queene.